WW1 Poetry: Assignment for Thursday & Friday

To begin thinking about the poetry of WWI, acquaint yourself with the years 1914-1918.

Here are some notable dates as documented on the BBC web site:

June 28, 1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, are assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, marking the official start of the war.

April 22, 1915 - First use of poison gas by Germany.

November 11, 1919 - Armistice Day - The Armistice is signed at 5.00am and comes into effect at 11.00am. At 10.57am Canadian Private George Lawrence Price is killed with a single bullet to the chest while on patrol in Canal du Centre. He is the last soldier to die in action on the Western front.

To view a complete WWI timeline, click here.

Then, acquaint yourself with the genre by reading: “What is ‘War Poetry’?” and “War Poetry as Historical Fact?” These essays are available here.

Next, get to know a few of the well-known poets of the time.

Read John McCrae's “In Flanders Fields" as well as some facts about his life.

Read the biography of Wilfred Owen by clicking here. Then, read his poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” It is often considered the most famous WWI poem.

Read the biography of Siegfried Sassoon by clicking here. Then, read his poems “The Death-Bed” and “Glory of Women”

Finally, read about women poets of WWI, and read some of their poetry here.

If you’re interested in this topic, here’s another good site to explore: http://www.firstworldwar.com/poetsandprose/index.htm

Assignment: by Friday night, answer 4 of the 7 questions.

1. What is the theme or central idea in McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”?
2. Discuss Wilfred Owen’s use of simile, metaphor, and personification.
3. In your opinion, what are Owen’s most poignant descriptive details? Why?
4. Compare the tone of Owen’s poem to McCrae’s. Are they different or similar? Explain.
5. Respond to the last stanza of “The Death-Bed.” Where does it leave you, the reader?
6. What does Sassoon mean by the line, “you believe/That chivalry redeems the war’s disgrace” (lines 3-4)
7. What themes do you notice in the poems written by women of the era?

Click here to get to the discussion board.

Thanks - I'll be checking in on the board and commenting as well. See you Monday!