Should First World War Poetry Be Considered A Condemnation Of War?

To what extent should Ungaretti’s First World War poetry be considered a condemnation of war? - Jennifer Kevany 13305056

Ungaretti's experiences during World War I greatly influenced his early poetry. His first major collection, L’allegria, reflected on his experience of World War I. The poetry we have studied show the horrors of battling but also shows how during such awful dilemmas, humanity can come together. The two main themes throughout Ungarettis ‘Allegria- Il porto sepolto’ are the war and his birthplace Egypt and were written for the most part in the trenches of World War I and show his attitude change from wanting to fight at the beginning of writing poetry to gain Italian recognition to wanting to give up and hating war as shown

The scene, outlined only through the air tremor that vibrates for artillery attacks, is that which upsets the front. There, in the night, two groups of soldiers intersect, on the street; shivering in the dark a few words are enough to create a sense of mutual pity, then, of solidarity. The same feeling of love for their comrades, inspired from the contemplation of death, in this poem is expressed with a delicate tone that acquires prominence by the simplicity of the means: the repetition of the word " Fratelli ", instinctively uttered by fellow soldiers, the analogy between the word ‘Fratelli’ and ‘Foglia appena nata’, recalling the precariousness of human life. The essentiality of the poetic message is a precise feedback, as well as the essentiality of language. In fact, the draft breakdown of the poem in brief verses and breaks creates evocative musical pauses in which the words stand out in their true meaning describing the wars positives and negatives, which can be both shown as praise and condemnation of war. According to Ciamparella A., “In war, everybody shares a common destiny and everybody is equally

He believes when you are at war, death is near at all times: you can feel the cannon shot, the bursting of the rifle, the cry of those who were injured. Sometimes death is next to you and has the face and body of your companion to the forefront, driven back like you to dig a trench from a sudden enemy attack. It is the first images of this poem and December 23, 1915, written by Ungaretti when you are approaching the anniversary of the first native to the front. It is the protagonist's death, caught in a dramatic and a terrible way, but it contrasts with the poet's love, with an irrepressible wish for life and hope. Ungaretti hates the war in this poem but he still has a little hope that it will all be over and he will get to go