Why does Edmund Blunden imbue his memoir Undertones of War with irony? To understand the intent and extent of his stylistic choices, one has to understand the context of the work. Written following his experiences as a soldier during the First World War, Undertones of War was written as a recollection of Edmund Blunden’s personal experiences as a soldier. As a memoir, Blunden projects his own feelings and opinions into his writing, detailing both the emotions he felt in the moment of his experience as a soldier and those he felt while reflecting on the war. Instead a triumphant tale of heroism, the memoir is almost cynical and very down-to-earth, contradicting the uplifting genre of war writing which often seeks to put its heroes on god-like…
Overall, this poem is trying to show the way that children and young men were used to fight, and were marched to there death for the enjoyment and views that were held by old men in the…
People perceive soldiers as strong, brave and young heroic men who march in parades, win glorious battles, bring enemies to their knees and ironically promote peace and democracy to the world. These men are ready to put their lives on the line and fight and defend their country at whatever cost. Cowardice is far from the mind of mere individuals when the word “soldier” is mentioned. However, when Tim O’Brien allows his readers to get a glimpse into the lives of these men whom we gaze upon with great revere, crippling fear and paranoia gnaws at the mind of these men as they trudge through the battlefields. The main reason for war is a contradiction in itself; a gruesome fight which results in the death of many and and the main goal is to restore…
This difference in contexts leads the poets’ to portray war in different ways. Tennyson heavily glorifies war: ’honour the charge they made’ this may have been a subjective view towards war as Tennyson had not visited Crimea or been on the battlefield and took inspiration from an article in The Times. This leads the modern reader to question Tennyson’s knowledge of what happened and immediately…
The Savage Deterioration of Man Charles Yale Harrison’s remorseless novel Generals Die in Bed strips war of it’s heroic mirage and examines it, rather, as brutalizing. The myths about war’s glory are destroyed by showing the sheer agony of the soldiers’ experiences in the trenches through factors such as abusive officers, lice and starvation. The aftermath of such hardship results in the psychological and emotional ramifications of desperation, barbarism and insanity on the common soldiers. The final chapter, “Vengeance,” highlights these influences revealing the significant transformation of soldiers to shells of men that they once were. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes believed that men, when forced out of civilization and into the environment of war, would eventually deteriorate from their honourable and brave manners.…
Conflict is shown in different ways in the poem, ‘The Man He Killed’, and ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. One of the major differences seen between the two poems in the portrayal of conflict and war is where war is shown to be fought as a unit; a fight to be fought together, in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. Lord Tennyson portrays this by his use of repetition at the end of each stanza - “rode the six hundred”. He did this to emphasise how no-one left the rest of the cavalry when they had to fight for their country while knowing that they were most probably going to die. This would make the reader feel both sympathetic for the situation that the six hundred soldiers were put in (a choice between life and death), and proud that…
The Lady of Shalott: Tantalus’s Daughter Alfred Lord Tennyson is a Victorian poet who seldom strays out of narrative territory. His poems are stories, and “The Lady of Shalott” is no exception. The Lady of Shalott, for whom the poem is titled after, is a heartbreaking heroine who spends most of her life locked away in a tower, only to finally emerge and softly depart from the world. In the short span of four parts, her tale spans the themes of dreams, imprisonment, misogyny, and death. Not only does the Lady of Shalott’s story carry visual representations of the daily struggles both contemporary and historical women are subjected to, but also her plight is reminiscent of mythological figure Tantalus’s torture.…
Alfred, Lord Tennyson has a positive attitude towards war. '' The Charge of the Light Brigade'' was about a hopeless charge into ''the valley of death'', where many of the 600 men died, all because of a fault in communications, although this isn't how Tennyson presents the battle. He does not call it hopeless, but instead heroic. He shows how noble and well disciplined the soldiers were to follow the order…
This essay will inform you of how Tennyson started as one of the greatest poets during the Victorian era. To start was he born on August 6, 1809, in Somersby Lincolnshire, UK, alongside with his four brothers and one sister. Unfortunately the first born,George, passed away during infancy. Although, George Tennyson, his father, tutored him and his brothers in classical and modern languages. Tennyson was always the talented one.…
The short story “Sudden” written by Duncan Long and the poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen presents how war has corrupted our humanity throughout history. Writers reflect their belief on the tragedy of war. This is presented through Duncan Long’s story which shows the reality of war that is brutal and violent through imagery and characterisation, suggests that war destroys innocence in youth. Through the use of symbolization, the poet, Wilfred Owen explores the idea that deaths in war are not truly commemorated. Therefore, the authors convey a message that war is not glorious or honourable and will never bring peace; however war destroys lives and is meaningless.…
War is a word that usually has a negative connotation associated with it. When people think of war, most will think of death and destruction. However, some people also associate war with self-sacrifice and honour. “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson are the two poems that can show these two different point of views on war. These two poems share the same topic which is war but each view the topic in its own different way.…
These same ideas have a distinct and irrefutable connection to the actions of the guards and Creon. These obvious parallels deliver a superiorly deep level of meaning and metaphorical connection to the theme of duty and unfortunately, lack of, responsibility in Anouilh’s World War II time period version of…
World War 1 was believed to be the war that would end all wars. It was new, exciting and was expected to be over before the Christmas of 1914. Then, 4 years later, after gruesome trench warfare and severe casualties, our views on war changed completely. The days of enthusiastic enlistment dissolved, while the horrifying reality about the battlefield emerged. This change in beliefs, and the influence of generations, can be seen accurately through the poems, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Pro Patria” by Owen Seaman.…
Fair is defined as free from bias, dishonesty, and injustice. It may seem like such a simple concept, but to this day, we have trouble determining what is fair. Fairness is rewarding those who try and work hard towards their goals, while encouraging those who don’t to give more effort. This has proved to be a large conflict in our modern-day world, as balancing accolades and incentives is a hard judgment. Nevertheless, it remains that being fair is not giving everyone equal treatment, but rather holding them responsible for their own actions.…
Within this essay, two poems will be discussed and compared to distinguish which of these poems would be considered the most powerful at portraying the theme of the realities of was. The chosen poems, Freedoms Horror was written in 2010 by James Clark and Dulce et Decorum Est was written in 1917 by Wilfred Owen. The theme of both poems is the realities of war. These poems are among the thousands of other poems that are categorized as war poetry.…