Introduction
In this essay, I am going to be writing about three poems the
poems are called ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ wrote by Alfred
Lord Tennyson in the Nineteenth Century. ‘Dilce et Decorum Est’ wrote
by Wilfred Owen during the First World War from 1914 – 1918. ‘An Irish
Airman Foresees His Death’ wrote by W.B Yeats during the Second World
War. I am going to write about the mood and tone of each poem and say
what each poet thinks about war. I am going to write why each poem is
effective or not effective.
‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’.
Verse
What poet tells us.
1 The men are charging into the valley
2 The order to charge was a mistake, but the men are not afraid.
3 The men charge into the valley. They are surrounded by guns.
4 They charge the enemy waving their swords. They attack the enemy then
retreat. But not everyone survived.
5 Solders are still retreating. They are still surrounded by guns.
Soldiers are still being killed.
6 Poet changes from describing the story to talking to the doctor.
Telling everyone how brave the men were. Never forget how brave they
where.
I think that the poet divides the poem up like this because he wants
you to know about the soldiers and think about what it was like for
them at war.
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I think that the poet writes the poem this way because it makes the
poem sound better and then more action is in the poem. The men had to
fight, and it was the wrong command. Tennyson also thought that and
they were going to get killed.
Valley of death,
Mouth of hell,
Six hundred,
Jaws of death,
Cannon to right of them
Cannon to the left of them
Cannon in front of them.
The poet says this because it makes it more interesting and more eager
to read on.
The words the poet said about the soldiers and the battles are:
Valley of death,
Mouth of hell’
Jaws of death’
Cannon in the front of them,
Cannon to the left of them’
Cannon to the right of them.
The poet uses the word ‘Hero’ to describe the soldiers because there
where some soldiers that survived the awful battle.
Tennyson used a rhyme in these lines:
“Theirs not to reason why”
“Theirs but to do and die.”
“Storm’d at with shot and shell”
“Boldly they rode and well.”
“Plunged in the battery-smoke”
“Right thro’ the line they broke.”
“When can there glory fade?”
“O the wild charge they made!”
There are many things in this world that are impossible to understand without first hand experience.This can be especially irritating for people who have the knowledge, but see everyone else with the wrong idea. Philip Larkin and Wilfred Owen show this in their poems about the common misconception of war glorification. Through imagery and the use of similes, they explain what it's really like for a person to go into battle. To outsiders, fighting in war is a noble cause worthy of envy and praise, but from the inside perspective the only thing war does is take away the innocence of
Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry Before 1900, war was always seen as a glorious thing. People truly believed in the words of the ancient writer Horace, "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori. " This phrase can be translated, as "It is a lovely and honourable thing; to die for one's country". Pre 1900 war poetry was strongly patriotic and glossed over the grim reality of death, preferring instead to display the heroic aspects of fighting. If death was mentioned, it was only in a noble and glorious context.
poem. The tone used by each poet is critical because it indicates to the reader their
In conclusion, depending on the position from which one views war, the standpoint may vary ranging from being supportive of the soldiers because those who die are dying for the country or they are completely unsupportive of war activities because it is a brutal and gruesome experience involving countless unnecessary injuries and deaths. Affected by a number of factors, the authors of the two poems have chosen opposing standpoints on the issue of war where Tennyson glorified it with the main message that it is an honour to die for one's country whereas the other, Owen suppresses the idea of war by illustrating all the horrid experiences of a soldier.
draft of a preface to a book of poems, "My subject is War and the pity of War. The Poetry is in
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
In the essay I hope to explain why I picked each poem and to suggest
Ultimately, we have two poems which can be compared on the grounds of their subject, but are poles apart regarding their message. The structure of these poems is not what would be typically expected from a war poem, but are structured on the basis of these typical structures in order to create some sense of familiarity. Brooke’s poem expands on this familiarity while Owen attempts to deliberately sabotage it. In regards to content, Brooke shows throughout his perception of the nobility of dying for one’s country, whilst Owen uses all of his poetic techniques to show the opposite.
The next line expresses the way in which he has no grave stone, just a
Considered the leading English poet of the First World War, Owen is remembered for realistic poems depicting the horrors of war, which were inspired by his experiences at the Western Front in 1916 and 1917. Owen considered the true subject of his poems to be "the pity of war," and attempted to present the true horror and realities of battle and its effects on the human spirit. His unique voice, which is less passionate and idealistic than those of other war poets, is complemented by his unusual and experimental style of writing. He is recognized as the first English poet to successfully use pararhyme, in which the rhyme is made through altered vowel sounds. Owen’s distinct way of both writing and reading poems led to influence other poets in the 1920s and 1930s.
War is a patriotic act where one seeks the determination to lead their country. It can be viewed noble, cruel, inhumane and can make an individual a hero or a criminal. It effects everyone in a society, hoping their loved one is safe whether fighting in the trenches or waiting at home. It has led to severe individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Two poems in war literature “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen and “Facing it” by Yusef Komunyakaa, the authors’ different perspectives will be presented. Owen portrays war as a horror battlefield not to be experienced and the glorious feeling to fight for one’s country. Komunyakaa on the other hand shows an African American that serves in Vietnam War and visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The poets’ choice of diction, setting of battlefield and various uses of poetic devices create a desired effect.
Q: Compare the attitudes to the war and its presentation in the 2 poems ‘Who’s For The Game?’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’. Include an analysis of the language used and its structure.
Tennyson’s poem has a lot of action in it but Binyon’s poem is a view
World War I impacted poetry profoundly. Poets who served in the war were using poetry to share their horrific stories about the hardships they faced. These poets became known as “war poets.” They wrote about the traumatic, life changing experiences that haunted them once the war was over. Intense poems started emerging that portrayed the mental and physical struggles soldiers faced. Two examples of the impact that World War I had on poetry is seen in the poems “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Repression of War Experience” by Siegfried Sassoon.
In this comparative piece on these two anti-war sonnets, from World War One and the Battle of Vinegar Hill, I will attempt to explain how each writer displays the particular event in their poetry. Both these poems have irregular rhyme schemes and around 10 syllables on each line. The aim of these poems is to remind us to respect those men who lost their lives in battle, and to how disgraceful war really is.