The Soldier - Rupert Brooke Flashcards
when was this poem written?
1914
themes?
- love - devotion for England
- war
- place
- man - their relationship with their country
- death - preparation for death
what is the meaning of this poem?
- prior to fighting in WW1, a soldier reassures the reader by telling them that if they are to die, they are doing it for England, showing patriotic views characteristic of pre-war England
- they list all of the things England has given them, and then detail what it is that they give back in dying for their country
what is the mood of this poem?
- a celebratory mood is prevalent in this poem, as the persona lists all of the positive qualities that England possesses, such as its ‘flowers’ and ‘ways to roam’
- this mood could also be seen as patriotic
what is the motivation for the poet to write this poem?
- as a would-be soldier, Brooke glorifies his fellow soldiers for their selflessness and willingness to die for their country, which he also elevates to an Eden-like status
- Brooke may have done this in order to appease any concerns held by the British public, whilst simultaneously encouraging more young men to enlist to fight, making this poem somewhat propagandistic
poet context
- enlisted to fight when WW1 broke out in 1914, he was 27 years old
- prior to WW1, he had recieved an education from the University of Cambridge
- he was very popular, and was especially well-connected in the university’s literary circles
- prior to WW1, he travelled widely and completed some journalistic work, although he did suffer from homesickness from time to time
- Brooke wrote a sequence of sonnets that were collectively title 1914 - ‘The Soldier’ is the fifth and final sonnet in this collection
- he wrote these before he had fought in the war
- ‘The Soldier’ was published in the Times Literary Supplement in 1915 and read in St Paul’s Cathedral on Eastern Sunday in that year
- Brooke became a literary celebrity, as these poems caught the spirit of the times with a country yet to feel the full impact of war
- Brooke died in April 1915 on a ship from sepsis that he got from an infected mosquito bite
- he never actually fought in WW1 on the front line
- his poetry collection ‘1914 & Other Poems’ was published the month after he died - it was immensely popular, in part due to his celebrity status, and the fact that he was dead
- he was buried in Skyros, Greece, as this was where the ship was moored at the time
- influenced John Gillespie Magee (a celebrated war poet)
- his poems promote sacrifice of life for a greater good
title: ‘The Soldier’
LANGUAGE:
- the definite article ‘the’ suggests this soldier is representing all soldiers
- it suggests this soldier is particularly significant
‘If’
LANGUAGE:
- future conditional tense displays that this is a hypothetical situation
- conveys how the persona has no fear of what could come
‘think only this of me’
LANGUAGE:
- by using this imperative, the persona is shaping the reader’s opinion of them, acting on their last wishes
- ‘only’ displays how patriarchal the soldier is
‘That there’s some corner of a foreign field’
LANGUAGE:
- the determiners ‘some’ and ‘a’ are unspecific - the persona cares less about these spaces, as they are part of a ‘foreign field’ and are not naturally English
- the soldier may also feel daunted by the task ahead of them as they know that they will be fighting in fields where death is possible
- shows the chaos and uncertainty of war
‘That is for ever England’
LANGUAGE:
- this phrase is imperialistic, as it suggests that the soldier will ‘conquer’ foreign soil by being buried in it
- British imperialism created tension with Germany and may have been a contributing factor in the start of WW1
‘rich earth a richer dust’
LANGUAGE:
- ‘rich’ is an adjective; ‘richer’ is a comparative adjective which is used to suggest being English is the best, displaying nationalistic pride
‘richer dust concealed’
IMAGERY:
- euphemistic as the persona is speaking metaphorically to soften the blow of potential death; this suggests that the persona may not be ready to accept it
- ‘dust’ makes their death seem insignificant so perhaps the persona is attempting to soften the emotional impact for the reader
‘England’
‘England’s’
‘English’
STRUCTURE:
- the repitition of England shows deep admiration and love for their country, which is almost obsessive
- shows the extent of their devotion to their country
‘bore, shaped, made aware’
‘her’
‘A body of England’s’
IMAGERY:
- England is personified as a woman and a mother - the motherland
- this highlights the persona’s loyalty to England, as well as his desire to defend and protect her
- men would have been encouraged to protect the women at home, including their mothers
‘home’
STRUCTURE:
- ending the octet with the noun ‘home’ emphasises how important England is to the persona
’,’
‘;’
STRUCTURE:
- caesura slows down the pace of the poem, creating a reflective tone
- the persona considers what they can give back to England through sacrificing their life defending it; suggesting they are aware that they could pay the ultimate price
‘peace’
LANGUAGE:
- contrasts with the chaos of war
- shows that the persona is aware the battle they will enter may end in their death
- suggests death will bring your soul to peace
‘English heaven’
IMAGERY:
- positive and euphemistic image
- suggests dying for your country is to die in glory and righteousness
- this poem expresses a jingoistic viewpoint, turning this poem into something similar to propaganda
- suggests England is perfect or that you must be English to go to heaven, which could be deemed offensive
language
- the final few lines display that the persona will return to England: ‘sights and sounds’, happy ‘dreams’ and ‘laughter’
- semantic field of positivity, presenting England as idyllic
semantic field of utopianism
these words, phrases or lines present England as superior, pure, clean, jolly, peaceful and Eden-like:
- ‘richer dust’
- ‘flowers to love’
- ‘her ways to roam’
- ‘breathing English air’
- ‘Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home’
- ‘all evil shed away’
- ‘dreams happy as her day’
- ‘And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness’
- ‘English heaven’
- Brooke has used a semantic field of utopianism in his presentation of England reflecting the patriotic thoughts of a soon to be soldier
structure
- sonnet
- a love poem which expresses respect for its country
- 14 lines long
- mostly written in iambic pentameter
