Nettles Figurative Language

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

‘Remains’ by Wilfred Owen is a war poem that presents an unnamed conflict where the soldier shoots the looter, but is unsure whether the man was armed or not. If the latter case, the shooting would have been unnecessary and would be thought as an act of murder. This acts as an emotional conflict arising to the soldier due to the situation. Similarly, in ‘Poppies’, the mother suffers from an emotional conflict arising from her yearning for her son as the mother seems to be speaking to the memories of her son. By the usage of metaphor and imagery, both poets offer an emphasis on the idea of internal conflict arising to the persona of each poem.

Poetry is a unique expression of ideas, feelings, and emotions. Every poet has their own style of writing as well as their own personal goals when creating poems. Mary Oliver is a perfect example of these characteristics. Oliver primarily focuses on the topics of nature and life which can be seen everyday. She uses specific patterns and word choice in order to emphasize her focal points and truly connect to the reader. Mary Oliver does an exceptional job in using natural elements to convey complex situations to the reader. Specifically, Oliver uses purposeful language and concise organization of phrases in “Death at Wind River” to highlight the fact that war results in pointless killing and unnecessary grief.

Langston Hughes’ poem Tired has many connections with Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. One of the most prominent connections is from the lines “I am so tired of waiting.../for the world to become good/ and beautiful and kind” (Hughes). These lines refer to a person who is waiting for the world to go back to normal; the normal being good, beautiful, and kind. This connects to the children in the novel because they believe that the world’s natural state is to be good. Also, all children innocently believe that the world is good before they are exposed to situations that make them believe otherwise. Another connection in the poem are the lines “Let us take a knife/... And see what worms are eating at the rind” (Hughes). This means that

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

Memories are dear fragments of the past connecting it to the present through a sense of nostalgia. These links are what keep us grounded to reality and allow us to progress through life. In the poem “Still Memory” by Mary Karr, the author portrays the memory of a child suffering from anterograde amnesia, an ailment defined as the loss of the ability to create memories after an event that caused amnesia. Thus, the theme of the poem is the attempt to retain and remember the memories and events that transpire throughout the child’s life. This is shown through a use of imagery and diction.

In essence, these two poems are drastically different works of art. "Dulce et Decorum est" is a more graphical and relational work compared to the latter, as you go on a journey as a soldier who gets to experience traumatic and graphic events, it begins to alter what you think about war and conflict. As you read on, it gives you graphical wording to prove that the saying "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is a misrepresentation of actual war. After reading, the underlying message becomes apparent, it wants you to alter your current perceptions about war and how pointless they really are. In contrast, "The Things that Make a Soldier Great" aims to clear up what soldiers really go to war for, they are not there for "The pomp and pride of kings" but only when you "Endanger but that humble street whereon his children run—You make a soldier of the man who never bore a gun.", soldiers fight to protect their homes, not their kings. 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.

“I have a rendezvous with Death”. This poem is written by Alan Seeger. It talks about situation of speaker in war on theme of death. He starts his title “I have a rendezvous with Death” with paradoxical words. The word "rendezvous" is a positive term where people arrange to meet each other with willing. For the word "Death" also known as in negative term means losses that no one wants to meet with him. He also uses ironic diction. There are three stanzas; six, eight, and ten lines. Including to rhyme scheme throughout each stanza.

The narrator is seemingly guiding the reader, such as when they go through the dead soldier’s spoil: “Look. Here is the gunpit spoil”. The first word of the first line of stanza three is immediately followed by a period to put emphasis on looking upon the spoil. The third stanza shows that with the deceased soldier is the picture of a girl, with the word “vergissmeinnicht” which means “forget me not.” Along with showing the soldier’s spoil, the soldier is also “… mocked at by his own equipment/that’s hard and good when he’s decayed.” In stanza five, the narrator sounds matter-of-fact while describing the soldier’s dead and decaying body, but also seemingly lacks pity as the narrator mocks the dead soldier. The narrator notes that the soldier’s girlfriend “…would weep to see to-day/ how on his skin the swart flies move;” and though another casualty in war is saddening, it is simply another casualty and nothing more. Douglas’ simple and unsentimental language emphasizes that war cannot be sugar-coated, it is bloody and

Edward Estlin Cummings is one of the most famous American poets of the 20th century. He uses words to “point[] to a reality outside themselves” and on the contrary claims “the only reality is language itself” . He is well known for his disregard of traditional poetic expression, and tendency to invent words.

‘White blisters beaded on his tender skin’, shows the physical pain inflicted on the boy, the poet has used an alliteration of the letter B to emphasise the injury. By using the word ‘tender’ it shows how soft and vulnerable the boy’s skin is and in contrast how violent the nettles are. We know the blisters are causing the boy pain, ‘with sobs and tears’, this again creates the impression that the boy is young and vulnerable. Scanell uses an oxymoron when describing the ‘nettle bed’, because nettles are seen as horrible and  pain inflicting whereas a bed is comfortable and

Humans are the most selfish creatures to ever walk the earth. We can however, also be considered as the most selfless beings. The theory of nationalism and sacrifices towards the ‘greater good’ are the two leading forces behind this sense of self-value that have been present in society for centuries. The destruction of the environment for personal gain as well as the destruction of human life for the benefit of the country are examples of these forces. I am passionate about this issue because I do not believe in the carless and unnecessary waste of life or the environment. Two poems that explore these factors are A Document by Judith Wright and Beach Burial by Kenneth Slessor. Both poems focus

This is different to the other poems already mentioned in this essay as it refers to the innocent citizens killed as opposed to the soldiers or upper class ranking officials at the time. A theme throughout the poem is that the first line of each verse contains the person who survives and the second line contains the person of is dead or about to die.

The poem features a soldier, presumably Owen, speaking to fellow soldiers and the public regarding those atrocities. Correspondingly, drawing on the themes of innocent death and the barbaric practices of warfare, Owen expresses his remorse towards his fallen comrades and an antagonistic attitude towards the war effort through a solemn tone and specific stylistic devices. The poem is structured as free verse, contributing towards the disorganized and chaotic impression Owen experienced while witnessing these deaths firsthand, enabling the audience to understand the emotional circumstances of demise in the trenches as well. Throughout the poem, Owen routinely personifies the destructive weapons of war, characterizing them as the true instruments of death rather than the soldiers who stand behind them. Owen describes how, “Bullets chirped…Machine-guns chuckled…Gas hissed…” (Owen 3,4,15). Personifying the weapons demonstrates how pure soldiers have their innocence stolen from them through forced and blind usage of such deadly instruments. Accordingly, it is the weapons who truly receive the last laugh in the war as they kill both physically and spiritually, while soldiers are forever wounded in ways that can and cannot be seen.

‘Dulce et Decorum est’ is a poem written by Wilfred Owen between the years 1917 and 1918. It describes the life on the battlefield and how it impacted the life of the soldiers. Owen most likely used his first hand experiences from when he was a soldier in World War 1. This poem describes the soldiers personal perspectives of war using the bare naked truth, not glorifying it in anyway.