Thinking Activity: War Poetry

 Que 1 . Choose one poem from the English literary cannon which deals with the theme of war and compare it with any one of the five war poems you have studied in this unit. [Discuss aspects like the style of the poems, language employed, treatment of the theme of war, etc.] How are they different? Are there any similarities?

Comparison of Rupert Brooke's The Soldier with Thomas Hardy's The Man He Killed

War is the theme in Rupert Brooke's The Soldier and Thomas Hardy's The Man He Killed, but each one handles the theme very differently, and the tones vary. 

1. Tone and Perspective

The Soldier: Brooke wrote his poem in a highly patriotic and idealistic tone. He made war a noble thing, and for that reason, the man sacrificed himself for his country.

The Man He Killed: Hardy's tone is reflective and ironic. The speaker questions the logic of war, where men who could have been friends in other circumstances kill each other due to political orders.

2. Style and Structure

The Soldier: Written in sonnet form, it has a formal and elevated structure that matches Brooke's romanticized view of war.

The Man He Killed: Hardy writes in a rather conversational and informal mode with short, simple stanzas, which characterizes the everyman persona of the speaker.

3. Diction and Imagery

The Soldier: Brooke speaks in a romantic and idealized language, as evident in "a richer dust" and "a corner of a foreign field that is forever England," making it full of beauty and honor.

The Man He Killed: Hardy uses plain and direct language, as seen in the line “I shot him dead because — / Because he was my foe,” highlighting the absurdity of war.

4. Theme of War

The Soldier: Brooke glorifies war and sees death as meaningful if it serves one’s country.

The Man He Killed: Hardy critiques war by exposing its irrationality and the unnecessary loss of life it causes.

Similarities

Both poems relate to the life experiences of people in war.

Both have the theme of death, but with varying perspectives.

 

Contrasts

Brooke exalts war as something noble and patriotic, whereas Hardy questions its senselessness.

Brooke's poem has an idealistic, emotional tone, while Hardy's has a critical and ironic tone.

The Soldier centers on love for one's country, while The Man He Killed focuses on the futility of killing someone who could have been a friend.

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Brooke romanticizes war as an honorable sacrifice, while Hardy reveals its irrationality and human cost. These contrasting views provide a fuller understanding of war's complexity.

Que 2 .  "War poetry is not necessarily ‘anti-war’. It is, however, about the very large questions of life: identity, innocence, guilt, loyalty, courage, compassion, humanity, duty, desire, death." Discuss this statement in the context of any two of the war poems you have studied.

Introduction

War poetry often transcends just being "anti-war" to deal with profound questions of life, emotions, and moral dilemmas. In The Fear by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon, both poets deal with themes like identity, guilt, duty, and death. 

1. Identity and Courage

The Fear: This poem shows how war can strip a soldier of their identity, reducing them to fear and survival instincts. The soldier's courage is tested, but their overwhelming fear highlights the human vulnerability in war.

The Hero: Sassoon examines identity by the difference between the soldier who dies in battle and the fake image of him that was made for his family. The poem asks if the heroism in war is truly heroic or rather a tragic sacrifice.

 

2. Guilt and Humanity

The Fear: The soldier's fear is connected to guilt—guilt for feeling scared rather than courageous, and guilt for possibly letting his fellow comrades down. This relates to the emotional weight that soldiers carry.

The Hero: Guilt is also central here but is placed on the officer and the system that romanticize a soldier's death to appease a grieving family. The officer's feigned sympathy speaks to the absence of humanity in the way war is managed.

3. Duty and Death

The Fear: Duty drives the soldier into the battlefield, but death's fear makes him think if such a sacrifice was worthwhile for duty.

The Hero: Sassoon indicts the idea of duty when it takes a man's life but leaves lies instead of truth to the man's family. It shows that death in battle is not noble but senseless.

 

4. Innocence and Compassion

The Fear: The soldier's fear reveals his innocence. He is not a fearless warrior but an ordinary human being who values his life.

The Hero: The poem also speaks to lost innocence, as the young soldier's death brings out the cruelty of war. Compassion is missing, replaced by hollow words of consolation.

 

Similarities Between the Poems

Both poems depict the emotional and psychological impact of war.

They emphasize the gap between how war is idealized and the harsh reality faced by soldiers.

Both criticize the romanticized idea of war by focusing on fear, death, and lies.

Conclusion

These poems show us that war poetry does not condemn war itself, but actually opens up questions about humanness: fear, courage, duty, and loss. The Fear and The Hero ask the reader to ponder what war does to human beings and how the social world condones it because of its costs. These remind us that warfare has a rippling impact: not just on the battleground, but in the very hearts of humanity.

Que 3 . Compare Ivor Gurney's The Target with Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est. What are some notable similarities and differences between these two war poets and their poetry?

Comparison of Ivor Gurney's The Target with Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est

Both Ivor Gurney's The Target and Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est are great war poems that expose the barbarity of World War I. However, they portray the theme of war differently. 

1. Tone and Perspective

Gurney’s The Target: The tone is personal and reflective. The speaker feels guilt and sorrow about killing another man in battle. The poem explores the emotional and moral struggles of a soldier.

Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est: The tone is bitter and angry. Owen condemns the glorification of war and exposes its horrors through vivid and shocking imagery.

2. Theme of War

Gurney: The Target is all about the psychological effects of war upon the individual. The soldier questions himself for having taken a life, and the purpose of going to war.

Owen: Dulce et Decorum Est is a bitter critique of the romanticised notion that it is worthwhile to die for one's country. It brings home the physical agony and death wrung by war.

3. Language and Imagery

Gurney: The language is more introspective, with lines like “I shot him, and it had to be.” The imagery is emotional, focusing on the internal conflict of the soldier.

Owen: Owen uses graphic and detailed imagery to depict the horrors of war, such as “gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.” His language is more direct and shocking.

4. Style and Structure

Gurney: The poem is conversational and reflective, with a sense of intimacy. The structure is simple, just like the soldier's thoughts, yet profound.

Owen: Owen's poem is more dramatic, with a vivid narrative of a gas attack. The irregular rhythm reflects the chaos of war.

5. Similarities

Both poems reject the glorification of war and show its harsh reality.

Both focus on the experiences of individual soldiers.

Both deal with themes of death and the emotional toll of war.

6. Differences

Focus: Gurney’s poem is more introspective, focusing on the soldier’s guilt and personal conflict. Owen’s poem is outwardly critical, targeting society’s false ideals about war.

Imagery: Gurney uses emotional imagery, while Owen uses graphic, physical imagery.

Tone: Gurney’s tone is sorrowful and regretful; Owen’s is angry and accusatory.

Conclusion

The other, Dulce et Decorum Est, condemns a larger societal lie about war's nobility. Although both poems are moving to the reader, they paint vivid pictures of the horrors of war from different perspectives.