Poetry of the First World War.
Poetry of the First World War The First World War broke out on the 4th August 1914. It sparked fantasies for many young men of becoming a war hero. The government assured everyone that the war would be over by Christmas. Boys and men decided to join up in an attempt not to miss the excitement. Poets were just as patriotic as the men going to die fighting. Because of this patriotism, the poets wrote about how glamorous the war was and how good it felt to die for ones country. This was all in an attempt to keep the number of men high enough to replace those who were lost. These men did see action but they were all mainly middle class people and so were given high ranks and didn't see much of the front line. They didn't see the true horrors of war and carried on writing patriotic poems. Fortunately for men still joining the war, some poets, such as Wilfred Owen, did see the horrors of war and wrote very unpatriotic poems such as 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' which was one of his most famous poems. 'The Volunteer' by Herbert Asquith tells about how good war was and how one should die for their country; "and in that high hour he lived and died" he says that the greatest point in a man's life is when he dies for his country. He never saw war which makes him hypocritical as he talks about an experience he never had. In his poems, Asquith uses great images of Roman wars to glamorize
Why did the number of women employed in Britain begin to rise significantly from mid-1915?
Assignment One: Objective 1 Why did the number of women employed in Britain begin to rise significantly from mid-1915? In 1911 the government census revealed that 11 million adult women did not have a paid job. The main reason as to why many women in Britain were not employed is that women were expected to marry and become housewives. Their job was to care for their husbands and raise children. However working class women had no choice other than to work. The most common job for working class women at the time was domestic service. 1.5 million women worked as domestic servants working long hours as cooks, cleaners or chambermaids. 500,000 women worked in the sweated trades and 900,000 women worked in the textiles industry. The textiles industry was a major employer of women. Women were usually paid two-thirds of a man's wage or less. When the First World War broke out in 1914, women had to fill in jobs that men had left behind them to go and fight. More and more men went to fight in the war and by mid 1915; Britain's workforce was seriously depleted. In the spring of 1915, Herbert Asquith (famous for his "business as usual" motto), went on a speaking tour of Britain to talk to the 'Workers of Industry.' This was clearly an attempt to boost the morale on the Home Front as the war dragged on into its second year. Entry to Asquith's meetings was free, but by ticket only.
The Theme of Time in The Two Poems, 'Days' and 'Toads Revisited'
The Theme of Time in The Two Poems, 'Days' and 'Toads Revisited' By Philip Larkin. The titles of these poems alone suggest there will be a theme of time in them; The title 'Days' speaks for itself as days are a way of measuring time, 'Toads Revisited' however is much more subtle but the notion of revisiting, indirectly tells us that he is going somewhere or doing something that he has done before in his lifetime. 'Days' is a poem about Larkin's views on death and how our approach on the subject can alter the way we live. Larkin begins his first stanza with the rhetorical question of 'What are days for?", though this is a question similar to the biggest question of all time 'What is the meaning of life?' Larkin answers it with a simple monosyllabic response, "Days are where we live". For such a broad and open question this is a very closed, unrefined answer. This could be a reflection of Larkin's view on the meaning of life, that he feels it is not important to search for a complex answer. I get the impression that Larkin is tired of life and its repetitive structure, "They come they wake us, time and time over" this is shown by his impassionate language and monosyllabic style. Its seems as if he feels time is passing too slowly. 'Toads Revisited' unlike 'Days' is the second poem out of two, the first being similar in subject but written 10 years before when Larkin was at
Comparison between Tennyson's 'charge of the light brigade' and Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est'.
