The Falling Leaves Flashcards
1
Q
The Falling Leaves
A
- silent
- so many have fallen, can’t pick one out
- soldiers
2
Q
Structure
A
- Simplicity
- No other argument
- Gentle
- poem is written in one sentence ~ a single thought ~a moment if intense thought at that moment in time
- lines are different lengths ~the random ways that leaves fall
- regular rhyme scheme creates a peaceful atmosphere
3
Q
“Today”
A
- now
- real time
- present
4
Q
November 1915
A
The poem was set during World War 1.
5
Q
“When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky”
A
- alliteration of “w” emphasises that the leaves are old and it is only natural for them to fall
- journey of a leaf (soldier)
6
Q
“I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree”
A
- leaves represent falling soldiers being killed in war
- poem is an extended metaphor of the leaves are the soldiers fighting
7
Q
“They fell like snowflakes wiping out the moon”
A
- falling leaves blocking out the sunlight
- “snowflakes” ~ unique ~every one is different ~no two snowflakes/soldiers are the same
8
Q
“Slain by no wind of age or pestilence”
A
- “Slain” means to kill ~contrasts with gentleness of first few lines
- “pestilence” means a fatal epidemic disease ~ soldiers died with no clear reason
9
Q
Women
A
- distance from action
- linked through nature
- helplessness
- horror of number of soldiers dying
- dying an unnatural death
10
Q
“But in their beauty strewed”
A
- “beauty” ~ they were still young when they died
- “strewed” ~thrown around carelessly as though their lives were not important anymore
11
Q
“Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay”
A
- snowflakes melt into nothing, like leaves fall and soldiers lives are lost
- emphasises the sheer numbers if lives lost
- “Flemish Clay” ~biblical links ~3 battles in the province of Flemish, poet referring to war ~Flemish is in Belgium
12
Q
Written by Margaret Postgate Cole
A
- women’s perspective
