Thursday, August 1, 2019
On the Idle Hill, The Drum and Drummer Hodge Essay
Poets often write poems to express their ideas, opinions, emotions and experiences of life. Choose three poems you have studied to show how writers have been influenced by the events of war. War, in any shape or form, affects people in many different ways. Many people choose to express their feelings and experiences of war in poems. The three poems I have chosen all have different moods, structures and rhythms but their meanings are all the same ââ¬â war is ruthless terrifying and pointless. The poem ââ¬ËOn the Idle Hillââ¬â¢ is by A.E. Housman. Housman wrote the poem in 1896 and he was not writing about any particular war but just the horror of battle in general. Housman never partook in any war but heard about the terror of it from other peopleââ¬â¢s experiences. The first stanza portrays a peaceful, happy, warm scene. Words such as ââ¬Ësummerââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ësleepyââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëstreamsââ¬â¢ emphasise this. However, the ââ¬Ësteady drummerââ¬â¢ cuts through this peaceful atmosphere. It is the sound of the army coming, looking for new recruits to go to war with them. The first stanza seems to be about the drum and how it calls people to war and tears them away from their homes. The line; ââ¬ËDrumming like a noise in dreams.ââ¬â¢ makes the drum seem like a nightmare, something everyone dreads. In the second stanza, the tone is a lot sadder and darker. The phrases, ââ¬ËFar and nearââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëlow and louderââ¬â¢ are suggesting that war is everywhere, and can be seen in different levels all over the world. Probably one of the most striking and powerful lines in the poem, ââ¬ËDear to friends and food for powderââ¬â¢ is very shocking and adds a more personal theme to the poem, because the soldiers are now being seen as friends, fathers and real people instead of just toys in war. The ââ¬Ëpowderââ¬â¢ is gunpowder so the poet is hinting at the fact that the men are just food for the war. The war is made to sound like a real living thing; this is a good example of personification. The final line of stanza two, ââ¬ËSoldiers marching, all to die.ââ¬â¢ is depressing and it emphasises the pointlessness and horror of war. Stanza three maintains the sad, depressing tone. There is more powerful and graphic imagery such as, ââ¬Ëbleach the bonesââ¬â¢, which is very sinister and shocking, and, ââ¬Ëof comrades slainââ¬â¢. ââ¬ËSlainââ¬â¢ does not just mean killed, it means murdered and it outlines the brutality of war. Another graphic phrase is, ââ¬ËLovely lads and dead and rottenââ¬â¢. These are contrasting images, and the writer is trying to put the idea across that innocent, good people can be killed in war for no reason. The final line of the stanza, ââ¬ËNone that go return again.ââ¬â¢ sums up A.E. Housmanââ¬â¢s view on war ââ¬â that it is just something which takes the lives of anyone who fights in it and has no point whatsoever. The rhyme in ââ¬ËOn the Idle Hillââ¬â¢ is ââ¬Ëababââ¬â¢ and it keeps a slow, steady rhythm throughout the poem, giving a sad, melancholy tone to the poem. The form in which the writer has set out the poem, in four stanzas, is effective because each one talks about a different aspect of war. This poem shows A.E. Housmanââ¬â¢s hatred of battle and how pointless and ruthless he thinks it is. War has obviously effected him deeply and we can see from his language throughout the poem that he feels very strongly about it. The poem ââ¬ËThe Drumââ¬â¢ was written by John Scott, who was a Quaker. The significance of this is that according to Quaker beliefs, he was a pacifist and so was completely against war and violence. His poem concentrates on the famous recruitment drum which called people to was. He opens the poem directly by saying, ââ¬ËI hate that drumââ¬â¢s discordant sound,ââ¬â¢. We immediately know what Scottââ¬â¢s feelings about war are ââ¬â he hates it. Even the rhythm is drum-like, as seen in the repetition of the word ââ¬â¢roundââ¬â¢. This has a hypnotic effect, just like the drum was to knew recruits. Scott is bitter about the drum and criticises its ability to hypnotise young men, as seen in the phrase, ââ¬ËTo thoughtless youth it pleasure yields.ââ¬â¢ The poet is saying that the drum almost takes advantage of the young men. The next two lines, ââ¬ËTo sell their liberty for charms Of tawdry lace, and glittering arms.ââ¬â¢ are suggesting that was takes your freedom for something material and worthless, the uniform and the weapons. The poetââ¬â¢s thoughts here are that was may seem exciting and a chance to be a hero but it is really taking your freedom and life. Scott uses the words ââ¬Ëtawdryââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëcharmsââ¬â¢, and ââ¬Ëglitteringââ¬â¢ to create an image of honour and glory. In the following line, Scott makes the word ââ¬ËAmbitionââ¬â¢ seem like a person ââ¬â this is a good example of personification. He is stressing the fact that ââ¬ËAmbitionââ¬â¢, or the war officers, only have to give one order to send you to your death. The final line of stanza one, ââ¬ËTo march, and fight, and fall in foreign lands.ââ¬â¢ is used by the poet to tell us that in war, you are always matching to die. Stanza two begins with the same two lines as stanza one, with the hypnotic repetition of the word ââ¬â¢roundââ¬â¢. The poet now puts his personal feelings into the poem by saying ââ¬ËTo me it speaksââ¬â¢. He uses powerful imagery, as seen in the words ââ¬Ëravagedââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëburningââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëruinedââ¬â¢, to create a scene of destruction and death. Also, words such as ââ¬Ëmangledââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdyingââ¬â¢ provoke horror and terror in the readerââ¬â¢s mind. The following line, ââ¬ËAnd widowââ¬â¢s tears and orphanââ¬â¢s moans.ââ¬â¢ is depressing and it shows the aftermath of war ââ¬â the families ruined. The final two lines, ââ¬ËAnd all that Miseryââ¬â¢s hand bestows, To fill the catalogue of human woes.ââ¬â¢ are summing up Scottââ¬â¢s view on war, it is terrible, destructive, pointless and terrifying. Again, he uses personification and makes ââ¬ËMiseryââ¬â¢ seem like a person. The form in which ââ¬ËThe Drumââ¬â¢ is set out is quite effective ââ¬â the first stanza is about the recruitment of men and the pointlessness of war and the second is about the aftermath and the death. The rhyming scheme ââ¬Ëababââ¬â¢ is used throughout the poem and it is drum-like in sound, which is very fitting to the subject of the poem. In summary, ââ¬ËThe Drumââ¬â¢ shows John Scottââ¬â¢s hatred of war. Being a pacifist, he obviously did not fight in any wars but he knew enough about them to know of the destruction and death which came with them. He has written the poem to express his views on war and also to try and dissuade people from going to them. ââ¬ËDrummer Hodgeââ¬â¢ was written by Thomas Hardy after he read about a local drummer boy who had been killed at war. He thought how sad it was that a young boy, who didnââ¬â¢t know the horror of war, should be buried in an alien landscape so far from home. The boy died in the Boer War (1899-1902), which took place in South Africa. The poem has a very pessimistic, sad tone. The first stanza is about how the young boy is buried. The phrases ââ¬Ëthey throwââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëuncoffinedââ¬â¢ suggest to us that no thought was put into his burial and he had no proper funeral. He wasnââ¬â¢t even given the luxury of a wooden box, he was just thrown into a hole. Hardy emphasises the fact that he is miles away from home with the phrase ââ¬Ëforeign constellations.ââ¬â¢ The reader feels sorry for the poor boy, buried away from everything familiar to him.
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