Both Ted Hughes and Wilfred Owen present war in their poems “Bayonet Charge” and “Exposure”, respectively, as terrifying experiences, repeatedly mentioning the honest pointlessness of the entire ordeal to enhance the futility of the soldiers' deaths. Hughes’ “Bayonet Charge” focuses on one person's emotional struggle with their actions, displaying the disorientating and dehumanising qualities of war. Owen’s “Exposure”, on the other hand, depicts the impacts of war on the protagonists' nation, displaying the monotonous and unending futility of the situation by depicting the fate of soldiers who perished from hypothermia, exposed to the horrific conditions of open trench warfare before dawn. The use of third-person singular pronouns in “Bayonet …show more content…
In “Bayonet Charge”, it is easily observable that while initially the soldier appeared to be obeying orders- “Suddenly he awoke and was running”, the idea is almost immediately juxtaposed with the metaphor- “the patriotic tear that had brimmed in (the soldier’s) eye (was) Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest”. This demonstrates clearly the depreciation of the soldier’s initial patriotism. The use of the past perfect verb “had brimmed” followed by the present continuous verb “sweating” highlights the change in his attitude towards war before and after his experiences, possibly suggesting dulled emotions and a more realistic and developed thought process. The use of the term “molten iron” suggests the weight of his burden as well as the painful experience he is now undergoing due to it. This idea is further reinforced by the rhetorical question, “In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations Was he the hand pointing that second?” This metaphor displays his uncertainty as per his crucial part in that moment in time. The soldier pictures himself as the hand on a clock, subject to the inevitable force of a clockwork motor that cannot be slowed or quickend. He realises that he does not really know why he is running and feels “statuary in mid-stride”. However, towards the end of the poem, all moral justifications for the existence of war have become meaningless- “King, honour, human dignity, etcetera Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm”, which is extremely dismissive of all the motives people provide for joining the army, explicitly stating that those motives do not justify and do not withstand the war. Disorientation is also highlighted in the line “Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge That dazzled with rifle fire” where the confusion between the natural world and man-made world is expressed. This could be due to the fact that
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Show More“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, “All Quiet on the Western Front” produced by Carl Laemmle, and Storm of Steel by Ernest Junger all describe the gruesome setting and effects that were a reality for soldiers fighting in World War I. Each piece presents this information through different medias: “In Flander’s Fields” through poetry, “All Quiet on the Western Front” through film, and Storm of Steel through prose. Although they are all of different medias, they evoke a similar sense of pathos in the audience through their use of similar rhetorical strategies. Each work compels the reader to realize how fragile life really is through its employment of diction and imagery.
Perhaps those most affected by war are those who lost their lives fighting for their cause. However, the integrity of those who died can sometimes be compromised, which Randall Jarrell illustrates in his poem “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” which captures the last moments of a soldier’s life in World War II.
Similar is done in “the manhunt” with its structure in rhyming doublets and the pain and war that is presented continuously in the poem through images of gunfires and war in “first phase” and “blown hinge”. This contrast presented in both poems makes the reader feel as if the poem doesn’t really fit in and if the effects of war or war itself is being forced into something that it isn’t that the suffering and pain is so great that it can’t be fit into “ordered rows” or maybe it lets the reader understand that “suffering” isn’t really understood and therefore forced into something it isn’t. The effects of this are then both present with ‘suffering” being held together so tight that it is about to explode. In the Manhunt this is presented through “every nerve in his
This essentially encourages more readers to enlist because their decision will be considered noble as the poem manipulates them to believe they are going to heaven. Furthermore, this idealized perception of war where it is considered a noble act to enlist can be further explored when the poem claims “That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England”. The clever use of alliteration
He shows almost no emotion in this poem, merely states facts, but says so much to the reader. This five line poem conveys a sense of dread and pity. There are three messages that Randall Jarrell sends through his poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. The first message sent by Randall Jarrell in The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is that war is a metaphor of life. In line 2, Jarrell states “And I hunched in its belly til my wet fur froze.”
This shows how society has completely changed and that there is a lack of humans who support the efforts of the soldiers. In their place are simply dogs (a motif throughout the poem) who sit in silence so as to demonstrate the solemnity of the occasion. All of this demonstrates that war has a vast array of consequences on many scales, hence another reason for this poem to convey a strong anti-war
Compare the ways the poets present the destructive impact of conflict in ‘The Yellow Palm’ and one other poem. The poets present the destructive impact of conflict in ‘The Yellow Palm’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ very differently: ‘The Yellow Palm’ is a very detached third person narrative of a war in Palestine, whereas ‘Bayonet Charge’ is a soldier’s experience of trench warfare detailed in first person. This makes the poems very different to read, as they differ in their structure and use of language.
