War Poetry

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

War poetry 

Introduction

During this  War Poetry course you will investigate:

• World War I 
• poetry from before, during and after the ‘Great War’. 
• the medieval chivalric ideal and the transition to patriotism 
• the changing attitudes towards war.

1. What is the name given to this type of poem?

2. Paraphrase (short summary in your own words) the two parts of this poem.

3. How does Brooke feel about England? How do you know?

4. Find an example of a metaphor and explain its meaning.

5. Is this an early or late war poem and how do you know?

Chivalry

Characteristics of chivalry

1. Sexual purity, chastity (kuisheid), cleanliness 
2. Loyalty, obedience, sense of duty
   
3. Fairness, nobility (behaving like a nobleman)
   
4. Ennobling (op een voetstuk zetten) of women (especially the mother)
   
5. Conservative and patriotic (us vs. them)
   
6. Total bravery
   
7. Heroes, martyrs (faith, holiness, Christ-like sacrifice of
   yourself and your sons) 
8. Honour
   

 

Patriotism

After the Middle Ages, the notion of chivalry was more or less forgotten for a few centuries, although many poems show a strong feeling of patriotism. 

The Medieval Revival

At the end of the eighteenth century, people started to be interested in the Middle Ages again.  

Examples of authors:

• Sir Walter Scott (the author of Ivanhoe) 
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson: The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Great War

 The ‘Great War’ was the first war that was fought on a global scale. 

people really felt that when the war would be over, there would be no more wars. 

In order to get young men to sign up for the army, the governments launched campaigns in which many chivalric images were used.

Early war poetry

Many poems, especially from the first year of the war and poems written by people who had not been near the front, still show a belief in the chivalric code and ideal. One of the most famous poems written during the First World War is In Flanders’ Fields by John McCrae. The poppies mentioned in the poem have become the symbol of Remembrance Day, on which the casualties of war are commemorated.

Grim reality sets in....

Earlier wars had been fought man to man and on horseback, in this war there were cannons, gas and trenches.  

These trenches were infested by rats that ate human remains and could grow as large as a cat.

A soldier was not only at danger from enemy fire and mustard gas, but also from disease

Shell shock

The First World War was also the war in which people were first diagnosed as suffering from shell shock (nowadays called  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). 

One of the possible symptoms was that soldiers with shell shock ran away from the battle. At first, this was regarded as cowardice and many of them were shot for desertion (in total, 306 British soldiers were shot for cowardice, many of them suffering from shell shock). 

Most sufferers were sent home to be treated and, as soon as they were found to be ‘sane’ again, they were sent back to the front.