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Critical analysis of war poem
War poetry
Critical analysis of war poem
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This description paints the scenes of the poem as they happen, the powerful connotations of the words battling against each other, and to the grievance of the reader, the negative feelings prevail. This battle illuminates the brutality and fear experienced by soldiers, in WWII, during their final moments on Earth - their fear, sadness, and horrified disgust all hidden between the lines of these two sentences. Foreshadowed by the soldier's machine like tone, the speaker alludes to the fact that he will fight for his life, and
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”, Ernst Junger’s Storm of Steel, and Lewis Milestone’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” present different accounts of World War I. McCrae displays the sorrow of losing comrades while exhorting the public to continue to fight in memory of those who died. Junger writes a gripping account of his experience as a fearless young man in the war. “All Quiet on the Western Front” combines both the sorrow of McCrae’s poem with Junger’s fearless attitude to deliver a war story reminiscent of the personalities of the soldiers. All three works manipulate the use of syntax to evoke a sense of remorse as their audiences recognize the reality of death that manifests in war. McCrae employs syntax to display remorse through his stylization and organization
A masterpiece in its own right, it reflects a story that illustrates the brave and courageous acts of those who valiantly fought. The soldiers, regardless of which side they represent, pushed through their fear to become men of honor and valor. Many perished and those who survived are cursed to remember it. It reflects the sentiment that “Courage is more than charge; More than dying or suffering. The loss of love in silence or being gallant; It is temperament and, more, wisdom”
War and its affinities have various emotional effects on different individuals, whether facing adversity within the war or when experiencing the psychological aftermath. Some people cave under the pressure when put in a situation where there is minimal hope or optimism. Two characters that experience
War carries important morals that heighten the perspective of men and women on their nation, but it also entails many acts and experiences that leave lasting effects on their emotional and physical state. Throughout the following texts, Paul Baumer, the dead soldiers, and Kiowa’s comrades all sustain losses that compel them to persevere and fight harder. All Quiet on the Western Front, Poetry of the Lost Generation, and an excerpt from In the Field all connect to the recurring theme, horrors of war, that soldiers face everyday on the front line through the continuous battle. War involves gruesome battles, many of which lead to death, but these events forever affect the soldier’s mind and body. In All Quiet on the Western Front, men experience horrific sights, or horrors of war, through the depiction of the terrain, death, and the
The most obvious predominant theme of All Quiet on the Western Front is of course the incessant brutality of modern warfare, which the reader can experience in every single chapter. Whereas often war poetry and books, especially German literature, attempted to romanticize the concept of war with ideas of patriotic duty, glory and adventure, All Quiet on the Western Front has the clear mission of portraying war as it actually happened. Remarque boldly replaced this romanticized archetype of heroism and honor
"We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with feelings which, though they might be ornamented enough in peacetime, would be out of place here" (Remarque, Erich. All Quiet on the Western Front). This quote symbolizes how much war changes your humane mentality. The soldiers that died were thrown in shell holes. Close friends became victims in war, and that no longer bothered the
We march up, moody or good-tempered soldiers- we reach the zone where the front begins and become on the instant human animals (Remarque 56). The book, “ All Quiet on The Western Front” , written by Erich Maria Remarque is a book about World War I where soldiers are consistently surrounded by death, fighting, and the bare survival instincts that war brings out in people. World War I effected poetry greatly by the death and bitter pain it brought to people's lives which influenced their writing. In literature war was viewed as an honor and people were excited for it because they believed heroes were made but they never considered the price it would cost.
“Not bloody stories, necessarily. Happy stories, too, and even a few peace stories” (33) makes the war what it is. Although war is labeled as pessimistic among society, it actually has ups with its downs such as life itself, these positive feelings and values positioned in the negative whole can both be seen in Brendan Hoffman’s photograph and Tim O’Brien’s short story “Spin” by looking at soldiers’ behaviors. Both in the story “Spin” and in the photograph, innocent and childish attitudes a soldier may carry are pointed out which reflects and creates the sweetness of war. In the story, O’Brien points out that they were guided by an old poppa-san through the mine fields each morning; during these mornings all soldiers “learned to love the
Basically everything in a war could look beautiful in humans eyes, but every soldier hates war at the same time. The truth reached by the reader from this contrast is that why some might like going to war and what makes soldiers to keep going in
Whitman starts off his poem with a peaceful tone to it, using words like “slumbering”, “stillness”, and “infant” to describe the serenity and trance the narrator is in (Source 2). However, there is a shift of mood four lines into the poem; the narrator begins to have flashbacks from the horrific battles. Whitman creates illustrations of the chaos of war, using phrases such as “cashing and smoking”, “suffocating smoke”, and “devilish exultation” to describe the hellish experiences the narrator is haunted by (Source 2). Whitman’s diction and stylistic choices also detail an ironic response to the tragedy of war. In line nineteen, he uses a parenthetical statement “(some special success)” to mock the applause from the soldiers for slaughtering their enemies.
In stanza five, the narrator sounds matter-of-fact while describing the soldier’s dead and decaying body, but also seemingly lacks pity as the narrator mocks the dead soldier. The narrator notes that the soldier’s girlfriend “…would weep to see to-day/ how on his skin the swart flies move;” and though another casualty in war is saddening, it is simply another casualty and nothing more. Douglas’ simple and unsentimental language emphasizes that war cannot be sugar-coated, it is bloody and
Also, the poem uses an elevated diction with a formal tone throughout. “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day the music rang” (Raffel 1-3). There is an obvious tone that makes the reader read as if they are telling a scary story while still being quite
We live in a world where we have to hide to make love, while violence is practiced in broad daylight. John Lennon. Based on his own reading and reflection, Bruce Dawe constructs his attitudes towards war in his poems, Homecoming and Weapons Training, believing it to be lacking sense historically and ultimately futile. By specifically addressing an Australian cultural context, the poet exposes a universal appeal in that the insensitivity and anonymity are common attitudes towards soldiers during war. Dawe clearly expresses his ‘anti-war sentiment’ through his use of language and imagery as he examines the dehumanising aspects of war and its brutal reality.
In the poems “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen and “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison, both poems present the truths of war. However, both differ in terms of setting and contrast that help depicts the similarities between their theme. Disabled takes place within World War I as Owen vividly describes the subject’s amputation, but the poem is centered around the subject’s adjustment to civilian life after war. In The Bright Lights of Sarajevo although Harrison discusses the consequences of partaking in war in the town, he illustrates the way in which life goes on regardless the horrific impact. Through use of setting and contrast, both poets contribute to presenting the theme of the realities of war.