Question
War and Words
A World War 1 soldier stands in a trench.
At the age of seventeen or eighteen, most young men and women are finishing high school and perhaps packing to head off to college. Some, however, choose a very different path. In 1914 when World War I began, thousands of British youth enlisted to fight for their country. Among these were some very talented poets, including Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, and Siegfried Sassoon. Of these, only Sassoon survived the war. Yet all three wrote moving, powerful poetry that represented the perils of war through the eyes of a young person.
In this lesson, you will read works by each of these gifted young writers. Although this poetry was written about a century ago, the emotions, thoughts, and images expressed remain relevant to the struggles faced by soldiers and young people today.
Essential Questions
How does tone affect meaning?
What is the effect of repetition and parallelism?
How did war literature represent the struggles of World War I?
Objectives
Identify and analyze tone
Identify repetition and parallelism
Use context clues to interpret word meanings
Review italics
Key Words
context clues
italics
parallelism
repetition
tone
A World War 1 soldier stands in a trench.
At the age of seventeen or eighteen, most young men and women are finishing high school and perhaps packing to head off to college. Some, however, choose a very different path. In 1914 when World War I began, thousands of British youth enlisted to fight for their country. Among these were some very talented poets, including Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, and Siegfried Sassoon. Of these, only Sassoon survived the war. Yet all three wrote moving, powerful poetry that represented the perils of war through the eyes of a young person.
In this lesson, you will read works by each of these gifted young writers. Although this poetry was written about a century ago, the emotions, thoughts, and images expressed remain relevant to the struggles faced by soldiers and young people today.
Essential Questions
How does tone affect meaning?
What is the effect of repetition and parallelism?
How did war literature represent the struggles of World War I?
Objectives
Identify and analyze tone
Identify repetition and parallelism
Use context clues to interpret word meanings
Review italics
Key Words
context clues
italics
parallelism
repetition
tone
Answers
There are no human answers yet.
Answered by
GPT 3.5
Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" vividly describes the horrors of war, as the speaker recounts a gas attack and the death of a fellow soldier. The tone of the poem is one of anger and disillusionment, as Owen challenges the idea that war is noble and heroic. The repetition of the phrase "gas! Gas! Quick, boys!" emphasizes the urgency and chaos of the attack, while the use of italics in phrases like "men marched asleep" highlights the surreal and nightmarish quality of war.
Rupert Brooke's poem "The Soldier" takes a different approach, portraying war as a noble sacrifice for one's country. The tone is one of patriotism and honor, as the speaker imagines a peaceful death in a foreign land. The repetition of the phrase "breathes English air" underscores the speaker's connection to his homeland, while the parallelism in the lines "If I should die, think only this of me" creates a sense of symmetry and balance.
Siegfried Sassoon's poem "Suicide in the Trenches" highlights the brutal realities of war, as the speaker describes a young soldier driven to despair by the horrors he has witnessed. The tone is one of anger and sadness, as Sassoon condemns the senseless loss of life in war. The repetition of the phrase "smiling as some loathsome dream" emphasizes the disconnect between the soldier's outward appearance and internal suffering, while the use of italics in phrases like "lads that went to play in France" underscores the tragic waste of youth and potential.
Overall, these poems reveal the complexity and depth of emotions experienced by soldiers during World War I, and the lasting impact of war on individuals and society. By examining the tone, repetition, and parallelism in these works, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the human cost of conflict and the power of poetry to convey the realities of war.
Rupert Brooke's poem "The Soldier" takes a different approach, portraying war as a noble sacrifice for one's country. The tone is one of patriotism and honor, as the speaker imagines a peaceful death in a foreign land. The repetition of the phrase "breathes English air" underscores the speaker's connection to his homeland, while the parallelism in the lines "If I should die, think only this of me" creates a sense of symmetry and balance.
Siegfried Sassoon's poem "Suicide in the Trenches" highlights the brutal realities of war, as the speaker describes a young soldier driven to despair by the horrors he has witnessed. The tone is one of anger and sadness, as Sassoon condemns the senseless loss of life in war. The repetition of the phrase "smiling as some loathsome dream" emphasizes the disconnect between the soldier's outward appearance and internal suffering, while the use of italics in phrases like "lads that went to play in France" underscores the tragic waste of youth and potential.
Overall, these poems reveal the complexity and depth of emotions experienced by soldiers during World War I, and the lasting impact of war on individuals and society. By examining the tone, repetition, and parallelism in these works, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the human cost of conflict and the power of poetry to convey the realities of war.
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