Discuss how the concepts of glory and death in conflict have been dealt with by the poets of the 19th and 20th centuries - How does the poet portray victims of conflict?

English Coursework- War Poetry

Discuss how the concepts of glory and death in conflict have been dealt with by the poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. How does the poet portray victims of conflict?

Your response must include consideration of two pre-1900 poems on the theme of war and three post-1900 poems.

War is immoral and can only be justified in the most extreme circumstances. It involves death and destruction, bloodshed and loss. In my opinion there is no winner in a war- both sides are at a loss regardless of how big or small that loss may be. Other people see it as a duty in which they defend their country, family or their way of life. In the past, it was more common for people to die for cause and country and be considered a ‘hero’. By studying five poems, two pre-1900 (Drummer Hodge- Thomas Hardy and The Charge Of the Light Brigade- Alfred Lord Tennyson) and three post-1900 poems (The Soldier- Rupert Brooke, The Irish in Gallipoli- Francis Ledwidge and The Civil Servant- Michael Longley), I have now got an informed opinion on how war poets portray the images of conflict. These five poems focus on four different conflicts- the Crimean War, the Anglo-Boer War, the First World War and the conflict in Northern Ireland.

In Drummer Hodge, we are told about a personal tragedy. This particular poem was written about the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). This specific war was unpopular. No glory was seen in the concentration camps or the guerrilla tactics involved. This poem contains hints of the anti-war feelings of Hardy. “Young Hodge never knew…the meaning of the Broad Karoo.” This makes evident that Hodge was unaware of why he was in South Africa taking part in the war. This shows us the innocence of the young boy. Hardy gives a realistic picture of war. He shows the apathetic nature of war and its consequences. Although Hardy was never involved in the war, he gets across the reality of war in a precise and thorough way. He does this better than many war poets who were involves in a particular war or conflict.

This particular poem is very similar to The Irish in Gallipoli. In this poem Ledwidge was, infact present in World War One. He puts war across in a very realistic way but he is highly idealistic about the achievements of war. This poem contains his justification for war both personally and nationally. He describes war as serving, “liberty and justice, love and peace.” As this was written in 1917, He does this to reassure the people at home that this war was, infact just because at this late stage of the war people were beginning to lose faith in their men. He speaks of aiding the British “neither for lust of glory nor new throne”, showing that he does not want rewarded for what he is doing. He also speaks to his countrymen (the Irish) to “weep not for sorrow, weep that by her sons a land is sanctified”, telling them not to weep and be sad at the problems in their own country after the Easter Rising of 1916, but to rejoice in the fact that the young men of Ireland- the ‘Land of Saints and Scholars’ are going out to make the world Christian.

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In The Charge of the Light Brigade, we see a more glorious view of war. We must be aware that Tennyson never fought in the war and wrote this poem ten years after the war ended. He bases his poem on a newspaper article by a pro-war journalist reporting for The Times- a government-backed paper. The language and imagery both mirror each other. We get a sense of glory, patriotism and heroism. He portrays the soldiers as being almost like martyrs, “theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.” He takes a different point of view than many others did of this particular scene in history. “Charging the army while all the world wondered.” In this he speaks of the amazement due to their bravery and greatness while many others felt a sense of amazement due to their sheer madness.

The Soldier has a similar feel to it. Brooke, the writer was infact involved in the war but died early on and was never aware of the true realities of war. This may be one of the reasons this poem focus less on the blood and gore of war and its main focal point is one of glory and heroism and in particular patriotism. He mentions the word England/English a total of 6 times alone. “In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;” in this he is saying that in the rich earth there will be a richer dust hidden, the dust of himself when he dies. “A dust of whom England bore, shaped, made aware,” here he is calling himself a true Englishman and that he is proud to be there and to be prepared to die for his beloved England. The fact that this poem was used as a piece of propaganda proves that it is highly likely that this poem does not discuss war in a truthful way. Instead of showing its realities it is portraying war in a glorious light.

The poem The Civil Servant is a different poem from the rest, as Longley does not add any glorious theme to this specific piece.

When focusing on the death aspect in the poems we cannot deny the fact that war leads to death. It is therefore obvious that the majority of war poetry focuses on the death aspect involved in war.

