The Colossus Poem Analysis

The poems “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Dulce ET Decorum EST” are war poems. They reflect on two different but equally harrowing events, however the poets portray these events using their own style and the and result is two entirely different views of war.

Literature and poetry are a reflection of society. The words are reflected in numerous feelings that we can almost touch and can be deeply felt in its reach. Most poets expressed their perception and emotion through their writings. Unfortunately the art and poetry describes one of the worst things that human can do to one another. The legalized murder called "war." Hence, this type of self-reflection called "poetry" has help create new fundamental ideas and values towards our society. In this essay, I will discuss the issue of the "War Poetry" during the "Great War" along with comparing and contrasting two talented renowned poets; Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967).

The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ explains in a majestic approach, that fighting in war is something every soldier should honour. The poem is

War is a scandalous topic where peoples’ views differ as to what war is. Some people see it as pure evil and wicked while others think that it is brave and noble of what soldiers do. Looking at poems which had been written by people affected by war help show the messages which are portrayed. The two sets of poems which show different views of war as well as some similarities are “the Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” by Richard Lovelace and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, “The Song of the Mud” by Mary Borden. Both these poets use linguistic devices to convince the reader of their view of what the war is. Tennyson and Lovelace show how war is worthy

In the poems ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson and ‘Exposure’ by Wilfried Owen, both poets incorporate ideas of patriotism to convey a message about the futility of war. This is revealed in many similar and different ways:

During times of war, it is inevitable for loss to be experienced by all. In the poems “The Black Rat” and “The Photograph” written by Iris Clayton and Peter Kocan respectively, the idea of loss is explored through an omniscient narrator recalling a soldier’s involvement in warfare. While Clayton writes of a soldier’s abrupt loss of hope and how this experience negatively affects his life, Kocan explores how the loss of a loved one affects a family sixty years later. While both poems incorporate similar techniques in imagery and narration, the time setting for each poem is different as “The Black Rat” is set in Tobruk, Libya during World War 2 and “The Photograph” is set during World War 1.

Weigl has dug deep into his recollection of the war to produce work that can be thought of as artistically beautiful. It’s his aim to find the means, despite everything he’s endured, to transcend misery in his poetry. This is done on purpose and allows Weigl to employ a style in his poetry that’s dependent on the sound of words, to express an image so openly that the verses depict a genuine emotion that doesn’t pose as an insult to readers. Underneath the rubble of his misfortune there is a level of integrity on display that readers can appreciate. Weigl likes to view the world objectively and so does his poetry in a very responsible and accountable manner.

Tennyson uses aural imagery such and alliteration to express the sounds of battle, for example "shot and shell" reflect the sounds of the bullets fired at the brigade from every direction, providing with highly effective sound effects to the poem. Tennyson also uses a lot of repetition and anaphora in the poem, intended to communicate the relentlessness of the charge, and of the dangers faced by the soldiers. The quotation "Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon in front of them" presents the dangers as being unavoidable, with death inevitable. Furthermore, by using the biblical connotation of the "Valley of Death"- the central imagery of the poem - he emphasises how important this battle was, elevating the soldiers of the Light Brigade to heroes. Furthermore, Tennyson uses a rhetorical question at the beginning of the final stanza: "When can their glory fade?" to emphasise and conclude the point he was making in the five previous stanzas: their glory should not fade, as their sacrifice is symbolic of all those who sacrifice their lives for the

In the poem Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Lord Tennyson utilizes repetition, personification, and diction to present how it is to be in battle and how it can impact people. In this poem Tennyson explains how the Battle of Balaclava

The poem opened up with the mythology of Britain’s foundings being rooted in the fall of Troy. Following the fall of Troy, Romulus quickly founded Rome which led to having Ticius founded Tuscany and Langobard did the same with Lombardy. Soon after the founding of the three nations, as the myth goes, Felix Brutus founded Britain after the French floods. Soon after the founding of Britain, the nation raised children as soldiers; they were fighting machines in a troubled time filled with turmoil. Among all of the kings, there was one prodigy named Arthur; Arthur stood among the highest; almost untouchable from his fellow peers. His courage and aptitude for ruling were ever so present during his time as king, gaining the respect from his

Intensively striking war imagery emerges throughout the course of the text and therefore effectively joins its underlining fore.  Graphic images of the grotesque face of war characterize and develop the

Poets frequently utilize vivid images to further depict the overall meaning of their works. The imagery in “& the War Was in Its Infancy Then,” by Maurice Emerson Decaul, conveys mental images in the reader’s mind that shows the physical damage of war with the addition of the emotional effect it has on a person. The reader can conclude the speaker is a soldier because the poem is written from a soldier’s point of view, someone who had to have been a first hand witness. The poem is about a man who is emotionally damaged due to war and has had to learn to cope with his surroundings. By use of imagery the reader gets a deeper sense of how the man felt during the war. Through the use of imagery, tone, and deeper meaning, Decaul shows us the

Poems using strong poetic technique and devices are able to create a wide range of emotions from the readers. Wilfred Owen’s poetry effectively uses these poetic techniques and devices to not only create unsettling images about war but to provide his opinion about war itself with the use of themes within his poem. The use of these themes explored Owen’s ideas on the futility of war and can be seen in the poems: Anthem for Doomed Youth, Futility and The Next War. The poems provide unsettling images and belief of war through the treatment of death, barbaric nature of war and the futility of war.

Throughout Wilfred Owen’s collection of poems, he unmasks the harsh tragedy of war through the events he experienced. His poems indulge and grasp readers to feel the pain of his words and develop some idea on the tragedy during the war. Tragedy was a common feature during the war, as innocent boys and men had their lives taken away from them in a gunshot. The sad truth of the war that most of the people who experienced and lived during the tragic time, still bare the horrifying images that still live with them now. Owen’s poems give the reader insight to this pain, and help unmask the tragedy of war.

In the opening stanza of War Photographer, references to religion, ‘light is red’, ‘church’, ‘priest’, ‘Mass’, ‘All flesh is grass’, are very prominent and symbolic. The photographer is metaphorically described as a priest preparing to say Mass, with the names of countries in war instead of words of a service, and with the red light of the darkroom symbolizing the church tabernacle lamp. This metaphor reminds us of the transience of life, when one death can mean so little. Likewise in Lament, the repetition of ‘For’ at the start of each verse brings a chanting-like effect, which reflect religion and ritualism. The entire poem is almost like a song, a desolate tune of mourning for the lost lives. In addition, ‘pulsing burden’, also suggests a rhythmic and regular beat to the poem. This phrase in itself is a paradox, where pulsing represents energy and liveliness, whereas burden represents a weight and unpleasantness; it reflects the burden of war on the country, repressing animals and humans who try to