2. FUTILITY Wilfred Owen Move him into the sun - Gently its touch awoke him once At home, whispering of fields unsown. Always it woke him, even in France, Until this morning and this snow. If anything might rouse him now. The kind old sun will know. Think how it wakes the seeds, Woke, once, the clays of a cold star Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides, Full-nerved, – still warm, - to hard to stir? Was it for this the clay grew tall? O what made fatuous sunbeams toil To break earth’s sleep at all?
3. In Flanders Fields John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
4.
5. Ode To The Maggot Yusef Komunyakaa Brother of the blowfly And godhead, you work magic Over battlefields, In slabs of bad pork And flophouses. Yes, you Go to the root of all things. You are sound & mathematical. Jesus, Christ, you're merciless With the truth. Ontological & lustrous, You cast spells on beggars & kings Behind the stone door of Caesar's tomb Or split trench in a field of ragweed. No decree or creed can outlaw you As you take every living thing apart. Little Master of earth, no one gets to heaven Without going through you first
6. Analysis I chose a thematic criterion for this selection of poems. The four poems selected have the theme of ‘death’ in common. However, although the texts share the same topic, I think they have different approaches to this theme. The first poem, “Futility”, talks about death from the point of view of soldiers at war. It reflects the meaningless death of hundreds of people and the waste of dreams and youth. It portrays the uselesness of living. The second poem is about war as well, and it is also told by a soldier. However, the difference is that death is not considered to be pointless here. On the contrary, it is taken as something worthy of the sacrifice, as a legacy for others to continue the battle against the enemy. There is no futility or meaninglessness in dying in “In Flandres fields” In the third poem, “Losses”, also about war, death is considered something normal, even expected. Soldiers are supposed to die at war but, if they manage to avoid death, they are given medals for their courage and bravery. The last poem, “Ode to the Maggot”, the only poem completely devoted to the topic of death, has a completely different point of view. It seems to be praising death, as something unavoidable and as an element that provides an order to life and universe.
