War Poetry.

War Poetry Poetry is one of the most important ways of communication and expression of feelings. War poetry brings history to life it also shows us the thoughts of men and women who have experienced war. The young people today are impressed by the work of soldier poets of 1914-18. They think this is the most impressive part of the huge literature war. Before the end of the nineteenth century there were no soldier poets. The war poets were mostly civilians who used their imagination to say what battle was like. The use of powerful words meant there was a hidden meaning behind it. The writer uses metaphors and similes to express the anguish, fear, love etc in his poems. Everyone's opinion of war changed towards the end of the 1st world war. People thought that sacrificing oneself for their country was seen as being noble and honourable. This put great pressure on the young men to go join the army and to risk their lives. Such poems like this were 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' by Alfred Tennyson and 'Peace' by Rupert Brooke. Jessie Pope's 'Who's for the Game' is a very particularly good example of a poem based on the traditions to encourage men to enlist. The poets before the 1st world war were usually civilians who wrote their poems from newspaper reports or other soldiers' accounts. Some people were taken to war and were paid to write poetry. The poems could have

  • Word count: 2934
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

War Poetry.

According to the international law, war is the declaration of violent intentions on another state or country. Through the ages there have been many ways of preserving the memories of these precious moments of human violence - through art, drama and documented personal accounts, but one of the most empathetical methods is through poetry. War poetry is a person's response and contains issues surrounding war; most poems written about war have personal feelings and include their interpretations of events. Many who are affected by the aftermath of war turn to poetry in order to release their trapped feelings; they attempt to evoke a response from the reader. The first poem was written previously to the 20th century and it focuses upon the Crimean war. The poem is titled 'The Charge of the Light Brigade.' The Crimean war lasted from 1853 - 1856. It was military conflict between Russia and a coalition of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire; this war was a major turning point in the political history of post-Napoleonic Europe. The roots of the conflict lay in the Eastern Question posed by the decline of the Ottoman Empire, a development of fraught with explosive implications for the European balance of power. From the 18th century, Russia had become increasingly eager to take advantage of this situation to increase its influence in the

  • Word count: 1848
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

War Poetry.

War Poetry GCSE Coursework On August 1st 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. Then the next day Germany put into action a plan to attack France by advancing through Belgium. The reason for attacking France was that they had a treaty with Russia and they felt that the French would help Russia with invading them. On 14th August 1914 after Germany ignored an appeal from Britain to refrain from violating Belgium's neutrality in this attack on France, Britain declared war on them. As it was the first major war that Britain had fort in for hundreds of years it sparked fantasies of becoming a war hero in young boys and men's minds. Because the government had told everyone that the war would be over by Christmas, they decided to join up in an attempt to not miss the excitement of war. Little did they know that they were being sent to fight in a horrific war that would lead them to their deaths? Some poets were also very patriotic just like all the young men going to fight. Because of this patriotism the poets wrote about how glamorous the war was and how good it was to die for your country. This was all an attempt along with propaganda to keep the number of men high enough to replace those who died. These men who wrote patriotic poems did see a bit of action but they were all mainly middle class people so were given high ranks in the army such as a General which ment that they

  • Word count: 1401
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

war poetry

How does Wilfred Owen, use his poetry to communicate the horrors of the First World War. In January 1917 Wilfred Owen arrived on the western front at the northern end of the Somme sector where he spent four months in appalling conditions. Owen didn't approve of the lies being told about the war so he wrote poems to tell the truth about the horrors and cruelty of the war. I looked at a number of Wilfred Owens poems and I have chosen four to write about. 'Dulce et decorum est', 'the sentry', 'Exposure', and 'disabled'. In these poems Owen uses a lot of personal pronouns to communicate to the horrors of the war. He shows this by explaining the suffering he went through. In the opening paragraph of the sentry, Owen explicitly describes the situation as being 'hell' we know Owen was experiencing this horrific event because he uses personal pronouns such as, "we" and "our". Having studied a variety of Owens poems it is clear he had a strong personal view of the war. The four poems that I am focusing on two highlight actual events that Owen has experienced. Both poems deal with specific incidents that have had a lasting impression on Owen. The poem Dulce et decorum est is about death the first section of the poem takes the reader on a march with the soldiers and shows vividly the unglamorous aspects of the war. "Men marched asleep" tired suffering men who are no longer pain,

  • Word count: 1181
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

War Poetry.

An Introduction War has given writers much material to use in books, short stories, descriptive essays, poems etc. Sometimes these merely narrate incidents and bring them up to story form. For instance Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece, War and Peace, tells the story of five families during the Napoleonic Wars, "The Great Escape" by Paul Brickhill which was also made into the movie, and Ernest's Hemmingway's "A Farewell to Arms", which examines how World War 1 impacted the lives of several characters---including an ambulance driver. The film, based on the novel, earned Academy Awards for cinematography and sound recording, Apart from the poems "Six Young Men" by Ted Hughes and "War Photographer" by Carol Anne Duffy, "Vergissmeinicht" by Keith Douglas and "Bombing Casualties in Spain" by Herbert Read also show the futility of war, without minimizing the horrors it creates. Some of these books go into the economics of war. All these books imply that given a similar set of circumstances as well as predictably of human nature, war is inevitable. They also bring about the aftermath of war and how it damages the socio-political nature of a nature. Most of these war novels have a good dose of love and romance and many have been made into outstanding films. The Poets of the First World War The First World War brought to public notice many poets, particularly among the

  • Word count: 3419
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

War poetry.

War poetry I come from Wooburn common. Somebody had to. When we first moved here it seemed an alright place. There are plenty of fields for sport and stunning views. But these mild advantages are swamped by a thousand and one disadvantages. For example, I still, after four years of living here, am coming to terms with the fact that I'm the only sane person in this village. Even my family seem to be a little on the insane side after living here, but I can't say I blame them. The only entertainment there is: dodging the many vicious animals when you go on walks and trying not to get lost in the uncountable number of trees and wooded areas. It's enough to drive anyone mad! One of the inhabitants of Wooburn Common is "crazy dog man". He has somewhere in the region of 15 dogs which he talks to, not to mention himself, regularly. He is a tall, lanky man, with grey greased back hair and always wears, rain or shine, his dark green rain Mac and Wellington boots. One day, one of his beloved dogs decided to "leave a package" for us, on our lawn for my dad to find. We were unaware at first whose dog did the deed but we treated it as a one off. As we were about to find out this was not the case. Everyday a fresh one was laid; we even put a sign up saying "please do not allow your dog to foul on our verge, or we may have to return the favor". It was no good, the poo just kept coming (by

  • Word count: 1764
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

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

  • Word count: 4659
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Why is Act One Scene V of 'Romeo and Juliet' an effective piece of drama?

Why is Act One Scene V of 'Romeo and Juliet' an effective piece of drama? 'Romeo and Juliet' is a play, telling the tragic story of two lovers kept apart by their family's hate for one another. It was written by William Shakespeare. First published in 1597, the play is set in the Italian city of Verona and is themed on the love between Juliet, the daughter of the Capulet household, and Romeo, the son of the Montague household. Together they are forced to hide their love for one another due to the Capulet and Montague's bitter rivalry. Juliet, of the Capulet household, is being primed for a marriage to Paris, while Romeo is apparently in love with a woman called Rosaline, whom we never actually see in the play. The play, as agreed by many critics, is one of Shakespeare's earlier works, and, unusually for his earlier stories is one of tragedy. The play, not unusually for Shakespeare, is full of contrasts, comparisons and dramatic moments, which all add to the full amount of variety of events that occur. As well as contrast, there are also many coincidences, as in Act One Scene V where Romeo temporarily forgets about the true love of his life, Rosaline. This, moments after he sets his eyes on Juliet, a suggestion of love at first sight. In reference to Juliet: "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight; for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night" The play also moves on

  • Word count: 1563
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Why is Bottom such a well-loved character? Explain with reference to 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'

Why is Bottom such a well-loved character? Explain with reference to 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. It was written in 1595 so was one of his earlier plays. Nick Bottom is one of the main characters in the play and is easily the funniest and most well loved. By well loved, I mean that he is well liked my other characters in the play and especially by the audience. He figures in many of the scenes in the play and crosses into the different 'worlds' within the play. He wanders into the world of the fairies during the play and also into the Royal World! Both of these worlds give Bottom a chance to show a bit more of his comical character. The play itself was aimed at an audience of Kings and Queens. It was written just after the plague had swept through the country killing thousands of people so this may have influenced Shakespeare into writing a play with a touch of humour in it. Shakespeare is undoubtedly the best play write that has ever lived and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' has always been one of his most popular plays. There are many main characters in the play that all have an important role within the play. Bottom may not be the main character, however he is the character that the audience will remember the most about once the play has finished. Bottom gets his slightly comical name from being a working

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2008
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Why did the number of women employed in Britain begin to rise significantly from mid-1915?

Why did the number of women employed in Britain begin to rise significantly from mid-1915? The main reason why the number of women employed in Britain began to rise from mid 1915 was the First World War. This gave women many different opportunities to contribute to the war effort. Before the war the traditional roles for women were to stay at home and care for the family whilst the men went out to work. But many thousands of men volunteered to fight for their country and even though at first unemployed men filled the empty spaces in 1915, when conscription kicked in, women were needed to take the men's role in the workplace. One of the opportunities for women's work was farming. Because the men were at war, it left a huge shortage of labour on the farm and by 1915 there was a major food shortage and no farmers. This prompted the government to establish the Women's Land Army. Although male farmers resisted this strategy worked and by the end of the war in 1918, over a quarter of a million women were working as farm labourers which significantly contributed to women's employment rising. In 1917 and 1918 The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, the Women's Royal Naval Service and the Women's Royal Air Force were all set up so that women could volunteer to become more involved in the war through the services. The plan was for these women to serve as clerks, telephonists, waitresses,

  • Word count: 773
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay