'Compare a selection of WW1 poetry to show how different aspects of the war have been explained'

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Zain Abbas 10.5                                                           2006-09-07

‘Compare a selection of WW1 poetry to show how different aspects of the war have been explained’

The 20th century was the bloodiest century in the history of mankind. WWI from 1914 to 1918 caused the deaths of 26 million people and half of these were civilian casualties. It used propaganda to increase its army; it triggered the next step-WW2 which increased the deaths by nearly double the size of WW1’s. Women were also trying to get the vote they had always deserved. However the Great War was also looked at from two perspectives, the patriotic way to get in or the desperate way of getting out. Different people who have lived up till now and have been through the war each have different stories, and different poets who wrote about the war have different points of views. At the beginning of WW1 joining the army was the most honourable thing you could do. Men were engulfed with the idea of being able to fight for their country’s futures. People thought that defending their country came before themselves. Patriotism is when you show love, affection and pride towards your country and you are prepared to die for your country.  

During the First World War men have been always looking forward to the idea of fighting for England. At this time poetry was written to encourage men to go and fight, poets like Rupert Brooke who wrote war poetry told everyone what the words patriotic and honourable mean. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was the poet who wrote about England and the war being a great place to die in. He died in the war so he must have not known the full horrible truth about diseases and consequences in the trenches. ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke was written to show the patriotism and the noble death was ‘forever England’. He showed in the 20th century that fighting for England was glorious, showing an idyllic picture of England.

‘A body of England’s breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home’

These two lines show that fighting and dying for your beloved country; England is the best way to go to the next life. At the beginning of the poem Rupert Brooke conveys how rich England is.

‘If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is forever England’

It shows that dying for England is very honourable moreover it is also showing that when he dies not only will the corner of the foreign be very significant it will also be part of England, he feels that he is part of England which shows a lot of patriotism to his country. Also, using personification, Rupert Brooke conveys a picture of England being the mother of us, a mother which has created us from pure English soil.

‘A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam’

Rupert Brooke has also used the image of death in a way of making it not the ending but the start of something new.

‘And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less’

It is very symbolic and religious saying you can still have faith in your new life after death, death is not the ending .This poem will have a lot patriotic words and sentences which would make the people of England have a totally new perspective about the war and would make them join the army. His language in this poem also plays a big part in his persuasive ways. He repeats the word ‘England’ to give more emphasis in it and to bring out more passion for the country. In the 2nd stanza he uses a lot of alliteration and repetition, especially for these two lines.

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‘Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;’

At the beginning of this line he has already used alliteration by saying ‘sights and sounds’. The‘s’ has been used and also ‘dreams happy as her day’ the‘d’ has been used. Also the repition of ‘her’ has also been used. At the end of the poem Rupert Brooke finishes off showing off England in all its glory this shows a more peaceful tone and creates an effect on how the death of the soldier will bring purification.

‘And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace, ...

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