The poem aims to glorify soldiers and certain aspects of war, it goes on to prove that in reality there really isn 't good vs bad on the battlefield, it 's just a man who "sees his children smile at him, he hears the bugle call, And only death can stop him now—he 's fighting for them all.", and this is our hidden meaning.
Siegfried Sassoon takes on a narrative style in his poem “The Rear-Guard”, and combines it with complex syntax to portray the speaker’s horrific experiences throughout war. The poem exposes a soldier’s experience of finding the violent battlefield above through the death-filled tunnels. Pairing the speaker’s point of view with specific word choice clearly demonstrates the excruciating mental and physical pain being a soldier inflicts, and leaves a glooming effect on the reader. Sassoon fills the poem with explicit imagery to reveal the pacifist theme he is trying to convey. Sassoon wants the audience to realize that war and violence is not the solution, and he reveals this through his poetry.
Comparative Essay How can different perceptions about one topic be expressed in poetry? The main theme that the two sets of poems convey is war, but it’s expressed in different point of views through the use of diction that builds tone. The tones of these poems play a big role in conveying the differences between the different eras that these poems are written in, and shows how societies have changed from the Victorian era till the time of World War I. The diction and tone in Borden and Owen’s poems is so much different than the diction and tone in Lovelace and Tennyson’s poems due to different perspectives and point of views. In all four poems the main idea is war, but each set conveys a perspective of war, a positive perspective
In times of war, soldiers must surpass obstacles and be ready to face challenges. Witnessing the valiant efforts of these men that throw their lives on the line instills an insurmountable sense of pride in the hearts of spectators. Both Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem and Richard Caton Woodville Jr.’s illustration entitled “The Charge of the Light Brigade” incorporate literary terms to express their feeling of pride towards the Light Brigade. Tennyson exhibits this by using repetition to signify the danger of fighting in battle, in addition to imagery to help the reader imagine how terrifying war is, while setting a respectful tone. Woodville shows a feeling of pride through the setting, symbolism, and powerful imagery.
Wilfred Owen was one of the main English poets of World War 1, whose work was gigantically affected by Siegfried Sassoon and the occasions that he witnesses whilst battling as a fighter. 'The Sentry ' and 'Dulce et Decorum Est ' are both stunning and reasonable war lyrics that were utilized to uncover the detestations of war from the officers on the hatreds of trenches and gas fighting, they tested and unmistakable difference a distinct difference to general society impression of war, passed on by disseminator writers, for example, Rupert Brooke. 'Dulce et respectability Est ' and the sentry both uncover the genuine environment and conditions that the troopers were existing and battling in. Specifically The Sentry contains numerous utilization of "Slush" and "Slime" connection to the sentiments of filthy, messy hardships. 'The Sentry ' by Wilfred Owen was composed in 1917 and is Owen 's record of seeing a man on sentry obligation harmed by a shell that has blasted close him.
A heroic couplet structure within the poem provides a degree of clarity while still asserting the chaos and cruelness of war. Once again, it can be inferred that Owen himself serves as the speaker. However, this time his audience is more focused on young soldiers and families rather than plainly the public in general. In contrast to the previous work, this poem is set primarily in a World War I training camp, signifying the process young soldiers go through prior to deployment to the front line. The tone of this poem is more foreboding and condemnatory, not only describing the training soldiers but outright degrading their forced involvement as morally wrong.
Firstly within the poems, both Owen and Harrison present the horrific images of war through use of visual imagery. “And leaped of purple spurted his thigh” is stated. Owen describes the immediate action of presenting the truth of war as horrific and terrifying . The phrase “purple spurted” represents the odd color of the blood which was shedded as the boulder from the bomb smashed his leg in a matter of seconds. The readers
"Disabled" by Wilfred Owen is a poetic analysis of war that exposes the struggles of adjusting to civilian life. A deeper analysis of "Disabled" reveals the irony of war; a soldier's fight for his country's freedom which results in the sacrifice of his mental and physical freedom. The soldiers and their families suffer from the scars and traumatic events of the war daily, while those that benefit can remain in oblivion of their suffering. Owen’s "Disabled" gives the readers an intimate poem detailing the tragic loss of humanity that a soldier suffers. Because of the war, the soldier has been reduced in mind and body.