The war begins (ww1)

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The War Begins Essay

The First World War began on 4th August 1914, after much anticipation it was going to take place. Before the war started people presumed that it would all be over by Christmas, and that Britain would ambush the Germans and teach them a lesson. When war was declared, people gathered in Trafalgar Square cheering and very few people were against the war. The only people who were against the war were businessmen and the liberal party. A group of people who lacked enthusiasm for the war was the poets, however many chose to write about their support for the war, which in turn became printed in magazines and newspapers quickly turning into propaganda. Many of the common themes written about were the honour they would experience. As this was at the beginning stages of the war, Britain did not know much about going to war and not many people at the time had any experience of it. Therefore they presumed war was going to be honourable and that none of the Britain’s would die, but would return and be honoured for fighting for their country. They wrote about how honourable it is to go to war and many quotes in poetry reflect this.

In the poem “For The Fallen” it explains about the dead who have died. But in it there the writer uses quotations and words, which make the reader want to join the war. Words like “proud” “immortal” “laughing” “glory” “music” “thrill” and “royal” which are all contained in the poem, make the war sound like fun, that fighting in it will make a solider immortal. The “music” and “laughing” are all fun words which are going to make the reader want to join, however the theme of honour is contained with words like “proud” and “her spirit” all put emphasis on how glorifying the war is made to seem. The theme of honour is carried out greatly because at that time of 1914, people were proud of their country and taught that England was the best country of all. It made men want to fight for it, and they felt a certain degree of patriotism and honour that they carry for their country. In the poem “A Music Hall Song” the phase “for your king and your country” is used, again reflecting at the time that people were willing to die for a country that is deemed the best. People felt patriotic towards Britain and proud to fight for it.

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Other themes are those of excitement and romance. At that time, young men did not know what to do with their lives and the war offered them something to be able to live and work for. The excitement of becoming a hero thrilled young men but also young people love to indulge in dangerous activities, obviously war being a perfect one. War was something never really experienced to Britain’s before, so they presumed that it would be exciting and glorious. One young man described it as “the romance of it… the mystery and uncertainty of it”. This proves the ...

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