Wilfred Owen Poetry Comparison.
Wilfred Owen Poetry Comparison In this essay, I have decided to analyse two poems by the war poet Wilfred Owen, taken from his writings on the First World War. Both of these poems ('Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth') portray Owen's bitter angst towards the war, but do so in very different ways. Owen developed many of his poetic techniques at Craiglockhart Military Hospital, where he spent much of the war as an injured soldier, but it was only through the influence of fellow soldier and poet, Siegrfried Sassoon, that he began capturing his vivid visions of the war in the form of poetry. Many would argue that it was while writing his war poems, that Owen felt most able to express his ideas on paper, and he certainly was one of the greatest war poets to have ever lived. Arguably his most famous poem, 'Dulce et Decorum Est', is a fine example of his narrative, first-person poems, written through his own eyes and based on his own experiences and views of the war. Using four clear stanzas, the poem uses standard, alternate rhyming lines. A slow, painstaking rhythm is established at the beginning of the poem through Owen's use of heavy, long words and end-stop lines, in order to illustrate just how slow and painstaking the war was. The pace then quickens during the final stanza (a rhythm achieved by the use of lines with fewer syllables and run-on endings), so
Compare methods used to present danger in Storm on the Island and Patrolling Barnegat.
Compare methods used to present danger in Storm on the Island and Patrolling Barnegat. Seamus Heaney and Walt Whitman use different techniques to portray danger within their poems Storm on the Island, a poem which describes the effects of the storm on the inhabitants of the island and explains that although they are initially prepared they are actually still frightened of the danger, and Patrolling Barnegat, which depicts a violent storm blowing into an American bay. Both poems describe each storm and the effects it has on the land, skills used involve language devices and description, they portray a certain image in the readers mind about the danger that the storm poses. They both use language devices to convey the fright and distress the storm causes. Water is usually seen as a source of life and tranquillity, however that idyllic image is turned on its head in the simile 'spits like a tame cat,' which suggests the spray from the sea is frightening in Storm on the Island just like the alliteration used in 'combs careering' makes the waves sound like they are crashing down in Patrolling Barnegat. Each of the descriptions are suggesting that the water from the sea becomes threatening and dangerous during each of the storms. Words such as 'spit' and 'careering' are quite menacing words advocating that the water could cause damage. The descriptive war-like language in
How does Wilfred Owen use language and structure to explain the physical and mental effects of war on soldiers in 'Mental Cases', and 'Disabled'?
How does Wilfred Owen use language and structure to explain the physical and mental effects of war on soldiers in 'Mental Cases', and 'Disabled'? In the poems 'Mental Cases' and 'Disabled' by Wilfred Owen, Wilfred Owen has considered the structure of his text carefully in order to explore the mental and physical effects of war on soldiers. In the poem 'Mental Cases', the poet has used the heading to describe the soldiers' actions and thoughts it would seem. He has made the title plural to show that there is more than one soldier's mind that is being explored. The title also introduces, quite obviously, the subject of the poem. The soldiers had very mixed up minds, and as a result of this, Wilfred Owen has varied the length of the stanzas. Consequently, as there is no logic in the soldiers' minds, Wilfred Owen has used this clever technique to reflect this. Equally, there is no rhyme in the poem, and I think this again is because the soldiers can not think properly. In addition to using different sentence structure in this poem, different language has also been used. For instance, the line "Why sit they here in twilight?" is linked to "Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows". They both mean that the soldiers are existing between heaven and hell. They are not living, but are teetering on the brink of death, being surrounding by a grey existence. I believe this part of the
Who are the targets for 'Wycherley's satire' in 'The Country Wife' and how does it reflect Restoration society?
