English War Poetry - page 7
Keywords: With Detailed Reference to Any Four Poems from the Anthology You Have Studied, Explain the Way Different Poets Convey a Range of Aspects In war
By Riko V on 16/05/2007
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 7 of 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
dear dead son.’
The boys mother has become physically weak, she has stopped eating because of the trauma that the death of her only son ahs caused. She is expressing suicidal tendencies because she longs to be back with her son, and the only way out of her misery is to take her own life and re-unite herself with him. This poem is different form the others we have studied because it shows the effects of war not on the soldiers but on the families whom they are bonded to. When a soldier dies, his suffering is over, but it has only begun for his family as they try to come to terms with his death, indeed they may even try to take their own lives to reconcile the death of a loved one in war.
The first poem ‘The Ode’ portrays war as a chivalrous way to die and that you will be honoured everyday of your life for the sacrifice you made for your country. The second poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ demonstrates the huge amounts of bravery that are shown in war and the great military blunders. It also shows the huge cost to human life that war takes, but honours these men for the sacrifice they made in being loyal to their King and their country. The l poem ‘The Man he Killed’ shows the war from a soldiers view, it is not a chivalrous honour to fight, it is a choice of to kill or be killed. The final poem ‘Come Up from the Fields Father’ shows us how war affects the families of the soldiers and how it can not only destroy the soldiers lives but those who knew him. The first two poems show the war from a perspective of the public whereas the final two speak of the harsh reality of war. I have learnt that we must respect and honour those who have given their lives fighting for their country, but we must do our utmost to ensure that no other people will have to be honoured. As war is futile and a pointless waste of life.
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