Wilfred Owen begins with a striking simile of troops on a march,
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,”
This simile paints a very powerful picture of the discomfort and lack of dignity experienced by the soldiers. His observations of war conjure up images to the reader of the sheer hopelessness the soldiers find themselves in. Owen writes with a tone of horror, as if he is reliving the war as he tells it.
The speed of the second verse increases to demonstrate the panic and horror of the situation the soldiers find themselves in. They shout to encourage one another to quickly fix their masks in place, as they witness one unfortunate soldier flounder and gasp for air before succumbing to the poisonous gas. Owens points out the inadequacy of the “clumsy helmets” as he attempts to apportion blame for the unfortunate soldiers’ death. The use of such words as clumsy and floundering communicates a feeling of disorder.
The event is viewed by Owen, through the dim glasses of his mask whilst he is surrounded by a thick cloud of gas, “as under a green sea.” Owens dream’s replay the horror of watching his fellow soldier suffer and feels as regret and hopelessness that he could not do more about the rumour that it is ‘sweet and fitting’.
Owen concludes that ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is a lie, and the disturbing story told throughout the poem is in itself enough to convince the most stubborn war support. However, it is the use of striking comparisons and compelling metaphors that drive the poets point home.
Hardy lived from 1840 to 1928. He was the son of a mason, from Dorset, in the south west of England. Thomas Hardy was married twice - his first marriage, long and mostly unhappy, was to Emma Gifford. They married in 1874. Emma died in 1912, and in 1914 Hardy married his secretary, Florence Dugdale, who later became his biographer. Hardy died in 1928, aged 87. He had asked to be laid beside Emma, but his body was buried in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Thomas Hardy's "Drummer Hodge' is a poem that speaks out about the horrors of war. The poem particularly focuses on the personal tragedy of a young innocent boy from Hardy's Wessex who died whilst serving in the Boer War in South Africa between 1899- 1902. It speaks of the value placed on a young boy’s life, a boy too young to understand the realities of battle and the horrors of war. It breaks open the British taboo of burying the fallen men where they lay whilst defending their Queen and Country. Drummers were usually the very youngest of soldiers, those considered too young to fight.
The first verse tells us that "Drummer Hodge" was thrown into a grave “uncoffined” which shows the lack of value place on his life or character. Through this, a message of the cruel nature of war and death are conveyed to the reader.Despite dying heroically for his country, his corpse is treated with no respect. He did not receive the burial he deserved. Once dead, he was merely an inconvienience to the men around him. Nature's attitude to Hodge contrasts with that of his fellow soldier’s.
The symbolism of a soldiers body and his grave as a “small hill” relates itself to the attachment of man with nature, yet the place of death for the soldier in “A Dead Boche” emphasises how man is alienated from nature through the destruction that war has caused. The soldiers’ body is welcomed and looked upon as something precious and of great value by his new surroundings. The body becomes an important, integrated part of the landscape, his final resting place, “His homely Northern breast and brain/ Grow to some Southern tree,” and in his death he achieves a worthiness he never received in life.
There is some irony that Hodge gave his life for a country and cause of which he knew very little about. The poem constantly refers to Hodge's lack of knowledge. This Drummer –“Hodge” has a name that was once used as a kind of nickname or disrespectful term used for people who live in the country (like bumpkin or yokel). Hardy does not support this prejudice and uses it merely to his advantage. His “homely Northern breast and brain” suggests Hodge was a simple, unpretentious boy, but a valuable human nonetheless. While alive Hodge never felt comfortable with the new and unfamiliar night sky, or had the time to learn the names of his new surroundings, yet this alien landscape becomes his permanent home. The constellations that were foreign to him become “His stars eternally.” The reader feels the level of sadness felt by Hardy as he attempts to draw in the readers’ sympathy towards the boy.
The focus throughout on “constellations” and “stars” which again gives ideals of romance, is used to lessen the reality and tragedy of war. This is especially true when we consider that “Young Hodge the Drummer” is portrayed as being naïve and innocent to the horrors around him.
The final verse once again does its best to remind us of the hopelessness of war and Hardy’s torment. This place will be his new home for the soldier, his final resting place. One where he will be revered and honoured by his surroundings, if not by the men he served.
The Independent Newspaper Nov 2006