The Soldier by Rupert Brooke Flashcards
What is the context?
Written shortly after the start of the First World War in 1914, Rupert Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’ was published in 1915 in a collection called 1914. The poem presents an idealised view of a soldier’s willingness to fight and die for his country. Highly patriotic and omitting the harsh realities of war, it glorifies a soldier’s unwavering devotion to England and his selfless allegiance to his beloved nation above all else, even his own life.
What is the structure of the poem?
The full stop after “for ever England” stresses the poet’s certainty in the eternity of the nation.
By dividing 14 lines into an octave and a sestet, Brooke divides the thematic focus; the octave explores all that England has bestowed upon the soldier, while the sestet focuses on the soldier’s contribution to his country.
The volta signifies a shift from the physical (“bore”, “body”, “breathing”) in the octave to the spiritual (“eternal mind”, “dream”, “heaven”) in the sestet. The structure mirrors the movement from evil to peace.
Enjambment adds a conversational quality between the speaker and listener.
“In hearts at peace, under an English heaven”
The metaphor “under an English heaven” imbues the country with divine status, portraying the idea of dying for it as a noble and beautiful act of patriotism.
“Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam”
Personification of England as a mother with idealised language (“flowers”, “love”, “roam”) is typical of a Romantic idyll and elevates England into something celestial, thus highlighting the poet’s adoration of his country.
“If I should die, think only this of me”
The grammatical separation of “think only this of me” shifts the focus away from the soldier and highlights England instead.
“In that rich earth a richer dust concealed”
The dust is considered richer because it is English; the soldier and his country are inextricably linked. It implies that the glory and legacy of the nation are perpetuated through the sacrifices of its people.
“And think, this heart, all evil shed away”
This line appears at the beginning of the sestet, marking a shift in focus towards spiritual and eternal life. Death is presented positively here, conveying the idea that such a sacrifice brings an end to evil.
“A body of England’s, breathing English air”
The speaker’s devotion to England is highlighted by the notion that his body belongs to the nation; it has been shaped by England, making his “dust” a lasting testimony of England’s beauty and culture.
“Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home”
England is omniscient like a divine power: in the air, the rivers and the sun. These religious connotations suggest the poet’s devotion to his country is also a devotion to God.
