poetry anthology context Flashcards
Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney
- The poet was a catholic from Northern Ireland (meaning he wanted independence).
- The poem is about the political disturbances in Ireland, the Troubles. Explosives were often homemade.
Exposure by Wilfred Owen
- Wilfred Owen fought in WW1, and died a week before it ended. 1917 was the coldest winter on record.
- Owen was hospitalised at one point during the awar for shell-shock.
Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes
- father fought in WW1 and lived through WW2 but was not a soldier
- The poem was published in 1957.
- It describes a soldier going ‘over the top’ - this was when soldiers climbed out of their trenches and charged enemy lines carrying their bayonets. These often resulted in heavy casualties.
- WWI was described as the war to end all wars, however Hughes lived through the second one - too young to fight. Perhaps this is a comment on the futility of the cold war.
Poppies by Jane Weir
- Jane Weir is a writer and textiles designer,
- this was published in 2005.
- Poppies grew in battlefields and became a symbol of remembrance in 1921, armistice Sunday also became a way to remember World War Two. - - Weir uses these symbols to establish from the outset that the poem is an act of remembrance.
- WWI serves as a a reminder of the destruction of war - but the messaging is abut modern day wars, like Iraq and Afghanastan, 2001 and 2004, respectively.
War Photographer Carol Ann Duffy
- Duffy was inspired to write the poem due to a friendship with a war photographer - she wanted to show the horror of war, and human’s indifference.
- Line 12 (‘running children in a nightmare heat’) references Nick Ut’s ‘Napalm Girl’ photo. The Troubles in Ireland, the Lebanese civil war, the Cambodian civil war are all referenced.
Remains by Simon Armitage
It is part of a collection of poems that look at the effect of war on ex-soldiers, it is based on the account of a British soldier who served in Iraq. Describes typical symptoms of PTSD; lack of sleep, flashbacks.
Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland
- Kamikazes was a group of Japanese WWII pilots who flew on suicide missions.
- This was written in 2013, so couls also be a comment on other suicide bombers in more recent times, e.g. 9/11, to help people understand why people would want to die for something like this, and encourage the dismantlement of structures which can leave people so willing to kill themselves for a cause.
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson
It describes a battle between Russian and British troops during the Crimean war 1854-56, Tennyson wrote the poem as a tribute to the men who died in the battle. The Light Brigade was the light cavalry force, unarmoured, intended for reconnaissance and small skirmishes - not for battles. Only 195 men survived. Crimean war was the first to be well-documented in mass-media.
Ozymandias by Percy Shelley
- ‘King of Kings’ biblical term - calling into question the existence of God - -
- Shelley was kicked out of university for his part in writing a pamphlet on the ‘necessity of atheism’
- Pharohs were believed to be Gods in mortal form, who’s legacy would last forever
- Ozymandias was inspired by the unearthing of a large statue of Rameses II
London by William Blake
- Almost half of children died before they were two, child labour was common, the industrial revolution meant London was overcrowded and polluted by factories.
- The french had just thrown off executed their King, showing all people are equal and have power. -
- Blake rejected religion,particularly because the Church did nothing to prevent child labour.
- Blake lived and worked in London. He claimed to have seen various vision in his life, so many of his poems have a supernatural/spiritual element.
Extract from The Prelude
Romantic poet, meaning he believed in the power of nature. Romantic poets highlight the healing power of imagination, as it can enable a person to transcend their circumstances. It was about a memory when he stole a boat and went out on a lake as a child, romantic poets often used child speakers as they were pure and uncorrupted.
My Last Duchess
Based on Duke Alfonso II whose wife died in suspicious circumstances after two years of marriage. This was a controversy from the 16th centuary and Browning was writing in the 19th centuary. Spent most of his life in Italy (Alfonso was italian). He had to flee to Italy with his wife after marrying in secret due to her over-protective father - the Duke is also very overbearing and domineering in the poem. Alfonso had three wives and no children.
Tissue
Dharker was born in Pakistan and raised in Scotland. Many of her poems discuss religion, identity and geopolitics. Paper is thought to have been invented in China 105 AD. This poem was published as part of a collection called The Terrorist at My Table. The Koran part is based on when the poet found an old Koran of her father’s on the back of which he had written information about birthdays, deaths, etc. Paper connects people across time and space.
The Emigree by Carol Rumens
Poet was born and raised in Britain. Includes little within the poem to attach it to a particular conflict - suggestion that it is a universal experience that occurs throughout human history, with records of forced emmigration contained in sources from thousands of years ago (e.g. the bible). The poem ws published in 1993, in the 1990s there was a huge increase in immigration, with it overtaking the natural population increase for the first time. Rumans had a fascination with Russian culture - was fluent, in 1956, the soviet union had invaded hungary with tanks, 200,000 people fled the country.
Checking Out Me History by John Agard
John Agard was born in the Caribbean 1940s, and moved to the UK in the 70s. Uses non-standard phonetic spelling to mirror his accent. Toussaint L’Ouverture was a former enslaved person who became a leader of the Haitian Revolution, which established Haiti as a free, sovereign state in 1804. Poem published 2005, during the latter half of the 20th century many Caribean countries were fighting for independence, Guyana (his country) got it in 1966.
