War and Poetry
The Gallantry and Repugnance of War in Poetry (19th and 20th centuries)
The history of war had long been portrayed into two radically different ways in literature: realistic and romantic. The realistic imagery of war and conflict primarily depicts the feeling of patriotism and at the same time, disillusionment of humanity as deaths and destruction dominate. Portrayals of betrayed loyalty and wastage of human lives and property are common images illustrated when describing the state of war. Of course, these images were derived from experience, hence giving this imagery of war a realistic feel and thought. Romantic images of war also abound, and are usually shown as the anti-thesis or 'positive' side of going to war. The romantic depiction of war shows the gallantry or desirability of engaging in war: the war symbolized the patriotism of people, pledging their allegiance and loyalty to their country or group. War portrayed through romantic imagery is a noble cause, a means towards a just end (achieving peace and order in the process).
These two images of the war are depicted effectively in the poetry of William Wordsworth, Rudyard Kipling, Guy Jones, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. These poets from the 19th and 20th centuries have expressed the real and romantic images that pervaded wars and conflicts among human societies. In the analysis of each poet's literary work, this paper looks at how Wordsworth,...
Dead Body in War Poetry Analysis of Poets War Poetry War is a brutal reality on the face of history. Thousands of lives have been wasted in the name of battles and millions of people were affected by it. Poet is a rather sensitive part of our society and feels the brutality of war more than a normal individual. During World War I, the world went through havoc during which millions of
" In the context of a war poetry, this metaphor emphasizes the greatest honor a citizen of a state can embrace is to die for his land. Obviously, Owen uses this phrase in an ironical manner, circularly ending his poem by noting: "The old lie; Dulce et decorum est Pro Patria Mori." In terms of word registry, the poem is pretty much similar to the previous ones, meaning it emphasizes the
Poetry Analysis of "And the Sun Still Dared to Shine" The Holocaust during World War II is one of the best documented and most horrendous periods of human existence. There have been other times in history where as many were senselessly killed in a short amount of time, but never have they been subjected to all of the horrors to which the Jews in the concentration camps were participants. A book
At this point, the emerging women's movement during the 1960s provided Rich with the ratification she needed. The movement articulated the very feelings of conflict she was experiencing on a personal, sexual and cultural level. This also allowed her to participate in a dialogue with her environment via the platform developed by the social movements arising during this time. Whereas her first poetry was therefore formal and unemotional, both her
" (lines 20-21) the journalist, the activist... must be the observer and not make the news. Lastly the point-of-view of the unnamed dead, "enemy" whose ears were cut off to use an example of cruelty and to elicit fear, "Some of the ears on the floor/caught this scrap of his voice. Some of the ears on / the floor were pressed to the ground." (lines 31-33) Perhaps the ears were
It makes sense, then, that H.G. Wells once "said he would 'rather be called a journalist than an artist'" (Wells qtd. In McConnell 176). If the dangers of the twentieth century would come from the way unrestricted scientific advancement coupled with self-interest results in new, terrifying methods of industrialized slaughter, then the particular mode or perspective of the artist, as an opposed to the journalist, would be insufficient or irrelevant.
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