2. Presented By : Trupti Naik
Semester : 2
Roll No: 25
Batch : 2023 - 2025
Paper No: 110
Paper Code : 22403
Paper Name : History of English Literature 1900-2000
Topic: Poetic Battlegrounds: Exploring War and Anti-War Poems
Submitted To : S.B.Gardi, Department of English
Email : nayaktrupti188@gmail.com
Date : 10/04/2024
Personal Details:-
3. ● Introduction
War poetry is a genre that has existed for centuries,
often capturing the raw realities, heroic sacrifices, and
devastating consequences of armed conflict.
War poetry glorifies soldiers, while anti-war poetry
critiques war's brutality. These poems use vivid
language to show how terrible and destructive war is.
While war poems explore the realities of war, both good
and bad, anti-war poems are focused on condemning
war and promoting non-violence. Both types of poems
provide powerful artistic perspectives on the impacts of
war.
4. War Poems
● This poem was written in 1854 to remember the tragic event known as the Charge of
the Light Brigade, which happened during the Crimean War.
● Heroic Portrayal of Soldiers: The poem glorifies the bravery, courage, and self-
sacrifice of the soldiers in the Light Brigade.
● Patriotic Sentiment: The poem captures a strong sense of patriotism and duty to one's
nation.
● Tragedy and Futility of War: While highlighting the heroism, the poem also subtly
conveys the tragic and futile nature of the charge.
● Vivid, Dramatic Imagery: Tennyson's language is highly evocative, creating a sense
of spectacle and grandeur around the battle.
● Memorialization and Legacy: The poem functions as a form of memorialization,
ensuring the "glory" and sacrifice of the Light Brigade is preserved and honored.
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson
5. The Soldier - Rupert Brooke
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
The poem Penned in 1914 at the outbreak of World
War I that romanticizes the idea of dying for one's
country. It portrays war as noble and glorifies
sacrifice for England. The poem expresses deep
patriotism and a longing for a soldier's connection
to his homeland, even in death.
● Glorification of Sacrifice
● Imagery of Home
● Tone
Poem
6. Anti-war Poems
Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Written during World War I and Published posthumously in 1920.
● Horrors of War
● Physical Suffering
● Gas Attack
● Bitter Irony: The title, "Dulce et Decorum Est," meaning "It is sweet and honorable"
Critique of Patriotism: Owen challenges the glorification of war and patriotic rhetoric by
exposing the harsh reality of combat and the toll it takes on soldiers.
Condemnation of False Ideals: The final lines of the poem condemn the notion that it is
noble and honorable to die for one's country, asserting that such sentiments are a lie and
a deception.
7. Suicide in the Trenches poem by Siegfried Sassoon
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter
go.
Written in 1917, portrays the despair and
disillusionment experienced by soldiers during World
War I
● Sadness and Hopelessness
● A Young Soldier's Tragic End
● War Criticism
Lies of Recruitment: It also criticizes how recruiters
deceive young men into joining the army by making
war seem exciting and heroic, when in reality, it's
brutal and horrifying.
A Call for Change: By showing the soldier's sacrifice,
the poem asks people to understand the true cost of
war and work towards peace instead.
8. ● Whereas "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "The Soldier" celebrates the heroism and
patriotism of soldiers, the anti-war poems provide a powerful counterpoint by exposing the
brutal realities and devastating consequences of armed conflict.
● These anti-war poems offer a stark contrast to the romanticized notions of war found in works
like Tennyson's. Instead of glorifying the spectacle of battle, they give voice to the
disillusioned, the traumatized, and the pacifist viewpoints.
● Poems like Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" and Siegfried Sassoon's "Suicide in the
Trenches" strive to shatter the idealized depictions of war by depicting its graphic horrors,
dehumanizing effects, and psychological trauma. They challenge the justifications for war and
force the reader to confront the true human cost of violence and conflict.
Transition From the War Poem to the Anti-war Poems:
9. The war poems celebrate the heroism and patriotism of soldiers, transforming military
events into legendary epics. In contrast, the anti-war poems provide a searing critique of
the brutality, futility, and dehumanizing effects of war, giving voice to the disillusioned
and traumatized.
This poetic battleground reflects the enduring legacy of war poetry and its power to
shape our understanding of armed conflict, allowing us to grapple with the moral,
emotional, and philosophical complexities underlying humanity's propensity for violence.
Conclusion
10. References
Brooke, Rupert. Collected Poems. United Kingdom, Oleander Press, 2010.
Sassoon, Siegfried. The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon. Czechia, DigiCat, 2022.
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. The Charge of the Light Brigade and Other Poems. United States, Dover
Publications, 2012.
Owen, Wilfred. Dulce Et Decorum Est. United Kingdom, Strauss House Productions, 2018.
Owen, Wilfred. Poems. N.p., Outlook Verlag, 2018.