Who are the targets for 'Wycherley's satire' in 'The Country Wife' and how does it reflect Restoration society? The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, concerned with exposing certain faults and failings in polite society but as R. C. Sharma said 'The Restoration comedy of manners thus reflects not the real life of the upper class fashionable society but the quintessence of its spirit and temper.' The play is also a satire; a play in which prevailing vices or follies are held up for ridicule, with characters within the play being targets for Wycherley's play. One such target is female hypocrisy. Horner's friend, Quack, who has spread the story around town that Horner is an eunuch, finds it difficult to understand how the story will benefit Horner. The latter explains. A man, in his position, has a problem in knowing which women would be interested in an affair and which would not: 'But now I can be sure she that shows aversion to me love the sport.' As he goes on, his plot will provide a screen for those women who are interested, because they are worried only about protecting their 'reputations, not their persons' from the breath of scandal. This revelation prepares us for the possibility that the women in the play will prove Horner right. If they do, then clearly his cynical assessment will have established their hypocrisy. Lady Fidget behaves exactly as Horner has
Comparing poems Exposure and Anthem for Doomed Youth
Comparing poems - 'Exposure' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' Both these poems are similar but also different in many ways. Although they both explain about the hardships of war, they do it in different contexts. 'Exposure' is about how the weather in a war situation can be like an enemy, with its sly winds and harsh ice which kills like the enemy ,the weather is as cold and bitter as war, acting like '...merciless iced east winds'. While 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' is more of a warning poem, showing how war really is behind all the propaganda and how war is not how it seems and how each life is worth less than the first, most soldier's seem to '...die as cattle'. Both poems also have different tones when compared. The tone and mood of 'Exposure' is very sombre, and dull almost melancholic due to the weariness of the soldier's, how they stand defeated by Mother Nature. For example in the poem Owen uses the phrase 'but nothing happens' 4 times, showing the mood to be dull and weary. While the tone of 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' is very bitter and scornful, as it is about how underappreciated the soldiers are, and I think it reflects how he feels about war, and his warning for the future generation. The tone is showed, on lines 4-5 were it is written, 'Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;' especially on line 5, as it is almost
Gunga Din Analysis
Gunga Din Analysis 7th October 2008 Gunga Din is a narrative poem that exploits the racial and ethnic divisions between British soldiers and their Indian native servants in the time of British colonisation and rule of India. The poetic voice, a cockney British soldier that often uses bold colloquialisms, thinks lower of his regimental bhisti (an Indian water-bearer) until the bhisti called Gunga Din saves his life. Not only does the poem portray the message that the lower ranked should carry out their jobs with bravery and loyalty to be rewarded, but it also pays particular tribute to Gunga Din for these qualities. As the poem continues, it exposes the racism and prejudice towards the Indian natives by the British soldiers, but ironically, one of the mistreated servants, Gunga Din, risks his life to save a soldier who, in the past, has been racist towards him. This also makes us appreciate what others can do for us and that we should treat others as we want to be treated, not with prejudice and racism. If Gunga Din was not as loyal to the soldiers as he was, then he would not have risked his life to save the poetic voice, for which the poetic voice is grateful. The author seeks to demonstrate that all people have a purpose to help others and that the quality of your actions is far more important than your skin colour, rank, ethnic beliefs or anything that makes up your
Planting a Sequoia
Commentary on Planting a Sequoia Planting a Sequoia is a poem written by Dana Gioia. The poem is about a father whose son had just died. He and his brothers bury the child in the orchard and decide to plant a tree on the grave to follow the Sicilian tradition. The narrator of the poem is the father. The poem is written in the 1st person. The Father plants a Sequoia tree in the place to celebrate the death. This is against the tradition because Sequoia trees are not seen as useful trees. The tree symbolizes the son and you see this because the narrator treats the tree as if it was his son. The first stanza is about just after his son has died and he and his brothers are burying the son. This stanza contains very dull imagery. An example of this is in line 3 when the narrator says "rain blackened the horizon, but cold winds kept it over the Pacific". This quote sets the overall atmosphere of the poem. It indicates that winter is coming and depicts a very miserable and negative image. The weather and the seasons represent how the narrator is feeling at that point in time. In the Second Stanza the mood stays negative with more dull imagery. The stanza starts "In Sicily a father plants a tree to celebrate his first son's birth- An olive tree or a fig tree-a sign that the earth has one more life to bear." The fact that the father has chosen a sequoia compared to a more useful,
Compare and contrast the presentation of childhood memories in half past two, piano and my parents kept me from children who were rough focusing on the poets use of language, form and structure.
