The Soldier Flashcards
Who wrote ‘The Soldier’?
Rupert Brooke
What is the context for ‘The Soldier’?
Enlisted to fight in 1914, popular at University of Cambridge, poem published - Brooke became a celebrity, died of sepsis in April 1915, never saw battle
What does the title ‘The Soldier’ suggest?
Definite article ‘The’ - important, representing all soldiers and how they should think
‘That there’s some ______ of a _______ _____/That is for ever _______’
‘That there’s some corner of a foreign field/That is for ever England’
Determiners ‘some’ and ‘a’ - shows Brooke cares less about these spaces because they aren’t English
Fricative alliteration - links together words to create a pleasant sound - reflects his view of war
‘In that ____ earth a ______ dust _________’
‘In that rich earth a richer dust concealed’
Comparative adjective ‘richer’ - England is better
‘richer dust concealed’ - euphemistic - softens blow of potential death, less emotional for reader
What does the use of feminine pronouns (‘her’) do in the second part of the octet?
Personifies England as a maternal figure - shows loyalty, desire to defend and protect England, by enlisting to defend and protect their families
‘In ______ at _____, under an English ______’
‘In hearts at peace, under an English heaven’
‘peace’ - contrasts war, death is a way to escape
‘English heaven’ - death, idea of glory and righteousness in giving your life for England
How does Brooke use a semantic field of utopianism to present England?
‘richer dust’ - superior
‘all evil shed away’ - pure
‘English heaven’ - Eden-like
England is idyllic, perfect place, sonnet form reinforces this
What is the mood, meaning, and motivation for ‘The Soldier’?
Mood - poet assures reader that it’s good to die for England
Meaning - celebratory mood, patriotic
Motivation - glorify soldiers, persuade them to fight as propaganda?
What poem should you compare ‘The Soldier’ to?
Dulce Et Decorum Est
‘all evil shed away’ - compare to Dulce’s horrific war descriptions
‘dream happy as her day’ - contrasts
‘hearts at peace’ - innocence, not seen war
