War Poetry Essay - 988 Words

To what extent does the poetry of war dispel the myths associated with the war propaganda of World War I? Throughout the early 1900’s the war propaganda that was published to entice young men to enlist and join the war gave them false ideas about the front line. Young men and boys were told that war was one big adventure and encouraged to go to the great war and become a hero. Young men were fooled into believing that dying for your country was sweet and honourable however three men who fought in the war and experienced the front line drew from their personal knowledge to completely dispel these myths. Vernon Scannell, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfrid Owen suffered throughout the war and wrote the poems The Great War, Suicide in the Trenches†¦show more content†¦Siegfried Sassoon’s poem â€Å"Suicide in the Trenches† destroys yet another myth that governments created about war. The propaganda advertised war as an adventure and played on the idea that if men did not go they were cowards. Sassoon is resentful towards the people who have not experienced war yet en courage young men and boys to go and fight, he attacks them forcefully telling them to â€Å"pray you’ll never know hell where youth and laughter go† (Line 11 and 12). Sassoon speaks of a young boy who he knew before the war who was carefree and enjoyed life and was fooled by the myths and was then forced to experience the harsh and stark reality of war not the enjoyable adventure he was led to believe. This young boy was destroyed by what he had to face during the war and chose to commit suicide because he couldn’t live through it. Sassoon uses hell as a parallel to war, it was devoid of comfort and took away any trace of innocence the young men had and drained them of happiness. Three short powerful verses are all that Sassoon uses to destroy the glory filled lies that were fed to young men about the war which came to be known as a living hell. Wilfrid Owen’s poem â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est† ultimately questions the biggest myth that the propaganda used to entice men to enlist and join the war effort, the myth that it isShow MoreRelatedWar Poetry952 Words   |  4 PagesPoetry Assignment War Poetry A popular theme for poets in the last century was war. Many famous poems were written about the two world wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. For my report I have chosen six poems, three by Wilfred Owen and three by Australian poets. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth , ‘The Send Off and ‘Insensibility (1) were written by Owen during the first world war to express his anti-war attitude. ‘Beach Burial by Kenneth Slessor, ‘Homecoming by Bruce Dawe and ‘LetterRead MorePoetry and War1681 Words   |  7 PagesHow does Owen explore the themes of war through the power of his poetry? Written by: vdg How does Owen explore the themes of war through the power of his poetry? Answer Q Owen expresses the themes of war through the unique power of poetry. Both the mental and physical brutality of war is emphasised in the poems, â€Å"The Send off,† â€Å"Anthem for doomed youth† and â€Å"Spring Offensive,† furthering the responder’s understanding of a soldier’s life on the western front. Owen employs various poetic devicesRead MoreWilfred Owens War Poetry1219 Words   |  5 Pages700,000 lives had been lost during the First World War. However, this reality was long kept from the knowledge of the civilians at home, who continued to write about the noble pursuit of heroic ideals in old patriotic slogans (Anthology 2012: 2017). Those poets who were involved on the front soon realized the full horror of war, which is reflected in their poetic techniques, diction, and imaginations. Campbell (1999: 204) refers to their poetry as trench lyric, which not only calls attention to theRead MoreEssay on War Poetry1503 Words   |  7 PagesWar Poetry War Poetry is written to express a writers feelings towards war in general. Some writers express total glorification of the war, while others convey the inanity of confrontation. One of the poems that I have studied The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson is a poem that tells of a 19th century battle between the British and the Russians during the Crimean War in Russia. During this war, Great Britain, France, and Turkey were fighting Read MoreWorld War One Poetry Essay1411 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War One Poetry For this assignment I am going to give a detailed consideration of poems from World War 1. I will be looking at poems by Wilfred Owen, Jessie Pope, Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon. I intend to study the language, imagery and poetic techniques of the poems. 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War poems immortalization of heroes helps the nation move forward by givingRead MoreWar poetry analysis1992 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Stage 2 English Communications – War Poetry War has an everlasting effect on the entire world, but the one group of people that have the worst experience are those that are on the frontline – the soldiers. They are often glorified and portrayed to be patriots for their country, which is frequently conveyed through poetry. I disagree with this view, and the following three poems written by past soldiers support my view on war. Siegfried Sassoon is a renowned World War 1 poet who was in service fromRead More Wilfred Owens Poetry and Pity of War Essay3690 Words   |  15 PagesWilfred Owens Poetry and Pity of War Through his poetry Wilfred Owen wished to convey, to the general public, the PITY of war. In a detailed examination of three poems, with references to others, show the different ways in which he achieved this Wilfred Owen was born in Oswestry, 18th March 1893. He was working in France when the war began, tutoring a prominent French family. When the war started he began serving in the Manchester Regiment at Milford Camp as a Lieutenant. He foughtRead MoreWar During The Twentieth Century War Poetry Essay2187 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the twentieth century, many poets have written about war. They have protested against it, created propaganda in support, celebrated conflict, and questioned it. War in general tends to evoke emotion in everyone, whether it is pride in a country, grief of losing a loved one, fear of the unknown, or even happiness because of a victory. On page one of Philippa Lyon’s â€Å"Twentieth Century War Poetry†, she writes,â€Å"†¦much poetry has been written by individuals (both male and female) who were notRead MoreThe Aeneid By Virgil Is An Epic War Poetry1472 Words   |  6 PagesAeneid by Virgil is an epic war poetry written in the 19 B.C.E based on the Trojan War. The poem narrates a story of a Trojan who visited Italy where he came the Romans’ ancestor. In the context of the poem, gods have much quoted manipulating; plotting and working against humans they a bhor (Virgil Ferry, n.d.). Despite the god s cunning behaviors, their actions end up putting destiny back on its proper course. Gods, future, and fate are essential aspects of Greek epic poetry .in most Greek god’s stories;