Ivor Gurney - The Bohemians

Certain people would not clean their buttons,

Nor polish buckles after latest fashions,

Preferred their hair long, putties comfortable,

Barely escaping hanging, indeed hardly able;

In Bridge and smoking without army cautions

Spending hours that sped like evil for quickness,

(While others burnished brasses, earned promotions)

These were those ones who jested in the trench,

While others argued of army ways, and wrenched

What little soul they had still further from shape,

And died off one by one, or became officers,

Without the first of dream, the ghost of notions

Of ever becoming soldiers, or smart and neat,

Surprised as ever to find the army capable

Of sounding 'Lights out' to break a game of Bridge,

As to fear candles would set a barn alight:

In Artois or Picardy they lie - free of useless fashions.

Key words

•      Bohemians – people who do not wish to conform to society’s norms. Usually dress unusually and have quite radical ideals. Often do not have conventional jobs, but instead are artists or writers.

What is the poem about?

The speaker talks about people, bohemians, who don’t want to conform to what society considers to be normal. However, the war erodes all these differences as they are dragged in and forced to experience the same things.

Structure

·        The poem is made up of only 2 sentences – sentence one is 16 lines long, whilst sentence 2 is only 1 line long.

·        Sentence 1 describes the bohemian men and what they did and didn’t do – perhaps it is so long to emphasise how they break rules and conventions.

·        The last sentence shows how they have become “free of useless fashions” just as they have always wanted – but they are also dead, just like everyone else. Ultimately, they have become the same.

·        The poem also has a very strange rhyme scheme – words almost rhyme (buttons/fashions/cautions) – this is half-rhyme – and could again reflect the way the men try not to conform to normal things. There are some rhymes however, suggesting that the men had to conform in the end.

Language

The speaker seems not to like the bohemians: “Certain people” sounds quite disapproving of them, whilst it is suggested that they are not particularly Godly: “what little soul they had” – perhaps also a reflection of the loss of faith men experience in war. The bohemians do many things “wrong” in the war – they don’t keep themselves looking neat and tidy, they narrowly avoid “hanging” for what they do, they prefer to play cards than talk about the war. However, they still “died off one by one” like any other soldier – or, ironically, become “officers” – they’re alive so they’re good enough to become officers! You could also see this as them being forced to conform.

In summary

•      Deals with the fates of non-conformist members of society who were also forced into the war

•      Irregular rhyme scheme and lengthy sentence

•      Ultimately suggests that conforming is soul-destroying and you will end up dead either way.

Siegfried Sassoon - Lamentations

I found him in the guard-room at the Base.

From the blind darkness I had heard his crying

And blundered in. With puzzled, patient face

A sergeant watched him; it was no good trying

To stop it; for he howled and beat his chest.

And, all because his brother had gone west,

Raved at the bleeding war; his rampant grief

Moaned, shouted, sobbed, and choked, while he was kneeling

Half-naked on the floor. In my belief

Such men have lost all patriotic feeling.

Key words

•      Patriotism – love or devotion to your country; if you are patriotic, you would be willing to die for it. Early war poems can be described as patriotic.

•      Euphemism – an indirect expression for something which is considered too harsh to be spoken about directly. Often used for death e.g. “passed away”

•      Lamentation – a passionate cry of grief or sorrow

What is the poem about?

The speaker stumbles upon an ordinary soldier sobbing and wailing uncontrollably following the death of his brother. The speaker and the sergeant watching the soldier are unable to understand his grief and misery, but the speaker concludes at the end that it is such experiences as this that have caused patriotism to die.

Structure

•      The poem is intended to be an eyewitness account of an event

•      How does the poet’s use of enjambment (run-on lines) help to create a sense of this being something recalled from memory? – it sounds just like someone telling a story, with little organisation. You wouldn’t tell someone a story in perfect verse; neither does Sassoon!

•      The rhyme however is regular which helps to bring the poem together as a whole and makes it more coherent (sound more ordered and persuasive).

