"Referring to two or more poems, and using at least one written before 1900, compare how poets have treated the theme of war in their work."

The first 200 words of this essay...

Chris Russell Assignment A: Response to Poetry

"Referring to two or more poems, and using at least one written before 1900, compare how poets have treated the theme of war in their work."

To me, war brings to mind death, misery and very little good when compared to the suffering it causes. However, I also believe that in extreme cases, war can be justified. For example, when the situation that cannot be resolved by other means would be better off after a war.

The attitudes of poets towards war have always been expressed vigorously in their poetry, each poet either condoning or condemning war, and justifying their attitudes in whatever way possible. I aim to explore two opposing portrayals of war before and during the twentieth century, and also the structures and devices poets use to convey their views persuasively, and justify them.

'The Charge of the Light Brigade' was written by Alfred Lord Tennyson to commemorate the botched attack at Balaclava, during the Crimean War in 1854. In this charge, six hundred British soldiers were slaughtered when they were ordered to attack the wrong valley. The soldiers, on horseback, bravely charged into