The second technique that is used is simile. From the text we can pick out the line, “dreams happy as her day.” At this point Brooke is past the point of death, yet the poem is still positive and cheerful. There are no depressive or unhappy words and this proves that Brooke is not scared of the prospect of death. The reader might also be influenced by his positive words and may be not so afraid of death.
The poem is also written in the first person which makes the writer seem as if he is talking directly to you. This is shown in the first line which tells us, “If I should die, think only this of me.” Here the I is the first person and it is like the writer is personally informing us of what we should do if he dies. This makes the reader feel more involved.
Another technique is alliteration. This makes emphasis on certain words and can create a different meaning. Brooke uses the words “foreign field” which emphasises the fact that it is not in England and since England is a main point in the poem, it can create a harsher feeling towards the word “foreign” and maybe create a meaning of dislike or hatred.
Additionally, Brooke makes men want to join the army by using the things that they love and want to protect. In this poem it is the women and girls. We can see this from the phrase, “Gave once her flowers to love, her ways to roam.” Again, this is personification where England is described as “her”, however, Brooke specifically chose the word “her” for a reason. This reason is that women in those days did not have as much control and depended on their husbands or fathers for protection. The way Brooke makes England into a “her” suggests that England needs protection as well.
Furthermore, Brooke also mentions the word England and English often to stress the fact that England will always be there so it is forever England and that they should be proud to be English. This gives hope to the reader since even if he dies, he knows he will die in honour and die for England what means he will die for the people. If he does die, he can be sure to go to an “English heaven” which Brooke describes in the last line. Brooke also says that if he dies then his heart will be at peace and everyone shall remember him.
Finally, the last technique that Brook uses is imagery. This is one of the most important techniques in this poem and is displayed in various ways. The one that is most strong is “washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.” This gives a beautiful image in your mind of the wonderfulness of England.