To start analyzing these poems, I will look at the basic points.
In Owens, we can clearly see that the poem is divided into 3 stanzas. The tone of the stanzas is different and they all deal with different ideas related to World War 1. Stanza one deals with the tiredness and fatigue of the soldiers and also the utter exhaustion of them. Uses of verbs such as trudge, limped and adjectives like knock-kneed, bent double show us the extreme conditions that they had to fight in and the effects. Again, the verb ‘cursed’ to describe there movements shows how physically enfeebled they are and that the only way that they can move is by cursing. The statement ‘men marched asleep’ shows again their exhaustion as they were totally tired and seemed to march whilst sleeping. The phrase ‘blood-shod’, which is assonance, shows the hardship that the soldiers are suffering in. Words like, lame, blind, drunk and deaf show that the senses of the soldiers are stopped up and that they can no longer walk, smell, see and hear (hoots).
From the sad tone of stanza 1, we are introduced into stanza 2 which is a frenzied opening in other words in complete contrast to the previous stanza. The first words ‘Gas! Gas!’ show violent movement. The words fumbling and clumsy show the difficulty the soldiers were in trying to get their masks on. Owen goes onto describe very effectively the way that one particular solider cannot fit his helmet on at time. He uses a simile ‘like a man in fire or in lime’. This prepares us for stanza 3.
This is the longest stanza in the poem, and most detailed. It is written in the present tense. Owen describes the image that has hunted his life. He brings the reader in and places him before the situation which Owen had to face. His eyes writhing in agony and the blood gurgle from his lungs. These many verbs suggest the pain the soldier was in. The phrases ‘like a devils sick of sin’ ‘obscene as cancer’ ‘froth –corrupted’ emphasize the extreme horror of the occasion. In 2nd half of last stanza Owen reaches conclusion. If you have an experience something like he has you too could realise the old saying is a lie and that the end is very bitter and resentful. Owen resents people that believe in sentiments.
To now analyze Mc Crae’s poem ‘In Flanders Field’.
Mc Crae lived from 1872 – 1918. He was a Canadian physician and fought on the Western front in 1914. He transferred to the medical corps and assigned to a hospital in France. He died of pneumonia while on active duty n 1918, a week before end of war.
The poem contains 3 stanzas, but is much shorter than that of the previous poem. The tone of this poem is more peaceful and very nostalgic by the end of the stanza. Also becomes sad near end.
When the 2nd stanza is read, it reflects the past and in the last stanza shows that it is patriotic for e.g.; ‘take up your quarrel with the foe’, yet keeping the poem sad and determined. When the dead are mentioned it makes the poem very concise. We have quite a big of imagery in this poem, for e.g. assonance ‘shall not sleep’ ‘row on row’ and ‘poppies grow’. Also there is personification for e.g. ‘singing larks’.
From this we can see the main similarity in the poems. The language of the 2 poems greatly moved Britain at the time of war, which gave the whole of the world a different perception of World War 1.
By Connor Allan
4 Lyndon
