Recently, I have read a poem named “In Flanders Field”, written by John McCrae, a Canadian writer. The major theme of the poem is war. Because the poem was written in the year of 1915, during the World War I. At that time, McCrae, as a doctor, joined the army and fought against the Belgian in Flanders, which was located in the northern part of France and the southwest of Belgium. So it talks about the horrifying fight, from the quotes “crosses, row on row” and “larks, still bravely singing, fly”, the author described a scene of the battlefield, maybe the pause of the fight. Because of this poem, on November 11th every year, people wear a little red poppy on their chests to remember the great achievements of the war and to warn their children …show more content…
This is the scene where he witnessed the death of his best friend, Alexis Helmer, who was only 22 years old. First of all, “ago” and “glow” are rhyme. Secondly, it provides a image for the reader: the day before, he and his teammates lived together, seeing the sun rise and down, and maybe speaking jokes to each other. But today, the war ,the killing machine, has begun, his best friend has gone, and cannot talk to him anymore. From the image, the authors wants to tell the readers that the war is horrifying, and tomorrow of the soldiers may never come.What’s more, readers can also feel of the sadness of author, for he loses his best friend. In addition, author expresses the hate to the war. Last but not least, the line “The torch; be yours to hold it high.” also attracts readers. “Torch” means “hope”. Though many people die in the fight, but a large number of them survive and the war hasn’t come to the end, so the survivors should keep fighting against the enemies so that they can protect their lands. And the torch which is holding high can give the soldiers the sprit of resilience and lead them to the victory. To sum up, “In Flanders Field” , which aim is to in memory of the soldiers who dedicated themselves for their country, is one of the most infectious poems that writes about the
“I sit by Kemmerich’s bed. He is sinking steadily. Around us is great commotion”(Remarque, 27). Even in a time of life and death the soldiers are still displaying a strong sense of comradeship. They are all showing their affection by surrounding
Future generations would witness the rise of new countries that were no longer under aristocratic rule. Shi supplements the argument when he asserts that The Great War had “destroyed old Europe – [and] many of its cities, people, economies, and four grand empires” (Shi, 1025). Shi states The Great War would ultimately “topple monarchs, destroy empires, [and] create new nations” (Shi, 988), in which would influence the freedom of many individuals in society. In the poem, “In Flanders Field”, WWI veteran Lt. Col. John McCrea supports Shi as he describes the words of a dead soldier who rests in Flanders Field.
The Voices of War Student Joshua Hosking has a knack for the study of war and poetry and has in the past had a one on one interview with a veteran from the Vietnam War (1954 - 1975). War: it’s a bloody, brutal and cruel experience for all sides. One minute you’re peering out of your trench; then the next, you have a bullet torn through your skull.
The poem mentions poppies, which symbolize death, in that they “blow between the crosses, row on row” and that they “mark our place”(McCrae). Soldiers who have died fighting in war are buried here, and poppies are the flower used to represent death, therefore they are all located in this field. The soldiers had lived a few days ago, “felt dawn” and “saw [the] sunset glow”(McCrae). The soldiers who at once had experienced war are now lost, and soldiers that come across this field may have trouble continuing in war due to the frightening thought that their fellow members of the military had once fought here. This gives an image to the reader of how awful and frightening war must be, and flanders fields had tons of poppies, meaning tons of
Sheers’ poem Mametz Wood is about 38th Welsh Division soldiers who were sent to fight in France when they unexpectedly got killed by the German troupe. This battle is known as the Battle of Somme. It was a singular part of World War I and disastrously killed 4000 people. This unforgettable battle took place between 7-12th 1916. By using language features such as an oxymoron, metaphor and plosive alliteration, Sheers communicates the impact and the violence of war that these soldiers had to undergo, “For years afterwards the farmers found them – the wasted young, turning up under the plough blades as tended the land back into itself.”
Soldiers go into war to fight for something they believe in. They do this knowing the risks that come with war. That’s why soldiers are so grateful when they come home from war unscathed. Many soldiers tend to capture this gratitude with words. The author of the poem delivers a solemn message about war.
This is meant to carry an emotionless and disconnected feeling similar to something one might read, even in current times, about the actual death of a soldier/airman in a war. Because even though us as readers usually are made aware of death, we are disconnected from the emotion of it when informed in such a bland way. However, his diction in the title is also important, as it is to speak for airmen of the Great War as a whole and not just one specific individual (even though the inspiration/subject for this poem is based on the specific death of Robert Gregory, son of Yeates’ close friend Lady Gregory). He is not trying to make this seen as a story about a specific individual, but rather of a feeling that is felt within oneself.
Basically everything in a war could look beautiful in humans eyes, but every soldier hates war at the same time. The truth reached by the reader from this contrast is that why some might like going to war and what makes soldiers to keep going in
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
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.
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.”
In Flanders Fields A little red and black flower, the Poppy, is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead in Canada, countries of the British Commonwealth, and the United States symbolizing the sacrifice of the soldiers who died in the First World War. The poppy is most recognized for its appearance in the poem, "In Flanders Field. " "In Flanders Field" was written by a military doctor and artillery commander, Major John McCrae. When asked to conduct the burial service for Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, a soldier who died on May 2, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres (which killed over 100,00 people). To cope with his anguish, McCrae started composing a poem.
He then contrasts between the bomber’s view to the civilians’ view from the ground. The bombers view is recognized from a plane filled with ammunition. This suggests the bombers are carefree of their acts committed, but the civilians are petrified for the safety of their lives due to the uncertainty of the attack which is to occur. The effect on readers is that while reading the poem they begin to notice the different views of the bombers and civilians while experiencing war. Also, the readers tend to realize the savagery conveyed by the
The poem explained how someone in the war died, and that someone was writing the poem from heaven the writer said “I'm so sorry, I did my best, Life is leaving, through my red chest” (7-8) the author was referring to how he was trying to fight for his life after he lost all that blood from
'It is all here, the mud and rats of the trenches, the hellish noise of the bombardment, the insane waste of life, the high heroism and the bitter cynicism' -- Illustrated London News ' Mr Gardner steers his course... with skill and discrimination' -- Cyril Connolly, Sunday Times 'Mr Gardner, who has chosen, introduced and put notes to this admirable anthology, shows the First World War poets in all moods' -- The Times 'To read through this anthology is ... to live the years 1914-1918, adding to the images of battle which most of us have already, the actual feelings expressed by the soldier poets who lived, and died, through trench warfare' -- Times Education Supplement Susan Hill wrote ^Strange Meeting(2) in 1971 about the relationships that were formed in the war. INSERT FACT it was common for soldiers to form this kind of friendship/comradeship.