Personal response to "Dolce et Decorum Est", "Disabled" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade", comparing and contrasting the three poems
A personal response to "Dolce et Decorum Est", "Disabled" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade", comparing and contrasting the three poems War poems mainly tend to reflect on the futility of war, the pointlessness of it. They tend to be written about the poor men having to endure these battles, mainly in the two world wars during the twentieth century. Two war poets are Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918) and Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892). I have chosen to compare and contrast three poems which these two poets have written between them. "Dulce et Decorum Est" - Wilfred Owen This poem was written by Wilfred Owen, who was a soldier in the First World War. He therefore gives a very vivid account of what it was like to be there, as he has had first- hand experience. The title of the poem means "it is sweet and honourable" and the phrase is continued at the end of the poem..."to die for your country". Just before this is stated at the end of the poem, Wilfred Owen chooses to write "The Old Lie". This tells us he does not believe this statement to be true. Calling the poem by this name is very ironic, as the poem is filled with horrible stories about what really happened, and so Wilfred Owen is saying how can all of this suffering be sweet and proper? The irony begins in the first line, where the soldiers are compared in a simile to old beggars. This implies that they look shabby,
Stimulus and Response analysis: Dramatic and Literary depictions of war
Response phase ''War'' Stimulus text one: part A - poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est' by Wilfred Owen Mr. Devine opened up our exam to revel that the theme would be war. The class was split into three groups and each group was given the poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est' as the first stimulus. We were asked to read it and discuss in our groups what we thought of the poem and how it portrayed war. At first we thought that the poem would have a positive opinion because of the title, 'Dulce et Decorum Est'. Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori is a Latin translation for 'it is a beautiful and wonderful thing to die for your country'. However as we read the poem we found the words to be contradictory to the title. We found the poem to be very patriotic. Even from the first line the poet gave a sense of an uncomfortable and dreary atmosphere, 'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks'. The poem gave a descriptive picture of the negative and gruesome images behind war My group thought that the poet thought war to be based on lies and propaganda; it was portrayed as a wonderful and beautiful thing to die for your country yet truthfully war was horrifying and disturbing. Our group thought the poet believed people should know the truth about war before they sign up. We thought this because the poet images got more and more vile towards the end of the poem, which we thought was a symbol of the
"What effect did the 1914-18 War have upon the role and status of women?"
"What effect did the 1914-18 War have upon the role and status of women?" In the years before 1914 there were many problems for women with their oppression, lack of respect and general mis- treatment by males. There were three different classes, working, middle and upper classes. Working classes were the lowest and they would work in factories, mines and farms, the middle class were much richer, they would be the owners of the factories and the large farms out in the rural areas whereas the upper class were the gentry, often friends or even related to the royal family. Women had trouble getting recognition in all the three classes. The working class women were the most poorly treated. Often they would be made to go to work along with their husband to earn enough money for the large family to survive. They would have to be strong women so they could carry out the work in the factories and mines, the work at home and also to be able to give birth to many children as their survival rate was so appallingly low. At home their duties were to look after the many children and to clean the house. There were no labour saving devices or servants to help so the chores all had to be done by hand making them very tedious. They didn't have many prospects to look forward to either, they weren't educated as many were brought up in a large, poor family who could not afford to educate
Choose two of Owens poems and compare his attitudes towards war and his choice of poetic styles to present these views.
Choose two of Owens poems and compare his attitudes towards war and his choice of poetic styles to present these views. I will be comparing the two poems 'Anthem of doomed Youth' and 'Dulce Et Decorum Est.' Anthem of doomed Youth is one of Owen's most famous poems and one over, which he took great pains. The poem is written in sonnet form. The poem is a long comparison between the elaborate ceremonial of a Victorian-style funeral and the way in which men go to death in the Western Front. The poem was written while Owen was in Craiglockhart war Hospital. He was expressing his views and personal experiences from the front and back home. The poem compares home life to the front line; but it is shown in how the soldiers are treated after they fight and die for their country and that they have no meaning. 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' is poem that describes four corresponding sections. The first deals with the extreme condition of the exhausted soldiers. The second stanza deals with a gas attack and the cruel death of a soldier. This also happens in 'Exposure' where the soldiers are attacked by shells and are confused to whether they are dead or alive. The third stanza is the poet's reaction, and nightmare. The fourth stanza addresses the poetess. He expresses his views to the other poets who lie about the greatness of fighting. So we can see, already only in my introduction, that the
Why were the major cities of Britain bombed by the Germans in 1940-1941?
Abdullah Mamaniat 10Q Assignment Two: Objective 1 Britain in the Age of Total War, 1939-45 Question One Why were the major cities of Britain bombed by the Germans in 1940-1941? After Hitler failed to defeat the RAF in the Battle of Britain, he turned his attention to British towns and cities. The Blitz, the title given to the German bombing campaign on British cities during World War Two, was Hitler's attempt to destroy Britain's morale and 'soften up' Britain. The attacks started on September 7th 1940. British civilians had not experienced the horror of war until now, and these attacks continued until May 1941. The attacks were night time raids as opposed to daytime to enhance the fear factor and also because losses to the RAF fighters were too heavy during daytime. Another reason why the Germans attacked during the night was to make counter measures difficult. However, Britain did attempt to defend herself with anti-aircraft guns, searchlights, barrage balloons and fighter aircraft, but many of these measures simply relied on luck. The Germans' bomb aiming was inaccurate. They bombed from relatively high levels, perhaps as high as 12,000 to 15,000 feet. This was why the aiming was inaccurate and this led to high German losses. The targets the Germans were claiming to bomb were large cities. In these large cities the Germans claimed to be aiming for factories, railway
War Poetry Essay.
