The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke Flashcards
Summary
- encapsulates the feeling of patriotism
- expresses belief that it is honourable to die for for your country
- England is a key theme and the speaker clearly loves his country
When was the poem written?
1914 - start of WW1
Form
- sonnet –> links to the love of his country
- octave –> first 8 lines
- sestet –> 6 lines
- mostly Shakespeare rhyme
What was the poet feeling?
Patriotic - willing to die for his country
What type of poet was Brookes?
Neo-romantic poet
–> wrote after the romantic period but includes elements of the movement
How and when did he die?
In 1915 due to an infected mosquito bite
never involved in active service
‘in some corner…
…of a foreign field That is forever England.’
‘A dust whom…
…England bore, shaped, made aware.’
‘A pulse…
…in the Eternal mind’
‘breathing…
…English air’
‘In hearts…
…at peace, under an English heaven’
Structure
begins with the idea of the anonymous soldier’s death and suggests his decomposing body will infuse the ground around him with a little of his English values and ideals
the middle of the poem personifies England ad considers how beautiful and picturesque the countryside is
final stanza suggests that in death he will achieve some form of immortality under a ‘heaven’ that is English, even if the land he lays in is not
Who is the speaker in the poem?
Rupert Brooke, a soldier during WW1
with a overly patriotic view that it is a glorious and honourable sacrifice to die for your country
What does the title suggest?
suggests an anonymous soldier and perhaps reflects how many soldiers were to lose their lives in battle
Analysis on ‘If I should die’
acceptance that he may die, but this is viewed as a sacrifice he is willing to make
written in the first person and reflects the idea that it is an honour to fight and die for your country
Analyse ‘foreign field’
adjective ‘foreign’ suggests how far from home he is and how strange the environment feels compared to England
‘That is forever earth England’
first mention of his country and his pride in fighting for her
that he represents her, even in death
‘richer dust concealed’
religious overtones, reminiscent of a funeral service, he returns to dust upon his death
What is meant by ‘whom England bore, shaped, made aware’?
Here he personifies England – she is almost his mother, who raised him and nurtured him
Analysis on ‘her flowers to love, her ways to roam’ and ‘washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home’
Imagery suggests the beauty of England – her “flowers”, her “rivers”.
‘all evil shed away’ analysis
adjective ‘evil’ is perhaps an implied reference to the horrors of war and the cruelty mankind is capable of
‘Her sights and sounds, dreams happy as her day;/And laughter, learnt of friend’
the poet reminds us of the cherished memories of England and home, shared with friends
Final line
‘In hearts at peace, under an English heaven’
Death brings peace and comfort and he can die in the knowledge of a life well spent and sacrificed appropriately to help protect a nation that is so important and righteous -even heaven reflects its values