In Drummer Hodge, Hardy speaks of the boy as being “uncoffined just as found”, showing that no traditional funeral rites are observed and that the youth is alone and distant from his home. He portrays the death and the treatment of Hodge as cold and callous. This handling of the victim is similar to the death and treatment of the victim in The Civil Servant.

The same sense of insignificance is shown when Longley describes “them” and how “they rolled him up”; this shows that he is considered worthless and unimportant. The way that the victim died- “a bullet entered his mouth and pierced his skull” while “he was preparing an Ulster fry for his breakfast” shows the barbarism and brutality of his killing. His death is different compared with the death of an average person, “they dusted the dresser for fingerprints and then shuffled backwards across the garden with notebooks, cameras and measuring tapes.”

In The Charge of the Light Brigade we are made aware of death from early on. His references to death are of a somewhat religious nature. “Into the Valley of Death” is associated with Psalm 123. This alludes to God being on their side in this valley. A similar quote is also recited during the funeral service. In the poem we are made aware that the soldiers only option was “to do and die”, this was their duty- to die for cause and country regardless of the circumstances. Tennyson tells us that “horse and hero fell” indicating that not just an average soldier died- a hero died.

Francis Ledwidge paints a similar picture of death in The Irish in Gallipoli. He also has a strong Christian, religious outlook on the death of the men, especially the Irishmen. He shows them as being almost martyrs. He compares them 2 those who suffer in Christ. Making them out to be disciple like. He glorifies their cause and what they die for.

The Soldier is again similar to The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Irish in Gallipoli. It gives the view that the victim (himself) will be a hero- a ‘Son of England’- “if I should die”, he is suggesting that he may die but if he does only to think “that there’s some corner of a foreign field, that is forever England.” This is showing us that he was born English and will die English.

In Drummer Hodge the language used is highly significant. The use of South African vocabulary reinforces the foreign-ness of the conflict and the distance from home for Hodge. Then imagery of stars is eloquent in showing that many of the people involved in the war did not know/understand why they were there. There is also an echo of a biblical or religious language, “yet portion of that unknown plain will Hodge for ever be”- shows solemnity and reverence, inspiring respect for Hodge. In The Charge of the Light Brigade, the rhythm of the poem is essential. The galloping horses is reflected in the repetition of the opening lines “half a league, half a league, half a league onwards” He uses many lingual techniques including the use of; metaphors, “the valley of Death”, personification, “the jaws of Death” and onomatopoeia, “flashed all their sabres bare” and “shattered and sundered”. The fact that Tennyson uses repeated phrases and refrain adds the ‘galloping into battle’ effect. The Irish in Gallipoli refers to a lot of myth and legend, “Troy’s last shadow” and “the Last Mystery”. He also adds a vast amount of religious reference, “for Christ Arisen”, “a land is sanctified” and “Our cross with England’s mingle” This brings into light his idealism and superficial attitude on war and the justification of war. The Soldier has got numerous references to “England” and the poetic ness of war itself. It is a sonnet, a poem of love, which is particularly, viewed in his love for his country- his patriotism. The Civil Servant is slightly different as it is written in a more story like form. Its tone is direct and the language is basic with simple vocabulary yet, it is highly effective. Due to this I feel that this poem is easy to relate to because it is less poetic than the other poems.

In the poems Drummer Hodge and The Civil Servant, we are shown an insight into individual tragedy. These two poems show us a more brutal realistic outlook of war. The victim in each case is portrayed with a sense of insignificance. They support the views that war is inhumane and has no limits to its ferociousness.

In the other three poems the victims are portrayed in a patriotic nature. The victims are praised for their bravery and heroicness. Obviously, Brooke was successful in his portrayal of the victims in a courageous manner, as his poem was used as a means of propaganda. I also feel that Ledwidge was a success as we can sympathise with the victims and be proud of them for spreading Christianity as ‘Sons of Ireland’. Ultimately, The Charge of the Light Brigade had a mixed reaction possibly due to the fact that it was based on a government-backed newspaper- The Times and may contain hints of bias and propaganda.

Overall, I feel that the five poems can be separated into two groups, those of an inhumane nature and those of a heroic nature. I also think that the two poems, which show war in a more realistic light, are more truthful of what war entails. Although, it is not to say that the victims in the other three poems are not worthy of the praise and recognition they have received. In my opinion I feel that the focus on individual tragedy means that a deeper emphasis is given to the brutalities of conflict, which, in theory, there is more of than glory.