Language

The grieving man is never given a name, referred to as “him” which gives him both a sense of anonymity (as though no one can be bothered to find out his name) but also makes him representative of all the soldiers: he could be anyone and everyone. The speaker “blundered” in, suggesting a lack of care and also shows the lack of privacy in the war; this man is unable to deal with his grief on his own. The man is shown to be completely devastated, through the use of powerful verbs: “Moaned, shouted, sobbed and choked”. He “beat[s] his chest” like someone completely uncivilised, almost animal-like, and howls. He is also “Half-naked on the floor”, against suggesting he is uncivilised, but also very undignified (like grief) and vulnerable. The fact he is “kneeling” could refer to his innocence, as you kneel when you pray, and could also suggest a break-down in traditional religion; prayer is unable to give him any comfort now.

The speaker and the sergeant watching this seem quite hard-hearted. The sergeant watches with “puzzled, patient face” – he doesn’t sound completely horrible, but he is unable to understand why the man is behaving like this (emphasised through the alliteration). The death of a soldier happens all the time, and so it’s almost as though they expect the man to just get on with it.

The ending is quite a bold straightforward statement, and is quite difficult to argue with: could you blame anyone for losing their patriotic feeling when their brother has died and their grief is viewed as something quite strange? The title itself, “Lamentations”, could therefore refer not only to the man’s grief, but also possibly the death of patriotism.

Euphemism

•      “And, all because his brother had gone west” – this is a euphemism for death – the sun sets in the west and therefore this a symbol for dying.

•      Does that sound like a particularly violent death? The sun goes down every day, which makes it sound quite common and natural – when we know that the man’s brother has almost certainly died in a brutal way.

•      This euphemism, and the off-hand way the poet puts it, makes the man’s reason for grieving and behaving in this way sound as though it is no big deal. The war has had a completely de-humanising effect on the speaker and the sergeant – they seem somewhat unable to understand why anyone would react in this way.

In summary

•      An account of a man’s uncontrollable grief due to the death of his brother.

•      Suggests that death is nothing unusual and that such wild grief is an unexpected reaction to such news.

•      An ambiguous (unclear) title

•      An exposure of the realities of war and an attack on the ideas of patriotism

Wilfred Owen - Spring Offensive

Halted against the shade of a last hill,

They fed, and, lying easy, were at ease

And, finding comfortable chests and knees

Carelessly slept.


But many there stood still 

To face the stark, blank sky beyond the ridge,

Knowing their feet had come to the end of the world.

Marvelling they stood, and watched the long grass swirled

By the May breeze, murmurous with wasp and midge,

For though the summer oozed into their veins

Like the injected drug for their bones' pains,

Sharp on their souls hung the imminent line of grass,

Fearfully flashed the sky's mysterious glass.

Hour after hour they ponder the warm field--

And the far valley behind, where the buttercups

Had blessed with gold their slow boots coming up,

Where even the little brambles would not yield,

But clutched and clung to them like sorrowing hands;

They breathe like trees unstirred.

Till like a cold gust thrilled the little word

At which each body and its soul begird

And tighten them for battle. No alarms

Of bugles, no high flags, no clamorous haste--

Only a lift and flare of eyes that faced

The sun, like a friend with whom their love is done.

O larger shone that smile against the sun,--

Mightier than his whose bounty these have spurned.

So, soon they topped the hill, and raced together

Over an open stretch of herb and heather

Exposed. And instantly the whole sky burned

With fury against them; and soft sudden cups

Opened in thousands for their blood; and the green slopes

Chasmed and steepened sheer to infinite space.

Of them who running on that last high place

Leapt to swift unseen bullets, or went up

On the hot blast and fury of hell's upsurge,

Or plunged and fell away past this world's verge,

Some say God caught them even before they fell.

But what say such as from existence' brink

Ventured but drave too swift to sink.

