War Poetry

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

War poetry 

Programme

In these classes we will discuss World War I and some British war poets:

- Rupert Brooke - 

- Siegfried Sassoon - 

- Wilfred Owen- 

The Great War in dates

1914

August: war broke out after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Germany invaded Belgium. First battles in Marnes and Ypres. Trench war.

1915

1915: Dardenelles campaign, battle of Gallipoli. First use of poison gas.

1916

1916: Battle of the Somme, battle of Verdun. President Wilson of the USA is re-elected with the slogan “He kept us out of the war”.

1917

1917: USA declares War on Germay: US troops land in France.

1918

1918: Wilson issues 14 points to Peace. Germany launces Spring Offensive. Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates. November II: Germany signs armistice. Troops return home in 1919.

Rupert Brooke 1887-1915

Upper class boy. Served shortly in army. Died by mosquito bite in Greece in 1915.

Brooke's entire reputation as a war poet rests on only 5 "war sonnets“ and his war experience consisted of one day of limited military action.

Consequently, his "war sonnets" swell with naive sentiments of the most general kind on the themes of pride, nationalism and romantic death – the kind of sentiments held by man young Englishmen at the outbreak of the war. 

 

Brooke's poetry gives us a glimpse of a golden era in England just before the First World War: it was a golden time only for the upper classes, who enjoyed public school education, guaranteed employment (if they desired it) and access to the powerful members of society.

The gap between rich and poor was wide during this period, and unrest was beginning to grow among the lower classes. The war gave a huge shock to the system and, despite the terrible human cost, led eventually to a more equal society, not least because the poorer classes were largely the ones dying in the trenches.

  

Siegfried Sassoon 1886-1967

From a rich family, but had himself a small income. Sudied Law and History at Cambridge, but went down without a degree.

Poetry from romantic at first to a more realitisic anti-war, sarcastic view.

 

Nickname: Mad Jack. After losing his friend and brother he was eager to take revenge and took patrol in no-man’s land as often as he could.

1917: Sassoon declined to serve. His letter (Finished with the war: a servant’s declaration) was read in the House of Commons. He was sent to Craiglockhart for treatment for shell shock. 

Journalistic and sarcastic style.

Wilfred Owen 1889-1918

Seen as the greatest war poet; poetic style

Befriended Sassoon in Craiglockhart.

Before the war he worked as a private teacher to earn money so he could get to college. He was declined scholarship for the university of London.

Was shot dead ar Ors (France) at November 4 1918. His parents received notice on November 11 (Armistice day).