2. The Soldier

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

The Soldier

Havo 5 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

What does the phrase 'dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' mean?

Antwoord

"It is honourable to die for one's country"

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
  

What does the year of his death (1915) tell us?

About the author

• Brooke also died during WWI.
• Joined the Royal Navy.
• Killed by an infection after a mosquito bite.

Let's read the text together

What is the setting of this poem?

What is the setting of this poem?

Time: WWI

Place: England!

• England in a foreign field
• England gave life to the person
• English air
• English heaven

This poem is:

1. Pro war
2. Anti war

3. How many stanzas does this poem have?

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

Sonnet

This poem is a sonnet because it has 14 lines

8 in the first stanza

6 in the second stanza

4. In which perspective is this poem written?

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

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. 

What does the author mean with richer dust in line 4?

Correct answer:

Rich earth → earth is rich because it is England

Richer dust → his body (from ashes to ashes, from dust to dust)

What type of imagery is this?

1. metaphor
2. personification
3. simile

Correct answer:

It is a metaphor that describes his body that enriches the soil.

Metaphor: comparison without the use of like or as.

"A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware"
This is a....

1. Metaphor
2. Simile
3. Personification

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

Possible answer:

• The theme in Dulce Et… was that it was horrific and devastating to die for one’s country and not honourable at all.
  
  
• This poem shows the opposite: your body enriches the foreign earth, so it is honourable to die for your country.
  

What could be a reason for the difference between the poems?

The Soldier (1914) vs Dulce et Decorum Est (1917)

Discuss this in pairs or groups of three

Notes:

• 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 poem well enough to be able to analyse it myself.

Yes

No