2. Richard Aldington
• Richard Aldington was born on 8th July, 1892 in Hampshire. He was educated for
four years at Dover College and then for one year at the University of London. He
was a British writer and poet who wrote nearly 100 books, collections of verse and
essays and translated several others.
• During the Great War, Aldington enlisted in the British Army in 1916 at the age of
24. He was stationed at Dorsetshire until December.
• He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Sussexs in 1917. He fought on
the Western Front and was badly wounded. Mentally, he never recovered from his
wartime experiences and the psychological trauma he suffered from was never
properly treated which permanently affected his personality and behaviour.
• Influenced by his experiences of war Aldington wrote the novel, ‘Death of a Hero’
which illustrates the impact of war on a soldier's civilian life. The story explores the
isolation of a young soldier, George Winterbourne, upon his return home on a leave
of absence.
• Some of his other work includes ‘In the Trenches’, ‘Impotent’, ‘Images of War’ and
‘Images of Desire’.
3.
4. Violence
Image Destruction
of war
‘Battlefield’ Artillery
Death /guns
Fighting
Soldiers
5. Themes
• Death
• Conflict
• Effect of war
• Realities of war
• Loss
• Destruction
6. It is not just the Uses the senses Nature, nor
in order to help mally fine
war that is grains of
harming the the reader Cutting through sand.
soldiers, the picture the them/sharp. No man’s land
weather is also battlefield. or the
affecting them. battlefield.
Houses are The wind is piercing chill Snow is white
symbolic of which is used to
the home and And blows fine grains of snow represent purity
the family so and innocence
by destroying
homes, famili
Over this shell-rent ground; contrasting with
the battle which is
es are forced
to move
Every house in sight full of killing and
destruction. Also
elsewhere
emphasising Is smashed and desolate. the towns are no
longer innocent as
the emptiness they have been
of the town. Violent Almost as if the ground
destroyed.
has been punctured by
Furthermore, sno
the shells similar to how
w falls from the
Empty, abandon soldiers would be
sky emphasising
ed, destroyed. punctured by bullets
nature and
hence the violent
possibly God.
imagery.
7.
8. The only Destruction
Fruitless can also thing that caused by
mean failing to is growing fighting such as
achieve the is the all vegetation
desired results, in crosses. being destroyed.
this case the war Decomposing
is not creating of dead bodies.
peace, it is Aldington does
causing death and not directly
But in this fruitless land,
destruction. mention the
Thorny with wire dead bodies
which could
Something
And foul with rotting clothes and sacks, suggest it is too
harsh/ will The crosses flourish- painful or
harm you. Polluted/ traumatic to
Thorns of a unpleasant recall.
rose which /immoral
could The Continuously
symbolise senses: Graves to growing.
pain and the smell remember Bold/ can not
colour red those that be missed.
could mean have died. Contrasts to
blood or fruitless.
death.
9. Repetition of ‘here Ellipsis is used
lies’ could which could
suggest its
represent the great Ci-gît, Ci-gît, Ci-gît… painful to
number of deaths.
continue or
Gives the
impression that
‘Ci-gît I soldat Allemand, that there are
there were dead so many
bodies and graves
Priez pour lui.’ graves its
everywhere hence impossible to
‘the crosses count them
flourish’. This means: Here lies, here lies, here lies… all.
Here lies a German soldier,
Pray for him.
Aldington suggests that although he is not a German soldier himself, he wants the
reader to remember those who died as we are all human beings and are equals.
Also it implies that Aldington was against the war and fighting as he does not
express any feelings of joy that the enemy is dead. The tone is mournful and
sombre as if he is remembering his own friends that have died as well as the
Germans who have died too.
Aldington decided to write the last few lines in French although talking about
German soldiers which could be because the battle may have taken place in France
such as in the Somme. The soldiers have also been buried in French soil so by
using the French language it may be a sign of respect to those that have died.
10.
11. Structure
• Aldington only uses two stanzas both of which are very
short. This could represent the death of the soldiers as
their lives may have been ended quickly and possibly
routinely dealt with; similar to the scene described in
‘Regeneration’ by Pat Barker.
• Furthermore Aldington uses frequent punctuation which
could be to break up the poem implying that he is
finding it difficult to recall or describe the event.
• The last line of the poem is written in italics which may
be because Aldington wants his message to stand out
and capture the attention of the reader.
