WAR POETS INDEX

John Singer Sargent's Gassed jssgallery.org WILFRED OWEN - DULCE ET DECORUM EST, Text of poem and notes warpoetry.co.uk Analysis of Rupert Brooke's Poem "The Soldier" voices.yahoo.com Analysis of Siegfried Sassoon's "Glory of Women" voices.yahoo.com War Girls by Jessie Pope poemhunter.com Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon poemhunter.com Break of Day in the Trenches by Isaac Rosenberg Classic Famous Poet allpoetry.com Why the Poppy is Significant for Veterans and Remembrance Day voices.yahoo.com

John Singer Sargent's Gassed

jssgallery.org Gassed John Singer Sargent American painter 1918 Imperial War Museum Oil on canvas Full painting 231 x 611.1 cm (91 x 240 1/2in.) While at the casualty station he witnessed an orderly leading a group of soldiers that had been blinded by mustard gas. He used this as a subject for a naturalist allegorical frieze depicting a line of young men with their eyes bandaged. Gassed soon became one of the most memorably haunting images of the war. (Spartacus Internet Encyclopedia). As always, Sargent had been interested in painting the truth. Here, an actual picture of soldiers lined up after a mustard attack. WILFRED OWEN - DULCE ET DECORUM EST, Text of poem and notes

warpoetry.co.uk Main Index First World War Poets First World War Poetry War Poetry Books Issues Index Wilfred Owen Wilfred Owen - recognized as the greatest English poet of the First World War.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST(1)

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs And towards our distant rest(3) began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots(4) Of tired, outstripped(5) Five-Nines(6) that dropped behind. Gas!(7) Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets(8) just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And floundring like a man in fire or lime(9) Dim, through the misty panes(10) and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering,(11) choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud(12) Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest(13) To children ardent(14) for some desperate glory, The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.(15) 8 October 1917 - March, 1918

Notes on Dulce et Decorum Est

1. DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean It is sweet and right. The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country. 2. Flares - rockets which were sent up to burn with a brilliant glare to light up men and other targets in the area between the front lines (See illustration, page 118 of Out in the Dark.) 3. Distant rest - a camp away from the front line where exhausted soldiers might rest for a few days, or longer 4. Hoots - the noise made by the shells rushing through the air 5. Outstripped - outpaced, the soldiers have struggled beyond the reach of these shells which are now falling behind them as they struggle away from the scene of battle 6. Five-Nines - 5.9 calibre explosive shells 7. Gas! - poison gas. From the symptoms it would appear to be chlorine or phosgene gas. The filling of the lungs with fluid had the same effects as when a person drowned 8. Helmets - the early name for gas masks 9. Lime - a white chalky substance which can burn live tissue 10. Panes - the glass in the eyepieces of the gas masks 11. Guttering - Owen probably meant flickering out like a candle or gurgling like water draining down a gutter, referring to the sounds in the throat of the choking man, or it might be a sound partly like stuttering and partly like gurgling 12. Cud - normally the regurgitated grass that cows chew usually green and bubbling. Here a similar looking material was issuing from the soldiers mouth 13. High zest - idealistic enthusiasm, keenly believing in the rightness of the idea 14. ardent - keen 15. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - see note 1 above. To see the source of Wilfred Owens ideas about muddy conditions see his letter in Wilfred Owens First Encounter with the Reality of War. To understand more about Wilfred Owens war experience, his breakdown, how his poetry developed rapidly after meeting another British war poet, Siegfried Sassoon, it is worth reading one of these two books. Both contain many more poems by Wilfred Owen and extracts from his letters. Both books provide a substantial selection of the greatest war poetry of the First World War and fascinating insights into the experience of one of the most terrible wars in the history of mankind. Both books are edited by David Roberts, the editor of this website, and have been in print for more than ten years. Click in the left column to access more information about these books and to read comments and reviews. Copyright Free use of this page for students individual personal use

Analysis of Rupert Brooke's Poem "The Soldier"