The few who rushed in the body to enter hell,

And there out-fiending all its fiends and flames

With superhuman inhumanities,

Long-famous glories, immemorial shames--

And crawling slowly back, have by degrees

Regained cool peaceful air in wonder--

Why speak they not of comrades that went under?

Key words

•      Offensive – a military operation which aggressively attacks in order to gain territory or achieve a specific aim.

•      Apocalyptic – relating to the end of the world, particularly in a religious sense

What is the poem about?

This is the only poem we’re studying which looks directly at the fighting in the war. The first three stanzas show us the soldiers relaxing before the battle and appreciating the nature around them, before the fighting begins in stanza 4. The men who are left then return to where they came from.

The title itself is quite ironic as spring is a time of new life and growth, and war is obviously a time of death and destruction.

Structure

•      The majority of lines are composed of 10 syllables – but not all of them. This breaks the rhythm up, as does the sometimes irregular rhyme scheme – what is the effect of this? – it makes everything sound as though it is a bit disjointed and falling apart – reflecting the destruction and damage of the battle

•      The poem is divided into 6 stanzas.

•      Each stanza details a different stage of the “offensive”.

Because the poem is very long, I’ve broken it down into stanzas for you.

Stanza 1: Setting the scene

There is a sense of relaxation in this stanza, as the men reach the end of a long march. The words “eased” and “at ease” suggest they have reached some point of safety. They seem exhausted as they “Carelessly slept”, unable to support their own weight anymore: “leaning on the nearest chest or knees”. However, “many” still remain awake and look out at the landscape and “the stark blank sky” – “blank” possible because it holds no answers? (breakdown of religion?) and “stark” because it offers no comfort or shelter? They know “their feet had come to the end of the world” – because they may be about to die in the battle to come. There is also a sense of anticipation because of this.

Nature is celebrated in this stanza: “Marvelling”. Maybe they are trying to take everything in before they die. This section of the poem uses long vowel sounds (“murmurous” “oozed”) to slow it down and create a soothing image. Nature also helps the men “Like an injected drug for their bodies’ pains” – it makes them feel better. The anticipation grows towards the end of this stanza due to the word “imminent” and the increasing use of rhyming couplets (veins/pains, grass/glass)

Stanza 2 – The pause before the attack

The subject of nature continues. The setting sounds like paradise, where the men have time to “ponder” and are “warm”. Nature itself seems unwilling to let the men go: “Where even the little brambles would not yield/But clutched and clung to them like sorrowing arms.” (personification). The men are therefore almost part of nature, rather than the ugly and artificial world of war.

It’s worth thinking about the setting of the poem: spring. This is usually a time of new life – but these men are about to die. Ironic!

Stanza 3 – Tension building

The battle begins without the fanfare you’d expect: just a “little word”. The “cold gust” of the battle starting contrasts directly with the “warm field” in the 2^nd stanza – war vs nature. The repetition of “no” shows this too, as well as building tension. The simile “like a friend with whom their love is done” suggests that the men know they are going to their death and won’t see the sun again.

Stanza 4 – Attack

The action begins suddenly as the men “raced together” – showing some sense of comradeship. The caesura in line 29, after “Exposed” helps to emphasise the word, showing they didn’t stand a chance, and also makes you stop – before the long sentence to the end of the stanza when the battle properly starts. The battle makes nature suddenly seem violent: the sky “burned/With fury” and the earth “set sudden cups/In thousands for their blood”. It’s all very apocalyptic and makes it sound as though it really is the end of the world as mentioned earlier. You could also see it as nature (or God) being angry at the war, and also that the Earth is reclaiming the men who belong to it by catching their blood.

Stanza 5 – Casualties

The apocalyptic imagery continues with an emphasis on things being the “last”: “that last high place”, and with the mention of “hell”. Death is swift: “Some say God caught them even before they fell”. This battle is incredibly quick, violent and destructive.

