Post 1900 War Poetry :: Wilfred Owen Alfred Tennyson War Poems Essays

Post 1900 War PoetryBy looking at several war numberss indite before and after 1900, I can depend that many elements of the types of poetry change greatly inseveral ways. I will be looking at a selection of war poems written bythree different poets, in chronological order, so as to see if theattitudes to war and writing styles change over time or during respective(a)stages of the war.Firstly I will be looking at a poem written by Alfred Tennyson aboutthe down against the Russian gunners in 1854. The poem is calledThe Charge of the Light Brigade as it is exactly what happened. Theinformation that Tennyson used to write the poem came from a newspaperarticle from the Times. Tennyson has used the information rattling well togive an accurate and informative, yet poetic description of the taper.Although Tennyson is writing from secondary information, he has stillincorporated poetic and rhythmic effects to withdraw the poem follow arhythm corresponding to that of a galloping horse. H alf a league, Half aleague, Half a league onward, the distance of the charge is stated atthe beginning of the poem as it starts straight into the charge.Although in the article written in the newspaper it states At adistance of 1,200 yards, Tennyson has edited it within similardistance whilst making the information poetic to read. By starting thecharge at the beginning of the poem, Tennyson has instantly caught thereaders attention whilst still providing the relevant information forthe poem to tell the story of what happened.Tennyson glorifies the soldiers greatly by using strong dramaticlanguage and graphic images that can be vividly formed in the readersminds. all in the valley of Death, rode the six hundred. Thedramatic language here makes it seem like just the unusually smallamount of horsemen used in such a charge would be charging at hellitself. Tennyson continues to glorify the bravery of the soldiersthroughout the whole poem, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jawsof dea th, yet the emphasis that he uses on death makes the chargeseem futile and that the men are charging towards their own deaths.Verses 3 and 5 seem very similar when reading the poem, however incontrast the charge is towards the gunners in Verse 3 whereas it isthe retreat in Verse 5. Yet Tennyson always keeps the repetition of600 throughout the poem, even when they are retreating and many ofthem have already been killed he continues to refer to them as onegroup of six hundred that make up the Light Brigade.