voices.yahoo.com If I should die, think only this of me: That theres some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of Englands, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the Eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given, Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends and gentleness; In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. Rupert Brooke This poem is considered to be an English nationalist poem, written in 1914. It glorifies the heroism of the English soldiers who fought in WWI. This poem is pointing out that war is not always started for the reasons that your government tells you; there is a larger picture to consider. It is often read at the memorial services of soldiers. In WWI, soldiers were not always able to bring back the bodies of their dead comrades. In France, dead soldiers were buried in the national cemetery, if their remains were found. However, there is a huge field dedicated to the unknown soldiers. As far as you can see there are only white crosses with names on them, but the names on the crosses dont necessarily match up with the bodies that are underneath them. If I should dieforever England (lines 1-3). He is saying that if he dies in battle he will forever remain in that foreign field and since his dead body is there, it is like that part of the field belongs to England, because he belongs to England. There shall bedust concealed (lines 3-4). The ground that he dies on is made better, because he has died there. It conceals the soul of a great man who died for his country. A dustsuns of home (lines 5-8). England was his birth place and it shaped what kind of person he became. It influenced his thoughts and beliefs. England taught him about love, loyalty, and honor. His death will be forever blest by England. His soul will be immortal, because he fought for England. And thinkno less (lines 9-10). His death is justified, because he died for England. His evil deeds dont matter anymore, because he did what was right; he fought for his country. Gives somewherehappy as her day (lines 11-12). His death allows him to only remember the good things about England. It also allows for someone else to come and take his place. He is passing on all the dreams and thoughts that England taught him onto the next generation of soldier; so that he can fight with as much heart and honor as he did. And laughterunder an English heaven (lines 13-14). These final lines are showing the happiness that England has given him. And because he fought for England he will forever be at peace in an English heaven with only good thoughts and laughter in his heart. Brooke, Rupert. The Soldier. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century and After. Vol. F. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2006. 1955-6. Published by Sophia Brookshire I love books! I love the smell of them and the words contained within. I received a Bachelor s degree in English and an Associates degree in Comparative Literature from UC Santa Barbara. I love to read other

Analysis of Siegfried Sassoon's "Glory of Women"

voices.yahoo.com You love us when were heroes, home on leave, (1) Or wounded in a mentionable place. (2) You worship decorations you believe (3) That chivalry redeems the wars disgrace. (4) You make us shells. You listen with delight, (5) By takes of dirt and danger fondly thrilled. (6) You crown our distant ardours while we fight, (7) And mourn our laurelled memories when were killed. (8) You cant believe that British troops retire (9) When hells last horror breaks them, and they run, (10) Trampling the terrible corpses-blind with blood. (11) O German mother dreaming by the fire, (12) While you are knitting socks to send your son (13) His face is trodden deeper in the mud. (14) Siegfried Sassoon Originally published in 1918 Analysis: This poem is a very sarcastic poem. It marks the beginning of anti-women literature. Men resented the fact that they had to fight in the war, while the women could stay home and pretend that everything was the same as it always had been. Men and women could not relate to one another as they had before. Line 1: Women only love soldiers that are decorated heroes. When the men are home the women fawn over their heroic deeds, but when the men are away in battle women could not care less. Line 2: wounded in a mentionable place can have a couple of meanings. It is common to think that a woman would only want to be with a man that is not disabled in any way. Losing an arm or leg would not be a desirable injury, because they would not be considered real men any more. Soldiers are glorified as heroes and heroes are not crippled. A wound in an unmentionable place could be the mind. Many soldiers experienced psychological issues as a result of everything that they seen in battle. Sassoon had a really hard time when his friend died in battle; he was even sent to a mental hospital under the guise of having shell shock. Many soldiers had a hard time rationalizing all the killing and dying of men who probably did not really deserve to die since they were just fighting to uphold the honor of their countries. Line 3-4: At home, life went on like there was no war going on. When soldiers would come home on the weekends they could not understand how life seemed so unaffected. They were out in the trenches everyday killing and dying. When they came home they were expected to act like the chivalrous gentlemen that they were before the war, but they had a hard time being that man because they had seen too much evil. Societal doctrine did not exist out in the trenches. Line 5: you make us shells-in WWI, many women were recruited to munitions factories; this is a job that had only been held by men previously. Working in the factories gave women a new sense of independence and after the war they wanted to continue working. They provided the equipment of death. Line 6: the women loved to listen to their stories of battle; to them they were like scary madeup stories meant for entertainment, but for the soldiers it was their reality. The women did not seem to understand the reality of the war. Line 8: you mourn our laurelled-in ancient Rome and Greece, a victorious general was crowned with a laurel wreath.

Line 9-11: These lines are pointing out the naivety of women. Women wanted their men out there fighting and being heroic without considering what this actually did to them. They did not understand what it was like to be on the front line and they would act like it was not a big deal to kill. Women are trying to be nationalists, but they have no idea what nationalism really means. Line 11-14: While women are concerning themselves with the frivolities of life, men are out there dying in the mud. Their bodies no longer discernable; they become just another dead body on a large field of dead bodies, while women get to sit at home knitting. Sassoon, Siegfried. Glory of Women. Norton Anthology of English Literature: Twentieth Century and After. Vol. F. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2006. 1962. Published by Sophia Brookshire

War Girls by Jessie Pope

poemhunter.com Jessie Pope (18 March 1868 - 14 December 1941 / Leicestershire, England)

War Girls
Theres the girl who clips your ticket for the train, And the girl who speeds the lift from floor to floor, Theres the girl who does a milk-round in the rain, And the girl who calls for orders at your door. Strong, sensible, and fit, Theyre out to show their grit, And tackle jobs with energy and knack. No longer caged and penned up, Theyre going to keep their end up Til the khaki soldier boys come marching back. Theres the motor girl who drives a heavy van, Theres the butcher girl who brings your joint of meat, Theres the girl who calls All fares please! like a man, And the girl who whistles taxis up the street. Beneath each uniform Beats a heart thats soft and warm, Though of canny mother-wit they show no lack; But a solemn statement this is, Theyve no time for love and kisses Till the khaki soldier boys come marching back.

Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon

poemhunter.com

Siegfried Sassoon (1886 - 1967 / Kent / England)

Suicide in the Trenches

I knew a simple soldier boy Who grinned at life in empty joy, Slept soundly through the lonesome dark, And whistled early with the lark. In winter trenches, cowed and glum, With crumps and lice and lack of rum, He put a bullet through his brain. No one spoke of him again. You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray youll never know The hell where youth and laughter go. Siegfried Sassoon

Break of Day in the Trenches by Isaac Rosenberg

allpoetry.com Born in Bristol, England on 25th November 1890 to Russian-Jewish parents, Isaac Rosenberg grew up in the East End of London and became an apprentice engraver until he went to the Slade School to study. He was in South Africa when the First World War broke out recuperating from illness, but despite poor health, in 1915 he enlisted as a private in the Army and served in the ranks on the Western Front from 1916 until he was killed in action on April 1st 1918. He was 27 years old. Isaac Rosenberg, Charles Sorley and Wilfred Owen, were considered to be the three greatest Great War poets, and Rosenbergs poem, Break of Day in The Trenches is generally considered to be the greatest poem of the war. Biography source - 120 War Poems

Break of Day in the Trenches

The darkness crumbles away It is the same old druid Time as ever, Only a live thing leaps my hand, A queer sardonic rat, As I pull the parapet's poppy To stick behind my ear. Droll rat, they would shoot you if they knew Your cosmopolitan sympathies, Now you have touched this English hand You will do the same to a German Soon, no doubt, if it be your pleasure To cross the sleeping green between. It seems you inwardly grin as you pass Strong eyes, fine limbs, haughty athletes, Less chanced than you for life, Bonds to the whims of murder, Sprawled in the bowels of the earth, The torn fields of France. What do you see in our eyes At the shrieking iron and flame Hurled through still heavens? What quaver -what heart aghast? Poppies whose roots are in men's veins Drop, and are ever dropping; But mine in my ear is safe, Just a little white with the dust. By Isaac Rosenberg,1915,

Why the Poppy is Significant for Veterans and Remembrance Day

voices.yahoo.com In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. John McCraes poem, In Flanders Field, speaks to the deepest sentiment we feel when honoring our veterans. In this poem, McCrae, a Canadian military doctor, mourned the death of a dear friend, who had been killed on a Belgian battlefield during the First World War. In speaking these words, McCrae had forever influence how we honor our war veterans with red poppies. Dr. John McCrae continued to tend the injured His poem was published on December 8, 1915 for many to see. The poem became popular and was translated and seen throughout the world. He hoped that it would inspire men to do more. However, before the War ended, Dr. McCrae died in the fields of battle sick from pneumonia. However, his poem continued on inspiring others. This is how the poem came to the attention of a Georgia woman, Moina Mitchell. On the day before the armistice between the WWI Allies and Germany, Michael found a copy of In Flanders Field. She read it and was so moved by McCraes words, that she penned a thoughtful response, which she entitled We Shall Keep the Faith. Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet - to rise anew! We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died. We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields. And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught; Well teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields. By 1919, public sentiment supported a day to remember the brave veterans of the great war. President Woodrow Wilson had declared November 11th to be Armistice Day and declared that it would serve as a reminder of the sacrifice of our brave military men. For Michael, she wanted more for the American bets. Her path lead her to return to the University of Georgia, where she taught a class of disabled servicemen. She found that the plight for the wounded and disabled soldiers was dire. McCraes inspiration had not ended with her own verse. Moina Michael had vowed to wear a red poppy, a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. And, she worked effortlessly to provide financial support to disabled servicemen and their families by selling silk red poppies. By 1921, she began her life campaign to make sure the red poppies were adopted as the flower of remembrance for all war veterans. Over time, her wish became reality. At the time of her death, Moina Michael was known affectionately as the Poppy Lady. Now, red poppies are worn by all, young and old, in honor of the brave men, and now women, who serve in the military. Starting with an inspiration and then a commitment, the lovely red flower stands as symbol of blood lost and freedom gained. It reminds us that we should never forget those who sacrifice their lives for the sake of peace. www.worldwar1.com http://militaryhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_of_the_memorial_day_poppy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy Published by Ramona Taylor