How do the later war poets differ in their treatment of war Essay

How do the later war poets differ in their treatment of war from early war poets? World War I was noticeable for the vast amounts of poetry that was produced from many of the soldiers. The poets wrote vastly over the years 1914-1918 and they all expressed many different opinions. It was a way of getting their views across to other people. Some of the poems even made aware of the fact and the true horror of the war. During the first half of World War I, the poems that were produced had a very patriotic and glorious view to them. As the war progressed, the poems became more bitter as the true extent of what was really going on, was unveiled. Some of the poets we will be looking at include Wilfred Owen and Laurence Binyon. For early war poetry, we have studied four poems. These are: 'The Soldier', 'Rendezvous', 'For the Fallen', and 'Fall-In'. The poets who wrote these poems are: Laurence Binyon, Rupert Brooke, Alan Seeger and Harold Begbie. These poems in general, had a very glorious, patriotic feel to them. Because the war had just started, people did not know what the war was going to be like. Nor did they no how many people would be killed. These poems were used as propaganda by the government so that many young men would enrole for the army. 'For the Fallen' is an elegy. Being an elegy during the war, you might have been mistaken for thinking that it is not a very glorious poem. But this poem celebrates the death of the soldiers and is celebrating the work that they have done for their country. This poem gives a personification of England and describes the soldiers when they were young. This poem constantly uses alliteration throughout. 'They fell with their faces to the foe' is a good example. Th... ...Hero' is a poem about a mother receiving the bad news that her son is dead. This poem has an AABBBCCDEDEFF rhyme scheme. In the second verse, the rhyme scheme has changed. This is because Sasson wanted a change of meaning in the poem. 'Suicide in the Trenches' has a regular and constant rhyme scheme. Every two lines are a rhyming couplet. This keeps the flow of the poem constant. It is criticizing the British public who cheer for the soldiers, just as they are about to go to war, but the public themselves, do not know what the soldiers are about to face. It is a very bitter poem. 'They' is another very bitter poem written by Sasson. This time, Sasson is criticizing the church for making the war sound like a crusade. The poem uses a rhyme scheme of ABABCCDEDEFF. It has two versus and both end in a rhyming couplet. This is used for impact and emphasis.