Mametz wood Flashcards
(12 cards)
Where is Mametz wood ?
It is a place in France that a battle was fought in 1916. Objects and bodies are still unearthed there to this day.
What was Mametz wood ?
Mametz Wood was the scene of fierce
fighting during the Battle of the Somme,
one of the bloodiest battles of the First
World War. Soldiers of the Welsh
division were ordered to take Mametz
Wood, the largest area of trees on the
battlefield. The generals thought this
would take a few hours. It ended up
lasting five days with soldiers fighting
face-to-face with the enemy. There were
4,000 casualties, with 600 dead. The
Welsh succeeded but their bravery and
sacrifice was never really acknowledged
What is the context of Mametz wood ?
The battle of Mametz Wood took place in
July 1916, part of the First Battle of the
Somme.
It was one of the bloodiest battles of the
First World War.
The 38th Welsh Division was trying to take a
heavily fortified wooded area on high
ground.
German forces were well equipped with
machine guns and the attacking soldiers had
to approach across exposed, upwardly
sloping land.
The 38th Welsh suffered heavy losses
(almost 4000), including some to what is
now called ‘friendly fire’.
Why has it been written ?
Owen Sheers was inspired by his visit
to the site of a WW1 battlefield.
- He was struck by how remnants of
the battle were gradually rising to the
ground. - Owen Sheers grew up in Wales; the
history of Wales has had a large
impact on his development as a poet. - ‘Mametz Wood’ highlights the fact
that 85 years later, reminders of
soldiers’ deaths were still very much
present and fresh.
What is the structure of mametz wood ?
The poem’s structure is in regular three-line stanzas almost reflecting the neat
linear pattern of a ploughed field. However, at times the length of the lines
change, with longer lines breaking up the neat form. This disrupted pattern could
reflect the ‘chits of bone’ rising out of the ground and disrupting our attempts to
forget the past.
The first part of the poem focuses on the land itself before the focus shifts to the
bones and dead soldiers in the final stanzas. The concluding stanza brings all the
elements together
Possible themes and
links ?
Impact of war, patriotism – Dulce et Decorum Est, A Wife in London, The Soldier
Fragility of soldiers/human life – Manhunt
What does the opening line “for years after”
suggest ?
It illustrates how brutal the battle was shows the horror of the war since we are still finding remains today. Which still shows how this particular tragedy is still affecting us to this day
When was it published ?
2005
What quotes suggest the soliders were vulnerable and fragile ?
- “China plate”
- “brocken bird’s egg of a skull”
- the brocken “mosaic of bone”
Why do the stanzas alternate from talking about the ideas of land “the earth stand sentinel” to the imagery of the bones of dead soliders “ a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm “ ?
It shows that the earth is a witness to this tragedy and by personifying the land by saying “Like a wound working a foreign body
to the surface of the skin” shows that the earth
is trying to heal and cleanse itself
of the damage that has been done much like a human body working a splinter out
How does the imagery that Sheers uses to evolke the brutality of war ?
“their socketed head tilted back at an angle” - allows u to visualise the moment the men were shot and the pain was illustrated when sheers said “and their jaws, those that had them , were dropped open this visualises their screams off pain as they suffered to deaths and the harsh conditions of war which were that they were still expected to fight even if the were missing limbs
What is
meant by the
final line “their absent tongues”
?
It represents the fact that only now when the land is pushing up “chit of bone” the truth is finally emerging. Since they were not allowed to tell the truth since they were silenced by the generals then the machine guns. Yet, only now “with this unearthing”
the truth of the horrors the soliders had to experience were finally emerging.