Stanza 6 – The survivors

Not everyone dies. Some come “crawling slowly back” (which contrasts with their action earlier). They are painted quite heroically as they have faced “fiends” and “flames” like some Greek hero, and are “superhuman”.  The poem ends with a question – perhaps they don’t want to relive such horrors, perhaps they feel guilty for surviving when others didn’t.

In summary

•      A detailed account of a military attack

•      6 stanzas detailing 6 stages of the attack

•      The only poem we are looking at which deals directly with battle

Wilfred Owen - The Send-Off

Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way

To the siding-shed,

And lined the train with faces grimly gay.

Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray

As men's are, dead.

Dull porters watched them, and a casual tramp

Stood staring hard,

Sorry to miss them from the upland camp.

Then, unmoved, signals nodded, and a lamp

Winked to the guard.

So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they went.

They were not ours:

We never heard to which front these were sent.

Nor there if they yet mock what women meant

Who gave them flowers.

Shall they return to beatings of great bells

In wild trainloads?

A few, a few, too few for drums and yells,

May creep back, silent, to still village wells

Up half-known roads.

Key words

•      Anonymity – this is when a person’s identity is removed and they become just another number. This is a key theme in WW1 poetry – that so many people were killed and injured that they became just a statistic and not a human anymore.

•      Think of the “men” in Journey’s End - the Colonel talks of “six men and – er – Osborne” as having died – the average soldier in the trenches is not referred to by name.

Think first of all – what would you expect from a “send-off”? If you or a friend were moving away, you’d expect a celebration, a party, something fun and noisy and exciting. Is that what you get in this poem? The title itself is quite ironic, as it emphasises the fact that the men are not getting this big ceremonial send-off but are being quietly sent away.

What is the poem about?

The poet writes about the experience of men being moved from their training camp to the trenches in France. The men would have come from a variety of places in the country to the training camp, and the town would therefore have little connection to the men. The poem highlights this sense of anonymity and the very low-key way in which the men are transported out to the war – like a guilty secret. The last 5 lines of the poem asks how many will return and what state they will be in when they do.

Structure

•      Structured in stanzas of 3 lines and then 2 lines.

•      What happens in the stanzas of 3 lines? – this is the “story” of the poem, detailing what is happening as the men are moved away from the camp.

•      What happens in the stanzas of 2 lines? – this is the comment on what is happening, almost the poet’s internal thoughts and the reality of the war. If you look, these 2 line stanzas are often talking about or alluding to death

•      How does the rhyme scheme help to tie these stanzas together? – the rhyme scheme spreads over the stanza breaks so that each 3 and 2 line stanzas form a 5 line rhyme scheme.

Language

The language is all pointing towards a very low-key secretive send off. The first 8 lines are full of dull words: “close”, “darkening” (suggesting being hidden), “siding-shed” (they’re being pushed to one side), “Dull porters” (uninterested, they’ve seen it all before. No one is there to see them off, just “a casual tramp”, suggesting he only ended up there by accident as he had nothing better to do. There is no ceremony in this send-off – maybe because it happens so often, maybe because the people of the town have no relationships with these soldiers from other places: “They were not ours” is quite an isolated line and shows this lack of connection, whilst the mystery and secrecy of the whole business is emphasised in “We never heard to which front these were sent”

The poet uses personification to create quite a sinister effect: “Then, unmoved, the signals nodded, and a lamp/Winked to the guard” – it makes it sound as though all the workings of the railway station are in some kind of conspiracy and in on some secret then the men are unaware of. The winking of the lamp could also refer to flickering light – which could be symbolic of flickering (dying) life?

The men are described as “wrongs hushed up” implying they should not be going and that the real truth is being hidden, not only from them, but the country as a whole.

The state of the men if and when they return is highlighted through the use of the verb “creep” – very different to those cheerful men we read about in “Joining the Colours”. The small number of them is shown through the repetition of “A few, a few, too few”.

Oxymoron

•      An oxymoron is when two deliberately contrasting words are used together.