Comparison between Tennyson's 'charge of the light brigade' and Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est'. During this essay I am going to try and prove to you that these two war poems have a different meaning to them and a different message behind them. Obviously they are both trying to get the point across about what the poets believe war to be like but I feel Wilfred Owen's poem is a lot more detailed whereas Alfred Lord Tennyson's has a more vague approach! Firstly, I will discuss Tennyson's impression of war and how he shows us that war is full of honour, bravery and heroism. Throughout this poem Tennyson sticks to a very brief description of soldiers, death and general war! Tennyson is trying to tell us that the soldiers who fought in this war were brave and should be honoured and respected. Proof of this is in the quote 'Honour the charge they made'. From Tennyson's point of view he must of felt that the soldiers were brave and courageous enough for us to honour them which is asked of us in this quote. In this poem it is as if there is no hope for these soldiers, like they are already dead and this effect is proven by many of the gloomy quotes which are portrayed throughout the poem- "while horse and hero fell" emphasising the word "fell". Many of the quotes in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' are negative because when we read these lines it makes the soldiers sound more brave and
Compare the way Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen portray war in 'The Rear Guard' and 'Strange Meeting'.
Laura Cole Compare the way Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen portray war in 'The Rear Guard' and 'Strange Meeting' The first poem 'the Rear Guard' describes a soldier's journey when trying to escape from the horror of the trenches. En route he stumbles across what is described by Sassoon as a 'sleeper'- a solider who is believed to be asleep. After a silent response and dormant reactions to the soldier's kick, he discovers that the 'sleeper' is actually a dead victim of war. Eventually the 'rear-guard' is able to leave the tunnel 'unloading hell behind him'. In 'Strange Meeting', it is supposedly Owen who is the narrator telling the reader of his experience. The narrator believes he has died and has been sent to hell, where he meets a ghost (hence the title) and is told how it is terrible to die young in war. The poems share many similarities as well as the obvious subject of war. Both writers portray the horror of war and it is true to say that both poems are strongly anti-war. Examples of this include 'Now men will go content with what we spoiled' (from Strange Meeting) and 'unloading hell' ('The Rear-Guard"). The choice of language of the two poems also shares similarities. Both writers use hard-hitting vocabulary, describing war unsparingly, more so in 'The Rear-Guard'- 'Savage he kicked an unanswering heap' although there is evidence of this in 'Strange
The Daffodils
The Daffodils 'The Daffodils' was written in the eighteenth century by William Wordsworth. Gillian Clarke wrote 'Miracle on St.David's Day' in the twentieth century, making her a contemporary poet. 'The Daffodils' is about a day when Wordsworth was contemplating, and decided to go for a walk. Along the way he observed a host of daffodils. He thought that the flowers were so beautiful that they left an indelible impression in his mind. Weeks, maybe months after he had first seen the flowers, when he was in a "vacant or pensive mood," Wordsworth remembered the beautiful sight of the daffodils. Just thinking of the flowers gave him inspiration and filled his heart with pleasure. We know that something remarkable is about to happen in Gillian Clarke's poem by reading the title; "Miracle on St. David's Day." The word 'miracle' conveys this feeling. After reading the title there's a chosen extract or a prolog from the poem 'The Daffodils.' We now know that Gillian Clarke's poem is accociated with William Wordsworth's poem. As this extract is located at the beginning of her poem it makes us believe that her poem is also going to be about daffodils. The poem by Gillian Clarke is about a 'miracle' that occurs on St. David's Day, when a dumb man is touched by the power of a poem. She visits a mental hospital and recites poems to the patients. When in middle of a poem the dumb man
Compare and contrast the ways in which Wilfred Owen and Ted Hughes write about nature.
