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Essay the impact of war on literature and society
War poetry techniques
Poetic devices of the poem in spite of War
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Post 1900 War Poetry
By looking at several war poems written before and after 1900, I can
see that many elements of the types of poetry change greatly in
several ways. I will be looking at a selection of war poems written by
three different poets, in chronological order, so as to see if the
attitudes to war and writing styles change over time or during various
stages of the war.
Firstly I will be looking at a poem written by Alfred Tennyson about
the charge against the Russian gunners in 1854. The poem is called
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" as it is exactly what happened. The
information that Tennyson used to write the poem came from a newspaper
article from the Times. Tennyson has used the information very well to
give an accurate and informative, yet poetic description of the
charge.
Although Tennyson is writing from secondary information, he has still
incorporated poetic and rhythmic effects to make the poem follow a
rhythm similar to that of a galloping horse. 'Half a league, Half a
league, Half a league onward', the distance of the charge is stated at
the beginning of the poem as it starts straight into the charge.
Although in the article written in the newspaper it states 'At a
distance of 1,200 yards', Tennyson has edited it within similar
distance whilst making the information poetic to read. By starting the
charge at the beginning of the poem, Tennyson has instantly caught the
reader's attention whilst still providing the relevant information for
the poem to tell the story of what happened.
Tennyson glorifies the soldiers greatly by using strong dramatic
language and graphic images that can be vividly formed in the reader's
minds. "All in the valley of Death, rode the six hundred." The
dramatic language here makes it seem like just the unusually small
amount of horsemen used in such a charge would be charging at hell
itself. Tennyson continues to glorify the bravery of the soldiers
throughout the whole poem, 'Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws
of death', yet the emphasis that he uses on death makes the charge
seem futile and that the men are charging towards their own deaths.
Verses 3 and 5 seem very similar when reading the poem, however in
contrast the charge is towards the gunners in Verse 3 whereas it is
the retreat in Verse 5. Yet Tennyson always keeps the repetition of
600 throughout the poem, even when they are retreating and many of
them have already been killed he continues to refer to them as one
group of six hundred that make up the Light Brigade.
First of alll, the poem is divided into nine stanzas, where each one has four lines. In addition to that, one can spot a few enjambements for instance (l.9-10). This stylistic device has the function to support the flow of the poem. Furthermore, it is crucial to take a look at the choice of words, when analysing the language.
lust. To his Coy Mistress is a pure lust one even though in parts may
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
During the time period of the emancipation proclamation multiple black authors were becoming educated enough to write works of poetry. Such works have influenced and persuaded the minds of white people all over America to this very day. It also gave their own people a work of art to turn to for their own history. The poets have ventured into modern day eras also, and still have the same topics at hand. The main idea of these poetry pieces was on their ancestors in Africa but also of course of the modern problem of slavery. Langston Hughes was the first influential black poet. Lucille Clifton and Colleen McElroy are modern poets but is a black woman who has other views on slavery but also very similar looks on their historical past. All of the poets all mentioned their historical background in Africa. Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and Colleen McElroy all wrote about their ancestors and of slavery, and some of the same references were of the rivers, and the connection between the people even though they are literally worlds apart; a difference between the poems was the desire for freedom and the freedom that was already existing in the modern day poetry of Lucille Clifton and Colleen McElroy.
Tom Brokaw called the people who lived through World War II (WWII) “The Greatest Generation”, where he shares many heroic war stories in The Greatest Generation. The classic character displayed in the book was a decorated war veteran who returned to the United States (US) and developed a prosperous lifestyle. The WWII veterans came to symbolize strength, honor, unity, justice, success, and noble sacrifice. This image was portrayed through literature and film. Books and movies created an image of the WWII veterans which the US would idolize. Popular culture gave the war a romantic appeal. People fell in love with the idea that the US was liberating Europe from the Nazi Hun and the evil Japanese Empire. After the war, men came back to marry their sweethearts and had several children who were called the Baby Boomers. This romanticism continued through television shows like Leave it to Beaver and literary titles similar to Dick and Jane, which dominated popular culture. Though popular culture defined the perfect life, the lifestyle was not typical for the average American.