Compare and contrast the presentation of childhood memories in 'half past two', 'piano' and 'my parents kept me from children who were rough' focusing on the poet's use of language, form and structure.' The poems are different based on theme as piano has a theme of music taking on a memory. Half past two has a theme of life before not being able to tell time. Lastly my parents kept me from children who were rough have a theme of not being able to relive a bad memory. The three poems are contrasting on the meaning as 'My parents kept me from children who were rough' and 'piano' are about the poet's memories when they are older and 'Half past two' is an exploration of a child's imagination during his early years before he could tell the time. In Piano, Lawrence shows he is dealing with adult memories of childhood by in the first stanza, 'Taking me back down the vista of years.' The use of the word 'vista' shows that he is dealing with a long period of time. Similarly 'My parents kept me from children who were rough' Spender shows he is also dealing with adult memories of childhood as in the last stanza, 'I longed to forgive them, yet they never smiled.' The use of the words 'longed' and 'never' show that he is looking back to that time and is hurt that they never said sorry. In contrast to that 'Half past two' is about an exploration of a child's mind. Fanthorpe shows
Discuss the way in which Wordsworth and Heaney present nature and rural life in their poetry.
GCSE English coursework Assignment Pre 20th Century Poetry Discuss the way in which Wordsworth and Heaney present nature and rural life in their poetry. Born 1770, in Cockermouth, William Wordsworth spent his early life and many of his formative years attending a boys' school in Hawkshead, a village in the Lake District. As can be seen in his poetry, the years he spent living in these rural surroundings provided many of the valuable experiences Wordsworth had as he grew up. At the age of 17, Wordsworth moved south to study at Saint John's College, University of Cambridge. Later, in 1790, two years after the French Revolution had begun; he took a walking tour through France and Switzerland on vacation. France obviously captivated Wordsworth's attention, because a year later he made a return visit. This time he met a French woman, named Annette Vallon, with whom he had an illegitimate daughter. As rivalry and conflict between England and France continued to grow, Wordsworth made the decision to settle in Dorset with his sister, Dorothy. There he met fellow poet and future colleague, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Three years on, Wordsworth and Dorothy moved again, this time to Somerset, which was closer to Coleridge. This resulted in the publication of 'Lyrical Ballads' in 1798, which was a joint collection by Coleridge and Wordsworth. A year later, William and Dorothy
Compare The Treatment In The Poems 'Sonnet 18' And 'The Sun Rising'.
Compare The Treatment In The Poems 'Sonnet 18' And 'The Sun Rising' In 'The Sun Rising' by John Donne, the poet is awakened by the sun's rays streaming through the curtains into his bedroom, where he lies with his lover. Wishing to prolong (to lengthen in duration) the pleasure of lying in, cuddled beside her, he tells the Sun not to disturb the peace of the bedroom. The fact that the Sun's other duties are, amongst others, to wake "late schoolboys" and "call country ants to harvest offices" suggests that the day is already well established, and the poet must soon accept to part from his lover's embrace. But love, he argues, is not ruled by time or the natural order, and is quite independent of them, and therefore he is annoyed that the Sun should meddle in the affairs of lovers and cause this parting: "Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time." Indeed, in the second and third stanzas, Donne questions the natural order, and claims that the love between himself and his girl is superior to the Sun's, and all other rulers', power: He can "eclipse and cloud" the Sun's beams "with a wink", and his lover's eyes will blind the Sun, so beautiful are they. In short, he concludes, the lovers' embrace is the real centre of the Sun, and only they two are important in the world: "Since thy duties be To warm the world, that's done
