Summary Of The Poem After The War Poem

In the fifth stanza he uses imagery in a different instance where he describes how ignorant the veteran was about the reality as he is only thinking of the glorification of war. He portrays an image of “jewelled hilts”, “daggers in plaid socks;”, “smart salutes” and “Esprit de corps”. Throughout the stanza we hear of the glories and amusements of war but only on the last line does he mention the aftermath of the war where he was discharged due to his disability.

This would start to change during the War of 1812. Often referred to as the “Second War of Independence,” the conflict inspired a fresh wave of patriotism in a generation too young to remember the Revolution. When Key declared that “our flag was still there,” he fused the physical symbol of the nation with universal feelings of patriotism, courage, and resilience. By giving the flag a starring role in one of the most celebrated victories of the war, Francis Scott Key’s song established a new prominence for the flag as an expression of national identity, unity, and pride. And by giving it a name—that Star-Spangled Banner—Key transformed the official emblem into something familiar and evocative, a symbol that Americans could connect with and

Similarly, in the painting, the tiny consistent blocks that makes up the soldier, illustrates the outcome of the repetitive duties of the soldiers that created a perfect-machine-like-soldier. The poem is written in abrupt rhythmic fashion. As the commander instructs the troops, “If you have any strength in your thumb…, the soldier’s mind wanders off to “the blossoms.”. Various times throughout the poem, the soldier goes back and forth between the world of the war and the beauty of the

Throughout history, poetry was often used in conflict with glorified or ambiguous images of war being presented to the people at home, revealing the truth and brutality of war. Bruce Dawe, Kenneth Slessor, Carol Ann Duffy and Wilfred Owen are well-known anti-war poets who express their concerns ad objections of war through poetry. Dawe’s ‘Homecoming’ and Slessor’s ‘Beach Burial’ explore the vastness of war and the futile magnitude of soldiers who had fallen in battle, never to return home. Contrastingly, Duffy’s ‘War Photographer’ and Owen’s ‘Arms and the Boy’ comment on the disability of psychologically returning home, exploring the corruption of innocence and youth, with those involved in war never to return home as the same person.

However, firstly, Thomas compares himself, as well as other soldiers, to “broken reeds” (13) through a simile emphasizing the beaten bodies of the people who served in the war. Then, the accumulation of broken reeds are described as, “Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff” (14) hinting the death of each individual to the point in which the difference between broken reeds and humans become ambiguous. Additionally, the myriad of shattered spirits directly juxtaposes the idea of solitude of the speaker adding emphasis and stark contrast to the lonesome individual amongst the abundance of dead bodies. Likewise, the rain itself juxtaposes the idea of solitude as the rain droplets itself falls in abundance onto the “bleak hut” (2) the speaker is sheltered in. The irony of a multitude of raindrops falling from the sky inspiring Thomas to write about the solitude of war—is rather humorous, but also—is what allows the reader to realize that a soldiers experience more than just adrenaline and fear upon taking up arms against their enemies. Thomas’s use of juxtaposition within the poem helps recognize the solitude of an individual despite the surrounding environment pointing out the

This source is important in its larger historical context because this poem shows the reality of the life during World War I and it creates a true picture of the horrific life living in trenches. World War I was a serious issue that no one should take lightly. Many newspapers and political propaganda stressed patriotic action which concealed the true pain that war created. Many government officers would have to censor all pending letters because, for the well-being of the whole army, the government wanted to keep government secrets such as war tactics and other negative comments about the government. It was exhausting to have to live most of your life in trenches barely eating anything and having to risk your life for your state.

The second stanza makes it clear that the soldiers feel remote and unearthed by the gunnery in the north. “watching” and “hear” juxtaposition is used here giving a contrasting effect emphasising the soldiers confusion reinforcing the sense of “remote and unearthed”. “mad gusts tugging on the wire” this reinforces the remoteness as if they were in the middle of nowhere. “Northward, incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles” the gun fire is coming from the north “incessantly” means never-ending for the men the bullets seem like they are coming from every angle reinforcing the notion of remoteness and being unearthed.

The first two lines of the poem set up the attitude as grim and realistic, through the use of a metaphor and imagery. The first line “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” compares the soldiers to beggars (1). Beggars are not honorable, the poor are looked down on and many see them as dishonorable. This

In the first stanza, the author uses the words ‘move’, ‘whispering’ and ‘gently’ to create a calm and quiet atmosphere. This draws the reader’s attention to the death of the soldier, rather than the cries and violence of the trenches. In the poem the author seeks refuge and refers to the sun as ‘kind’ and ‘old’, relying all his hope on it as he prays that the sun will wake his dead comrade. This stanza contrast strongly with the propagandas back home and gives the audience an insight into the pain of loss that comrades have to experience due to war.

The soldier contemplates why he enlisted in the first place. Was it to please the “giddy jilts[?]” Was it because “someone had said he’d look a god in kilts[?]” Whatever the soldiers motivations was, he volunteered as “they wrote his lie: aged nineteen years.” The soldier was not even of the proper age to enlist in the army. No competent human being would purposely throw away their knees or even pour their own blood down shell-holes. Yet the final irony of the poem is that when the soldier volunteered he purposely gave up all these things. The price of admission into the war was his legs and the rest of his young

The first seven lines of the poem set up the scene of a battle-taking place at dawn as soldiers and tanks line up to fight. The poem initially builds suspense in the beginning lines by showing the natural setting and the advancement of troops, "In the wild purple of the glowing sun" and "Tanks creep and topple forward." In the other half of the poem, darkness approaches as fearful soldiers leave the trenches to go out and fight on the front lines as, “time ticks blank and busy on their wrists.” Images such as these add to the hopelessness of the poem by describing the physical demeanor of the soldiers by indicating that their decisions during this time are out of their control and that they are racing towards death. Each line of the poem builds

No man wants to go to war and no government wants war but there are

The fight for freedom is the main focus on the poem, but the determination to protect himself and his allies is what pushes the story forward. It is described in the story that “there are angry dogs hunting the narrator and his men” (McKay 3); they feel as if the other side is mocking them. This is when the narrator is urging his allies to not become weak, and to push forward as much as they might want to turn around and go home. It is important that the narrator explains that he does not just want to stand there and die but to fight for what they believe in and be honorable for themselves and the others.

This poem is my favorite of the three poems we have studied because of the beautiful language and poetic techniques it employs, and because of how realistically it portrays war. The poem captures the horror of troops caught in the middle of a brutal and merciless war, and their desperation. In a mechanized war, attacks take place with frightening speed and intensity, where there is no place to run or hide, and any response is not made out of logic but of pure fear. This hasty and irrational way of thinking fueled only by terror typically only ended in death for both the attacker and the defender, and severe trauma for any survivors. Using a series of present continuous verbs, the poet depicts fast evolving action. He portrays the realness

This term is applied especially to those who served during World War One. The experience of war is reflected in their poetry. They are two differents approch of war in poetry: patriotic or realistic The "War Poets" breaks with the lyrism, the victorien or the romantic. They are here to scream out the psychological malaise of soldiers.