War Poetry Essay War was declared on Germany on the fourth of August, 1914. Britain had not fought a major war for over 100 years, and the general public attitude towards war was that Britain were indefatigable, and Germany would indisputably be subjugated before Christmas, 1914, and a glorious victory would be won over Germany. Very little thought was passed to the immense loss of British and civilian life that would be mourned by millions. This was mainly due to the moral produced by propaganda in the form of posters, poetry and film. The high-spirited propaganda lured many credulous young men into the glorious, valiant perception of war, which could be theirs, should they wish to participate. This poem, "Who's for the game?" by Jessie Pope was written at the beginning of the war and only echoes a pro-war attitude. It contains very little negativity about the war. This poem was written for "The Daily Mail" newspaper and encourages young men to take an active role in the war. The poem greatly exaggerates the glory and triumph of the war. The mood of the poem is evident from the light-hearted vocabulary used in the title and the stanzas. The title "Who's for the game?" proposes absolutely no peril, and suggests that the war is in some way reminiscent to a game of Cowboys and Indians, however on a much grander scale. "The biggest that's played." This is very
How do poets use ‘voice’ to instil their poems with personality? Consider with reference to three poets.
How do poets use 'voice' to instil their poems with personality? Consider with reference to three poets. For poetry to be truly personal, a voice is needed. It is through the voice of a poet that the reader can glean some sense of that poet's identity and nature. Who are they? What are they trying to say? Why? One could even go so far as to say that the voice of a poem or poet is fundamental to its aesthetic value and 'readability' - without a distinct and clear voice, how can we distinguish a poem from the surrounding, ambient babble? It is the voice which endears a poet to the reader - without a voice, how can we identify with a poet? All these questions must be considered carefully. The voice of a poet can be a vehicle for political, personal, and social expression, as well as instilling a poem with a sense of personality - one might say the function of a poet's 'voice' is to stamp their poem with their identity. It is the idea of an author's voice, rather than the voice itself which draws us towards the author as an entity - someone with whom we can identify, converse and understand. The actual process of reading may be, on one level, entirely one-sided, but in reading a poem (or any piece of literature for that matter) we bring as much to the work as we take from it. In this way, reading a poem is not one-sided at all, and is instead a rich progression towards a higher
Explain the changing attitudes of civilians and British soldiers towards the War.
Explain the Changing Attitudes of Civilians and British Soldiers Towards the War In 1914 many British people were very enthusiastic about the war. When Kitchener, the minister of war called for "a million men and more" there was an overwhelming response. Some people, however, did not share this enthusiasm and many people's attitudes changed during the course of the war. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, the vast majority of British people supported the war. Lots of propaganda posters were published around the country by the government. The purpose of this propaganda was to make sure people supported the war effort. The First World War can be said to be Britain's first total war. Because it thoroughly affected people back home. Previous wars like the Crimean war did not involve/affect everyday life of ordinary people. Because they were fought far away by small professional armies. But this war affected the vast majority of people at home in one way or another. This time, civilians were even being killed by enemy action. Early in the war, German warships shelled the east-coast towns. Later in the war air raids from German Zeppelins caused further death and damage. In defence, barrage balloons, searchlights and early fighter aircraft were introduced to defend the skies above Britain. In 1918, the Royal Air Force was formed. 1500 British civilians were killed
The Battle of the Somme 1916 - source related study.
The Battle of the Somme 1916 . What can you learn from Source A about what life was like in the trenches during the Great War? Taken from a book about trench warfare, the extract in Source A shows us some aspects of life in the trenches, though it does not show us the full picture as it is probably not what every soldier in the trenches experienced, but it does show us the typical conditions. Written by an English author we can assume that this source shows what it was like for British soldiers and possibly those of the Empire but it may not represent the German soldiers and those in enemy trenches. However, the routine described would be typical for both sides. The provenance states that the book was published in 1976 and so we can assume that it was done to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the battle. This extract conveys the life of dull routine, boredom and 'bleak discomfort' suffered by the soldiers. During the daytime there would be a lull in the fighting and there would be time to rest, though it would be difficult to do so. This source does not give any reasons why it may be difficult to relax, so we are left to assume what the reasons may be. It is more than likely that soldiers found it difficult due to the poor conditions in trenches, with rats, lice, mud and the risk of getting trench foot. Also, it is probable that shells were being fired, making the
What attitudes towards the First World War have you found in the poetry you have studied and how are these attitudes revealed by the Poets.
First World War Poetry Assignment Task: What attitudes towards the First World War have you found in the poetry you have studied and how are these attitudes revealed by the Poets. The Fist World War was an exciting adventure for many people. Many young men considered it to be their duty to fight for their country. Going to war for many individuals was a portrayal of their bravery and loyalty. One poet- H. Begbie in his poem, Fall In mentions the freedom, joy and fullness of life those will achieve who join the war. A lot of propaganda poems/songs and posters were established during the war to help convince people going to war is a good thing. The main reason for the establishment of these propaganda posters/poems and songs were to persuade people to enlist. A lot of individuals specifically young boys lied about age mainly because they were looking forward to showing their patriotism. Wives and mothers sacrificed their husbands and sons so they could also be part of the victory. It was common belief that it was going to be a short war so they were expecting to see their husbands and sons in a few months to celebrate the victory. The attractions (i.e. beautiful girls) of the smart uniform drew many men to enlist. Men enlisted for their glorious uniform even though they didn't have any knowledge of the war. The thought of the uniform bringing them respect and