Compare and contrast the ways in which Wilfred Owen and Ted Hughes write about nature. In this extended piece of writing I am going to compare and contrast 'Exposure', a poem written by Wilfred Owen, to a poem written by Ted Hughes, 'Thistles'. 'Exposure' is a poem about the men who are fighting in the First World War and are suffering from the effects of the weather and the formidable conditions in which they have to live. They hallucinate about going back home and dream about what it would be like, but then return to reality, to the cold and dreadful trenches. Towards the end of the poem, there is a shift in tone and atmosphere. The men realise that their being in the trenches is essential for the protection of freedom and domestic security. Moreover it is their destiny. Ostensibly, 'Thistles' is about nature. On a more profound level, the poem is about survival and the pain endured during the growth and rebirth of this plant. There are comparisons and effective phrases using natural imagery as the poem's focus, showing that the battle for survival in an indifferent world is a brutal one. I will now examine in more detail each poet's approach to the role of nature in these poems. Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us... This quotation is from the first line of 'Exposure'. Immediately, we recognise a sense of pain and anguish. This
Women and the war effort in Britain, 1914-18 Sources Questions
CSU 5 - Women and the war effort in Britain, 1914-18 . "Source A is propaganda and, therefore, it is of little use as evidence about the importance of women in the First World War." Do you agree or disagree? Source A is useful for showing that the British government used propaganda to unite the hearts and efforts of the home front and the front lines. Source A is the cover to the War worker in June 1917 - a time when conscription was beginning to be used by the government, and so a large percentage of the army didn't even want to be where they were. The fact that a woman is shown on the front cover at all, however, shows that women were considered important in some way. The cover is however not factual and only shows the idealistic view of life in the trenches and the factories, but is useful in showing what the atmosphere of the time was like. 2. Is Source C more reliable than Source E as evidence about how enthusiastic women were to support the war effort in the First World War? Source C is an extract from a book written in 1994 by historian Angela Woollacott. Source E is an extract from The daily chronicle newspaper published on the 19th of July 1915. The main difference between them is reliability. Angela Woollacott wrote the book with the main purpose of informing the audience of readers. It is unlikely that she would have 'made up' or added material as she pleased.
Why Did the Stalemate on the Western Front Occur?
Why Did the Stalemate on the Western Front Occur? Alex Lines Why was there a stalemate on the western front for so long? This is a common question, discussed many times among many people. In total, between Germany, Britain and France, deaths amounted to 4,039,871, and 10,442,270 more were wounded during the whole war, and most of these casualties were caused in the stalemate on the western front. In truth, there are several reasons why the stalemate occurred. In my opinion, the most important reason for the stalemate was the strategies used during the war. With a lack of imagination from the generals added to the defensive stance of the Germans meant that the stalemate lasted a very long time. The overall offensive tactics involved mainly an artillery bombardment, infantry climbing out of the trenches to eliminate the enemy, then a support attack of cavalry. However, though this tactic may have worked in the past, the addition of the new weapon, the machine gun, destroyed any real chance of this orthodox attack from succeeding. The generals of the First World War started off (and carried on throughout most of the war) with the idea of massed infantry charges with bayonets fixed to their rifles, so with the ability to fire 600 rounds per minute, this weapon was excellent for wiping out large numbers of infantry and cavalry units, thus making it an excellent weapon of
Commentary on 'The Wild Swans at Coole' by W.B. Yeats
Ruth Haines Commentary on 'The Wild Swans at Coole' by W.B. Yeats 'The wild Swans at Coole' is a poignant and contemplative Poem written by Yeats typical of his spiritualistic and mysterious style. It was written towards the end of his career/life, reflecting his growing realisation of human immortality in that he is growing older and nearing the end of his life. Throughout the poem Yeats constantly uses the strong image of swans, which to him appear immortal, as a contrast to his own fading life to communicate his awareness of human transience. To compliment the development of this idea of nearing death, Yeats uses a combination of natural imagery, soft language and the form of a regular lyric to create an overall serene and slightly melancholic quality to the poem. At the beginning of poem, particularly in the first stanza the use of natural imagery and language creates a calm and serene tone. The poem follows a regular lyric structure in six stanzas of six lines each, it alternates four beat and three beat lines with the rhyming structure of ABCBDD. This helps to endure a feeling of movement/flow and it reinforces the calm tone created by the other literacy techniques used. The use of words such as 'October', 'Autumn' and 'Twilight' not only create the sense of time at which this poem is set, but all three evoke images of nearing the end of a time period and could be
