The Soldier - Critical Response Essay

For Brooke, war was a different experience. It was not that he did not recognize death and trauma, but it was that he perceived it in a different light. Brooke thought of dying for one’s country as honorable, admirable, and something of what a hero would do. Similar to a lot of what we see in modern pro-war propaganda, these descriptions are attributed with anyone who is willing to take on the “good fight for freedom”. It is possible that Brooke’s poems are filled with the patriotic beliefs that they are, purely due to pro-war propaganda, as the influence it has on people is remarkable and

This is expressed by the multiple examples of old men whom regret certain aspects of their lives and defy death even when they know their time is up. The speaker is urging his father to fight against old age and death. The meaning and subject of the poem influence the tone and mood. The tone is one of frustration and insistence. Thomas is slightly angry and demanding. His words are not a request, they are an order. The mood of the poem is is serious and solemn due to the poem focusing mainly on the issue of death. This mood and tone is created by words such as “burn”(2), “Grieved”(11) and “rage”(3) along with phrases such as “crying how bright”(7), “forked no lightning”(5), “near death”(13) and “fierce tears”(17). The insistent feeling is also created by the repetition of the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night”(1), and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”(3). The figurative language used also affect how the meaning, tone and mood are interpreted.

We Were Soldiers Once and Young is a history book written by LT. GEN. Harold G. Moore (RET.) and Joseph L. Galloway. The history book is based on the Vietnam War, which took place in 1965. The Battle of Ia Drang was said that it was the battle that changed the war in Vietnam. The book is a tribute to all the soldiers in the war and for their great braveness, love, and care for one another. It was a bloody war, but very inspiring to read about the courageous soldiers who put their lives on the line for the United States of America.

Rupert Brooke is the author of The Soldier and he expresses how he hopes that when he does die he hopes heaven is like his home. Brooke is showing the good thoughts that a soldier would have if they felt like they was going to die”And think, this heart, all evil shed away,” also in this line “Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;”. A soldier would only hope that his eternal home would be a place like his home and this poem expresses this

Rupert Brookes has a very positive view on war. Throughout his poem "The Soldier" he uses words with soft and positive connotations to show that war is really a nice thing. "If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field that is forever England" The metaphor creates the impression that when you die in war you live on through a new life. This is shown again through the allusion "Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home." This represents a baptism almost, showing as if when you die in war, you are reborn. Brookes uses the metaphor and allusion to make us wonder about what would happen if he were to pass. He shows that even if he dies he won't stop living as he will always be there in that small but meaningful corner of the empty field. Then he will be reborn, cleansed and freed by the chains of war. The use of all the gentle and upbeat words, gives off the feeling that war is a great thing and that its worth fighting for your country as you will be rewarded after death with a new life, to be cleansed and reborn. The poem convinced thousands of young men to go and fight for their country during the first world war. Many of them would go on to die and never return home to see their families ever again.

The New York Times Bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... And Young was authored by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In November 1965, Lt. Colonel Harold Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th cavalry at the Ia Drang Valley-one of the bloodiest battles of Vietnam. He eventually retired from the Army in 1977 after thirty-two years of service. After his military career, Lieutenant General Moore resided as executive vice president for four years at a Colorado ski resort before founding a computer software company. Harold Moore currently lives in Auburn, Alabama and Crested Butte, Colorado.

It presents the actual “during war” and “after fighting” view of war. This poem describes a battle and a death in the battle because Owen actually died in action or as a result of it which is passionate and sorrowful. “Bent double, like old beggars under sack, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through shadge.” This presents a different view of war. Look at the strong words that are used to depict the action; haunting, blood-shod, drunk with fatique, this is what war is really like, the poem implies.

