4. In Flanders' Fields

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

In Flanders' Fields

Havo 5 Literature

Before we start..

Take 5 minutes to answer question 4, 5, 6, 7 in your War Literature booklet

Which question should we discuss?

4

5

6

7

Which poem was positive about the war?

1. Dulce Et Decorum Est
2. The Soldier

Dulce Et Decorum Est was written by

1. Wilfred Owen
2. Rupert Brooke
3. Siegfried Sassoon
4. John McCrae

About the author

• John McCrae
• 1872 - 1918

About the author

• Canadian army doctor
• Died from pneumonia (longontsteking) in 1918
• Probably after effects of a chlorine attack
   (remember Dulce Et Decorum Est?)

Which country is Flanders?

What do the following words mean?

poppies

larks

scarce

dawn

quarrel

torch

fakkel

gevecht

klaprozen (bloem)

dageraad

leeuweriken (vogel)

nauwelijks

The importance of poppies

• English national symbol of remembrance (WWI)
  
• Because of this poem (In Flander’s Fields)
  

Let's read the text together

Who is/are the speaker(s) in this poem?

Where do you find it in the text?

Correct answer

At the beginning of the second stanza, it is revealed that the speaker is a group: "the dead". 

i.e. soldiers who have recently ("short days ago") died in Flanders Fields

They used to live, but now they are dead and lie there. 

stanza 2, line 2-4

Let's continue

In Flanders' Fields

by John McCrae

1. Is in Flanders' fields a sonnet?

1. yes
2. no
3. What is a sonnet?
4. I don't know

It isn't a sonnet

It does not consist of 14 lines (it has 15).

This poem is a rondo, which is characterised by a repetition of words at the beginning, middle and end. Which words are repeated in this poem?

2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?

3. Is there any repetition?

Discuss in pairs or groups of three.

Correct answer

Rhyme scheme: 

AABBA AABC AABBAC

Repetition: 

"In Flanders' Fiels" in beginning, middle, and end of the poem. 

--> this makes it a Rondeau poem

4. Are there any imageries (figures of speech) that you can find?

Discuss in pairs or groups of three.

Correct answer

• rows of poppies (line 1 & 2) = metaphor for dead soldiers
  
  
• the larks, singing bravely (line 4) = personification, birds cannot really sing
  definition of sing: make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune.
  
  
• torch (line 12) = metaphor for hope

5. Dulce et Decorum Est, The Soldier and In Flanders' Fields all talk about fields. Try to explain the difference between them.

Discuss in pairs or groups of three.

7. Difficult? Try the following

Dulce et Decorum Est

The Soldier

In Flanders' Fields

Battlefield, battle is still raging.

Battlefield, battle has finished

(make-shift) graveyard

8. Rank the poems from most negative to most positive.

Most negative

Most positive

Dulce Et Decorum Est

In Flanders' Fields

The Soldier

Explanation

• Dulce Et Decorum Est
  Graphic language and scenes
  
  
• In Flanders' Fields
  It talks about the dead, but also about hope
  
  
• The Soldier
  Kind of propaganda (richer dust)

You should be able to answer questions 8, 9, 10, 11 about this poem. Which question do you wish to discuss next lesson?

8

9

10

11

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

Yes

No