Mametz Wood Flashcards
Context
Written in 2005 by Owen Sheers, a poet born in Fiji who grew up in South Wales.
The poem commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in the Battle of the Somme.
Inspired by the discovery of a mass grave in the trenches of Mametz Wood.
Form
Tercets (three-line stanzas) - creates acontrolled and reflective structure.
3rd Person - sense of distance and detachment.
Long sentences and enjambment - a reflective and flowing tone.
Structure
Emphasizes the lasting effects of war and the time it takes for the earth to heal.
Thoughtful tone and slow pace.
Imagery of the past is present throughout the poem.
Alternates focus between land/remains/soldiers
Summary of Poem
The poem references how soldiers died and how they are remembered.
Partly positive as it allows the memory of soldiers to be honored.
Highlights the fragility and vulnerability of the soldiers in contrast to the brutality of war
Language
Contrasting imagery (violent war imagery with natural imagery).
Personification of the earth (earth as a guardian of memory).
Detailed descriptions of broken bodies and damage, emphasizing dehumanization.
Emphasizes the time it takes for nature and humanity to heal from war
Mood
Mournful, lyrical tone – calm sadness for the dead soldiers.
Gentle tone suggests remembrance rather than graphic violence.
Sense of memory – the past should not be forgotten.
Key Quotes
The china plate of a shoulder bone
- China is fragile - vulnerable and innocent
- Dehumanises the soliders
Towards the woods and it’s nesting machine guns
- Suggests weapons are mbedded in nature
- Juxtaposition: Bird (positive) Machine gun (negative
Their Skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
- image of skeletons dancing - dark humour
- reminds the readers that the solidiers are human
‘mid’- death was unexpected
- dance - joyful, happy, youthful = they did not deserve death