This line shows that the soldiers have nearly already made up their mind that they will die and that they only want to be remember in a certain way , which is brave and died fighting for his country. This poem was written at the beginning of World War 1 and you can sense this feeling that people knew it was going to be hard to survive in the trenches but still wanted to be remembered it a good way , an honourable way. Another vivid poem about World War 1 is Wilfred Owens poem “The Last Laugh”. Again the first line of this poem is striking ‘O Jesus Christ! I’m hit,’ he said; and died’ . this shows how easy and fast people die out in the trenches. The last line is also striking ‘ Rabbles of Shells hooted and groaned; And the Gas hissed.’ This shows that the shells off the guns were being fired everywhere along with bombs and grenades as the air was just filled with gas. These lines and image are a lot more vivid and frightening than the ones in Rupert Brooke poem and that is because this poem wasn’t published until after the war in

‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Soldier’ are two poems that talk about war, specifically World War One. Although both poems have the same topic, the message given are vastly different from each other. Whilst Wilfred Owen emphasises the horrors of war and the severe conditions soldiers were in, in Dulce et Decorum Est, Rupert Brooke glorifies the war and expresses that it is honourable to die for your country. Brooke’s poem is designed to reassure young men that it is noble to die for one’s country whereas Owen’s poem asserts the unpleasant realities of the war.

The poem ends quietly with images of grieving and mourning. “And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds,” the last line of the poem, represents the finality of death, and the recognition that this scene will be recreated over and over which emphasizes the horrors of the war which eventually lead to death and loss. In contrast Brooke’s sonnet, The Soldier, a gallant soldier expresses his unconditional love for his country which shows the glorification of war. The poem begins with the soldier saying that the foreign soil on which he died will forever be a part of

The speaker goes on explaining how part of the foreign land will become England’s property when he dies on the battle field. The narrator is shown to have many opposing characteristics, such as admitting to the hard true that he is facing death. He starts the poem off with “if I should die” showing that he is past the point of denial, and now facing his own identity. The second characteristic of the speaker is that he is an optimist and a dreamer. He imagines heaven to be exactly the same as his favourite place, England, showing true patriotism. The speaker shows how much he is fond of his homeland England, and from his wording we can understand that the speaker thought of England as his mother, since he used phrases such as, “her sights and sounds” and her “gentleness”. This shows the speaker’s devotion towards his country, which may affect both positive and negative ways. Positively it affects him by giving him courage during the war that even if he dies his carcass will be England’s property on the foreign land. He says that even if his body was not buried in the battle field, then his blood will represent England. Negatively this idea will give him false hope about his view on the afterlife and how he interprets it. One of the main themes in this poem is death. Throughout the first stanza, the narrator speaks only of his own death. He even refers to himself as “dust” in the grounds of the battlefield. Since the speaker imagines England to be heaven, his meaning of death might differ from that of a common man. Another theme that is emphasized in this poem is undoubtedly patriotism. In “The Soldier” the narrator repeats the words “England” and “English” many times throughout both stanzas. Just as mentioned before, his relationship with his homeland is more than just a normal one. He imagines his relationship

In “The Soldier” an English soldier, more likely than not Brooke himself, is talking about if he were to be killed or die in battle on another foreign country’s land that “in that rich earth a richer dust concealed” (Brooke 1275). This means that the foreign land that that soldier died on is better because he died there for his country, for Great Britain. Brooke talks about how the dead soldier’s body is better simply because he was an Englishman, that his “dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware” (Brooke 1275). This means he was molded to perfection and with precision as an English soldier. This was nationalism at its finest for pre-war or pre fighting soldiers thinking it will be a cakewalk to be a soldier and to fight for one’s country would be the right and just thing to do. The soldier in Brooke’s piece is so prideful of England that he is willing to give his own life simply because he believes in the ideals of Great Britain

The poem “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke is about war. This poem is specifically talking about how if he dies he wants to be remembered in a certain way. The speaker is telling us how beautiful his countrey is. You can tell how he is not so mad at war from his use of diction, he really doesn't use too many hateful words in his poem. He uses more of loving and caring words.

Brooke seems to romanticize the idea of dying for one’s country. That even though the speaker might die it is all worth it and to think about this sacrifice as a well worth sacrifice. Brooke leads with this outlook of the poem with “If I should die think only this of me: That there is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England” (-----). It is obvious that the speaker believes whole heartedly the sacrifice of their life is well worth it for the country and those who will continue to be alive and part of England. This poem also seems to be spoken by an individual that has not yet been to war. There is no mention of the darker sides of war within this poem as there is in Owen’s piece. Death is spoken of without any gore or vivid details. Instead it is spoken about honorably and the tone is rather light especially when compared to Owen’s piece. The very end of the poem itself conjures up a happier scene “Her

In this poem the moods of the first few months of the war are summed