The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ explains in a majestic approach, that fighting in war is something every soldier should honour. The poem is also about the loyalty of the soldiers, not the bad luck or foolishness of men. Tennyson presents this in his poem to show the bravery of the soldiers, although, he only highlights on the benefits of war.
A poem which I have recently read is: “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen. The main point Wilfred Owen tries to convey in this poem is the sheer horror of war. Owen uses many techniques to show his feelings, some of which I’ll be exploring.
‘Poetry can challenge the reader to think about the world in new ways.’ It provokes the readers to consider events, issues and people with revised understanding and perspectives. The poems Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen, 1917) and Suicide in the Trenches (Siegfried Sassoon, 1917), were composed during World War One and represented the poets’ point of views in regards to the glorification of war and encouraged readers to challenge their perspectives and reflect upon the real consequences behind the fabrications of the glory and pride of fighting for one’s nation.
The theme of war is used to explore how innocence can be lost. “War Photographer” is about a photographer who utilizes the suffering of refugees for the “Sunday supplement”. The photographer feels guilty about his “job” and still can hear the “cries” of a man’s wife, which indicates that these memories are haunting him, and made him lose his innocence due to what he had witnessed. Duffy uses imagery like “blood stained into foreign dust” which has many uses; “blood” symbolizes the pain and grief of the refugees, and how it has been “stained” into the land so the people themselves. Furthermore the word “stained” implies that the photographer has been permanently affected, causing him to lose his innocence, like the veterans in “Mental Cases”.
Tennyson and the rest of Britain was not used to this, so Tennyson wrote about the subject of war in a very positive way. Owen and Sassoon experienced the great war and saw the terrible losses first hand. They instead of showing how Britain was doing well, they wrote about how people were dying innocently. In the period Owen and Sassoon were writing in, Britain faced an uncertain future and Owens and Sassoon’s poem complement this aspect of life.
As poet laureate and patriot, Alfred, Lord Tennyson was very influential in 19th century England. He successfully showed the ignorance of the English Army leaders while still reflecting his strong nationalist views in an attempt to create propaganda for the Crimean War in his poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” The charge was a tragic incident that took place in 1854 during the Crimean War, which was England, France and Sardinia against Russia, when English Army generals blundered and sent over six hundred soldiers on a charge that was destined for disaster. The solders were known as the Light Brigade and the charge resulted in over two hundred deaths to soldiers and over three hundred deaths to horses. In this horrific aftermath, Tennyson responded to this event by writing a poem which went on to become a classic. Tennyson was a strong nationalist and very political. He was moved and troubled when he received news of the tragic charge. The poem became a form of propaganda for the Crimean War due to Tennyson glorifying the sacrifice of the soldiers by using his exceptional writing skills. Although this poem is regarded by many as propaganda, he included the word blunder in the poem which showed the ignorance of the Army leaders.
He may have used this technique to make war seem if it had made men
Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” upon receiving news that nearly almost all of a party of 600 men had died in a futile charge during the Crimean war. Tennyson was inspired by the courage of the men that had died, and consequently wrote the poem. He really focuses on the fact that these men did their duty despite how obvious it was that they were going to die, and tries to convince the reader of one of his themes for the poem: that duty despite better judgement is extremely admirable. He also orders his readers to remember the Light Brigade for their courage, bringing to light a second theme: heroes of war must be remembered for their bravery. Tennyson makes use of a third person narrator for most of the poem, punctuated by short exclamations from officers. The poem has a very cinematic feel, as though a camera is panning around the battlefield, following the soldiers’ progress through “the valley of Death”.
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English author who considered himself mainly as a poet. A large part of his work was set mainly in the semi-fictional land of Wessex. In 1898 Hardy published a collection of poems written over 30 years, Wessex Poems his first volume of poetry. Emma Lavinia Gifford, Hardy’s wife, whom he married in 1874. He became alienated from his wife, who died in 1912; her death had a traumatic effect on him. He remained preoccupied with his first wife's death and tried to overcome his sorrow by writing poetry, he dictated his final poem to his first wife on his deathbed.
A Comparison of The Patriot by Robert Browning and The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson