The Soldier

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

The Soldier

Literature

Before we start

Let's see what you remember from last poem.

Owen's attitude towards the war was...

1. positive
2. negative

During which war was Dulce et Decorum Est written?

1. WWI
2. WWII
3. Civil War
4. The Boers War

The soldiers returning from the field were..

1. energetic
2. happy
3. tired
4. crying

"I saw him drowning".
What happened?

According to Owen, Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori is

1. the truth
2. a lie
3. a random Latin phrase
4. a beautiful metaphor

Let's continue

The Soldier

by Rupert Brooke

About the author

• Rupert Brooke
• 1887 - 1915
  

About the author

• Brooke also died during WWI (just like Owen).
• Joined the Royal Navy.
• Killed by an infection after a mosquito bite.
  

What do the following words mean?

foreign

to bear

concealed

shed away

gentleness

zachtheid

buitenlands

verdwenen

bevallen

verstopt

The Soldier

Let's read the poem together

What is the setting
of this poem?

What is the setting of this poem?

Time: WWI

Place: Some foreign field or England. Why?

• He is fighting in some foreign field, but he is constantly thinking about England.
• England gave life to the person and he remembers English air and an English heaven

2. Write down the rhyme scheme for this poem.
Hint: look up the definition of masculine rhyme

Rhyme scheme

ABABCDCD EFGEFG

• given and heaven rhyme, if you focus on the final syllable. 
• This is called masculine rhyme.

3. How many stanzas does this poem have?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 8 & 6
4. 14

4. In which perspective is this poem written?

1. first-person perspective
2. third-person perspective
3. omniscient perspective

Why is it the first person perspective?

• The narrator can only tell what he or she knows, sees, hears and thinks. 
• The first-person narrator has no knowledge of what the other characters think and speaks as “I”. 
• This narrator is also a participant in the story and the he or she is the one who reveals the plot. 

Class discussion

First, discuss the two question underneath in groups:

• What does the author mean with richer dust in line 4?
• What type of imagery is this?

Correct answer:

It’s a metaphor for his body which returns to a richer dust, because he believes the body represents the glorious England.     

6. Compare this poem to Dulce Et Decorum Est. What is the biggest difference between the two poems in terms of theme?

Discuss this in pairs or groups of three

After that: class discussion

Possible answer:

• Dulce et Decorum Est stated it is not honourable to die for your country. 
• This poem says it is.

Explanation (extra information)

• The Soldier was written at beginning of the war (1914)
• Beginning of war: patriotic, idealistic, naïve.
  
• Dying in battle and claiming land was noble/heroic.
  
• Nobody knew that war could be so devastating.
• Dulce et Decorum Est was written during the war (1917)
• Therefore more realistic view of war

I think I understand this text well enough for the test.

Yes

No

Continue

If you have answered yes, continue with your week task.

If you have answered no, please let me know what you do not understand (yet).