•      “grimly gay”

•      Why does the poet use this image? – emphasised by the alliteration and suggests that they are putting a brave face on it? Or some sense of pain on the poet’s part – these men are quite cheerful about going (“gay”) and yet the poet knows what they are going to.

In summary

•      An ironic title – the poem tends to suggest the men are being taken away very secretively

•      Structured in stanzas of 3 lines and 2 lines, separating the “narrative” of the poem and an underlying meaning.

•      Deals with ideas of the anonymity of the soldiers

Ivor Gurney - The Target

I shot him, and it had to be

One of us "Twas him or me.

'Couldn’t be helped' and none can blame 

Me, for you would do the same.

My mother, she can’t sleep for fear

Of what might be a-happening here

To me. Perhaps it might be best

To die, and set her fears at rest.

For worst is worst, and worry's done. 

Perhaps he was the only son. . .

Yet God keeps still, and does not say

A word of guidance anyway.

Well, if they get me, first I'll find

That boy, and tell him all my mind,

And see who felt the bullet worst,

And ask his pardon, if I durst.

All's a tangle. Here's my job.

A man might rave, or shout, or sob;

And God He takes no sort of heed.

This is a bloody mess indeed.

What is the poem about?

This is a monologue (a speech given directly to the audience) from the point of view of a soldier. He details how he has killed another man and his thoughts on it. The poem shows us the effect of the war on the ordinary man, as well as questioning the idea of religion and God’s role in this war.

Structure

•      A very simple aabb rhyme scheme (rhyming couplets) – we are being spoken to by an ordinary man – the language in some ways reflects this as well.

•      Look at the uses of enjambments and caesuras. Why does the poet use these? What effect do they create? – it is like an ordinary person is speaking to us, like in “Lamentations” – an ordinary soldier would not be tied by line lengths if he was explaining something to us.

Language

The language is very simplistic, even using some colloquial language and slang: “’Twas”, “a-happening”, “durst”. This reflects the ordinary man telling his story. The implication is that war makes men into killers: “I shot him, and it had to be” – he had no other option but to do that, it was kill or be killed. The speaker almost challenges us to argue with him: “none can blame/Me, for you would do the same.”

The speaker displays a sense of sympathy for the man he killed: “Perhaps he was the only son...” with the ellipsis (...) suggesting he is thinking.

There is a sense of being abandoned by God: “Yet God keeps still, and does not say/A word of guidance any way.”

The effect of the war on the men is shown when the speaker says “And see who felt the bullet first” – there is a sense that death in this poem is by no means the worst effect of war – it’s the killing and the waiting which is the worst – and for those at home (“Perhaps it might be best/To die, and set her fears at rest.”)

The confusion and inescapable nature of the war is expressed through “All’s tangle” – the speaker is trapped in something he can’t control and just has to get on with his “job”.

The final line could be interpreted in a variety of ways: “This is a bloody mess indeed.” – a comment on the war with language appropriate for an ordinary man – or literally referring to the “bloody”ness of the war.

In summary

•      1^st person narrator – an ordinary soldier explaining why he killed a German and how he now feels about it

•      Looks at a common war poetry theme – that death would be preferable to carrying on in the war.

•      A sense of God having abandoned them

Katherine Tynan Hinkson - Joining the Colours

There they go marching all in step so gay!

Smooth-cheeked and golden, food for shells and guns.

Blithely they go as to a wedding day,

     The mothers' sons.

The drab street stares to see them row on row

On the high tram-tops, singing like the lark. 

Too careless-gay for courage, singing they go 

     Into the dark.

With tin whistles, mouth-organs, any noise, 

They pipe the way to glory and the grave; 

Foolish and young, the gay and golden boys

     Love cannot save.

High heart! High courage! The poor girls they kissed

Run with them : they shall kiss no more, alas! 

Out of the mist they stepped-into the mist

     Singing they pass.

Key words

•      Colours – refers to the flags and emblems of different regiments of the army

What is the poem about?

The poem is about young men in Dublin joining the army to fight for Britain in the World War. This is their parade out of the city after having signed up, as they make their way to where they will be trained to fight. The speaker is outside the action, a woman watching the men going, and reflecting on their cheery marching and send-off, but also the likely outcome of their going to war: their deaths. As the speaker is talking in the 3^rd person shown by the use of pronouns (they), the poem is less bitter than “Recruiting”.

Structure

·        Regular rhyme and rhythm – reflects the marching and cheerful songs of the men as they leave the city, excited and happy to be going to war.

·        However – the last line of each stanza is significantly shorter than the rest of the lines – which breaks this rhythm. It makes you think and draws attention (perhaps) to the abrupt end their lives could come to. It upsets the otherwise quite cheerful sounding mood of the poem. Look at what the poet is specifically emphasising in each line.

Language

How does the poet highlight the youth of the men leaving the city? – “Smooth-cheeked”, “golden”, “The mothers’ sons”. They play “tin whistles, mouth-organs” which are quite childish instruments, and the people they have kissed are “girls” not women. Their happiness could also reflect their naivety and the fact they have no idea what they are going to. They leave cheerfully and full of excitement and noise. The great number of the men is emphasised by the repetition of “row on row”. The suggestion is that the men will be greatly missed; the poet personifies (gives human characteristics to an object) the street: “The drab street stares” – the word “drab” suggests either that the men are taking the life with them, or that they could possibly be escaping to somewhere more exciting.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is when two seemingly unrelated things are directly contrasted for a particular effect. In this poem, the poet directly contrasts (juxtaposes) the cheerful leaving of the men, and their youth and innocence, with their possible deaths: “Smooth-cheeked and golden, food for shells and guns” – this shows them as they are now, and what they will become in the war – just fresh meat for the war machine. The poet then describes their marching as though they are going “to a wedding day” – which is usually a time of celebration of a new life (and potential new lives with the children a marriage can bring) – so this again is a contrast. The whole poem is built around strange and sometimes ironic contrasts: “singing they go/Into the dark” – cheerful singing, but they are going to somewhere unknown and possible death. “They pipe the way to glory and the grave” – this contrast is particularly emphasised by the alliteration (glory, grave) – the two possible outcomes of them joining the war.

Enjambment

•      Enjambment – when a sentence runs over the end of a line. Also known as a run-on line.

“High heart! High courage! The poor girls they kissed,

              Run with them: they shall kiss no more, alas!”

Why does the poet use enjambment here? – it reflects the fact that the girls are running after the men, as though they are getting carried away by the emotion and so is the poet.

She also uses a caesura (mid-line pause) immediately after this – why does she want you to pause now? – it really draws attention to the fact that these girls will be left alone and won’t be kissed by these boys anymore.

In summary

•      Regular rhyme and rhythm

•      A civilian watching as young men in Dublin leave the city for the army

•      Emphasises the youth and naivety of the men, and then juxtaposes (contrasts) this with images of death and destruction in war.

E. A. Mackintosh - Recruiting

‘Lads, you’re wanted, go and help,’

On the railway carriage wall

Stuck the poster, and I thought

Of the hands that penned the call.

Fat civilians wishing they

‘Could go and fight the Hun’.

Can’t you see them thanking God

That they’re over forty-one?

Girls with feathers, vulgar songs – 

Washy verse on England’s need – 

God – and don’t we damned well know

How the message ought to read.

‘Lads, you’re wanted! Over there,

Shiver in the morning dew,

More poor devils like yourselves

Waiting to be killed by you.

Go and help to swell the names

In the casualty lists.

Help to make the column’s stuff

For the blasted journalists.

Help to keep them nice and safe

From the wicked German foe.

Don’t let him come over here!

Lads, you’re wanted – out you go.’

There’s a better word than that,

Lads, and can’t you hear it come

From a million men that call

You to share their martyrdom?

Leave the harlots still to sing

Comic songs about the Hun,

Leave the fat old men to say

Now we’ve got them on the run.

