3 - Vergissmeinnicht Flashcards
What is the context of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
Keith Douglas wrote this poem during WW2.
Childhood was difficult, with mother often sick and father working in other cities to support his family.
Douglas went to Oxford, but his studies were interrupted by WW2.
Enlisted in British in 1940 and served as tank commander in North Africa, experiencing brutality of war first-hand.
Respected the Germans, was decent towards prisoners and avoided unnecessary killing of unarmed. Poem highlights critical view of some soldiers towards enemy and treatment of enemy.
Poem reflects his experiences in North Africa Campaign and portrays realities of tank warfare in harsh desert.
Poem inspired by picture of dead soldiers’ girlfriend, wishes to show that despite brutality and horror of ware, soldiers have private life too.
Wrote poem just before his death in Normandy, adds poignancy as serves as one of final reflections on war.
What is the structure and form of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
6 regular quatrains, despite enjambment within verses, each verse ends with full stop, highlighting structured nature of poem.
Rhyme scheme inconsistent and changes in every stanza. Reflects speakers shifting perspective on dead enemy soldier. Also reflects that war has constantly changing conditions that not always anticipated.
Written mostly in Iambic Tetrameter, but amount of bears per line varies greatly. Poet tries to avoid traditional rhythmic patterns and rhyme schemes to illustrate upset and reversal of norm caused by war.
What are the main themes of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
Death
Loss of loved ones
Treatment of the dead
Understanding the enemy
Effects of conflict
Impacts of conflict
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of death?
Anthem for Doomed Youth
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Requiem for the Croppies
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
Easter Monday
Mametz Wood
Out of the Blue
The Man He Killed
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of loss of loved ones?
Easter Monday
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed
Poppies
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of treatment of the dead?
Mametz Wood
Requiem for the Croppies
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of understanding the enemy?
The Man He Killed
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of effects of conflict?
Mametz Wood
Bayonet Charge
The Man He Killed
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Poppies
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’ for the theme of impact of conflict?
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Who’s for the Game?
Easter Monday
Bayonet Charge
Poppies
Last Post
Out of the Blue
What is the analysis for the title of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
Title (“forget me not” in German) reinforces that this poem deals with, not only war, but love and effects of war on relationships.
Having title focus on such a small detail of poet’s memory (picture he found) illustrates great emotional significance that resonated with him.
Title could also be Douglas stressing need for soldiers to be remembered for what they sacrifice in their service for others.
Also be illustrating importance of remembering that they aren’t just soldiers, they are lovers, fathers, brothers etc.
What is the analysis for stanza 1 of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
‘Three weeks gone and the combatants gone’ - repetition reinforces devastation of war, reference to both landscape and humanity of soldiers.
‘…the nightmare ground’ - metaphor shows carnage and brutality of previous battle still haunts speaker.
‘…we found the place again, and found…’ - repetition reinforces horrific cycle of war which seems inescapable.
‘…the solder sprawling in the sun.’ - sibilance illustrates how his body was thoughtlessly left to rot in heat of desert sun, instead of relaxing.
‘…the soldier sprawling in the sun.’ - matter-of-fact tone illustrates being so dispassionate and pitiless towards enemy soldiers necessary for survival in war.
What is the analysis for stanza 2 of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
‘The frowning barrel…’ - personification highlights aggressiveness and violence of conflict as solider failed his duty.
‘…overshadowing.’ - verb suggests how guns overshadow minds of soldiers and blind fixation on killing enemy.
‘…overshadowing.’ - dark imagery reiterates how violence and death are inescapable.
‘…he hit my tank’ - alliteration, speaker previously involved in violent confrontation with dead soldier.
‘…he hit my tank’ - reminds reader that Douglas fought in a tank regiment.
‘…he hit my tank’ - accusatory tone, suggests he had no choice but to defend himself from enemy soldier.
‘…he hit my tank’ - pronoun, speaker doesn’t humanise him, initially refuses to see him as anything other than an enemy.
‘…like the entry of a demon.’ - simile reinforces hellish circumstances soldier found themselves in, depicts him as crazed and aggressive.
What is the analysis for stanza 3 of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
Speaker drawn to consider dead soldier in more intimate, personal way.
‘Look.’ - imperative could show speaker initially takes pleasure in witnessing what he has done. Caesural pause could suggest he is taking more time to consider who enemy really was.
‘Here in the gun pit spoil…’ - soldiers returned to find spoils of war in bodies of enemies, highlights emotional coldness of soldiers.
‘…the dishonoured picture of his girl…’ - adjective could be due to soldiers looting something precious and intimately personal or is destroyed.
‘…the dishonoured picture of his girl…’ - mingling of victory and regret, speaker previously saw him as defeated enemy, now opening up to humanity of dead soldier.
‘Steffi’ - shortened version of Stefani implies deep affection between dead soldier and girlfriend.
‘…Vergissmeinnicht’ - use of German adds sense of realism and immediacy to speaker’s experiences.
‘…in a copybook gothic script.’ - suggests perfect, elegant handwriting of Steffi and care she put into writing her note.
What is the analysis for stanza 4 of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
‘We see him almost with content..’ - quite ambiguous line, speaker suggesting about dead soldier and how he is at peace and no longer suffering.
‘We see him almost with content…’ - illustrates how war has desensitised speaker and grisly appearance of dean enemy has lost shocking effect.
‘We see him almost with content…’ - speaker could be suggesting how he is content having seen his enemy dead and no longer a threat.
‘We see him almost with content…’ - adverb indicates speaker isn’t completely battle-hardened and inhumane in treatment of soldier.
‘…abased’ - speaker views dead soldier as having been humiliated and degraded due to brutal nature of his death.
‘…mocked be his own equipment…’ - personification suggests his ineffectiveness as a soldier.
‘…hard and good when he’s decayed.’ - demonstrates transience of human life while lingering weapons reinforces unending nature of war, suggests nothing will change and war will outlast those who fight it.
What is the analysis for stanza 5 of the poem ‘Vergissmeinnicht’?
Across previous stanza and this stanza, juxtaposition between how enemy views dead soldier and loved one would view him.
‘But…’ - conjunction shows speaker beginning to balance own pitiless reaction as soldier with reaction of lover who has been dealt mortal hurt.
‘…she would weep…’ - alliteration emphasises grief of Steffi.
‘…she would weep to see…’ - sibilance evokes sound of tears from dead soldier’s girlfriend.
‘…on his skin the swart flies more’ - monosyllabic lime shows how speaker slowly taking in horror and brutality of dead soldier’s imagery.
‘…dust upon the paper eye and the burst stomach like a cave.’ - sibilance evokes sound of flies buzzing, reinforcing how bodies have decayed over 3 weeks since battle.
‘…dust upon the paper eye…’ - metaphor evokes blank, lifeless image of dead soldier’s eyes.
‘…the burst stomach…’ - adjective highlights extensive, brutal injuries enemy soldier suffered.
‘…the burst stomach like a cave.’ - simile reinforces how enemy soldier was mercilessly ravaged by war.