Better twenty honest years

Than their dull three score and ten.

Lads you’re wanted. Come and learn

To live and die with honest men.

You shall learn what men can do

If you will but pay the price,

Learn the gaiety and strength

In the gallant sacrifice.

Take your risk of life and death

Underneath the open sky.

Live clean or go out quick – 

Lads, you’re wanted. Come and die.

Key words

•      Propaganda – information spread to promote a cause. In World War I, this included posters and speeches made to convince people that the war was right and young men should join the armed forces. Many poems written in the later stages of the war attacked the propaganda of the early war, seeing it as lies that had helped to kill many thousands of men.

•      Civilian – someone who doesn’t fight in a war/ is not a member of the armed forces. In war poetry, especially that written by soldiers, these people are seen as quite clueless.

•      Comradeship – company and friendship of others. Particularly that between those going through hard times, such as in the trenches.

What is the poem about?

The poem is an attack on the people at home who convince and force the young men out to war without being aware of the realities. The poet particularly picks out the “fat civilians”, “girls with feathers” and “blasted journalists as being to blame for sending the men out to be killed. The poem is very bitter and satirical. It is written in the first person, suggesting a personal response to the matter. It parodies and mocks the propaganda posters of the time (“’Lads, you’re wanted, go and help’”). The second half of the poem (last 5 stanzas) suggests that war does have some positives – the men who go and fight will learn from the experience “To live and die with honest men” which clearly contrasts with the earlier attacks on the people who stay at home and don’t fight.

Structure

•      Regular rhythm and rhyme – why do you think this is? Why is it so tightly structured? – it makes it more convincing and quite persuasive (like the propaganda the poem is criticising)

•      Ballad style (a poem which tells a story, usually sentimental)

•      The songs used in music halls at the time, convincing the men to enlist were usually ballads.

•      Why use this style? – the poet is parodying the methods used to convince the men to go and fight.

Think about these words – what do they suggest and emphasise?

“Lads, you’re wanted” – youth, their naivety and innocence – are there any other words in the poem which suggest this?

“Fat civilians” – direct attack on those who don’t fight

“Shiver in the morning dew” – the reality of the conditions at war and in the trenches

“More poor devils, like yourselves” – shows that the people they are fighting are not any different from them, hinting at the pointlessness of the war.

“Go and help to swell the names” – emphasises the great loss of life.

“the blasted journalists” – direct attack on the journalists who continue to tell lies and convince the men they should go

“Help to keep them nice and safe” – contrasting with the danger the men will face in order to protect the “blasted journalists”

“wicked German foe” – the traditional view of the enemy in the propaganda, but in this instance quite a satirical statement – as we know that the German soldiers are no different from the British soldiers.

“out you go” – sounds like they want rid of them, forcing them out of the country

“Come and learn” – sounds much more welcoming and suggests the educational value of the war

The changing tone

•      Tone = the poem’s overall feeling and/or attitude

•      The first six stanzas – how would you describe the poet’s feelings and attitude here? – very bitter and satirical, attacks on people at home – what words suggest this?

•      The last 5 stanzas – what does the poet believe you can gain from war? – “strength”, “gaiety”, an education in how to be “honest” and heroic

The caesura

·        A caesura is a break in the middle of a line of poetry – e.g. A full stop or pause in the middle of a line.

“Lads, you’re wanted. Come and die.”

Why does the poet break this line up? What is the effect on the reader? – makes you pause and think, isolating the final sentence which is a big twist on the earlier propaganda statements. It’s the reality of the war – that is what will almost certainly happen to them – much more honest than the earlier ideas.

Where else does he does this in the poem? To what effect? – Look at line 35.

In summary

•      Regular rhyme and rhythm

•      Reveals the reality behind the propaganda

•      Is an attack on those in charge of the war and those profiting from it (journalists)

•      Is not entirely anti-war – there is still a belief that war can be a positive experience for those who are honest and fight for their country.