Mametz Wood- Owen Sheers Flashcards
What does poem’s opening phrase “For years afterwards…” suggest?
The horror of was and this particular tragedy still affects us
What does the language “china plate”, “broken bird’s egg of a skull” and broken “mosaic of bone” suggest?
The soldiers were vulnerable and fragile
What does the poem’s stanzas alternate between?
Ideas to do with the land, “the earth stands sentinel” and imagery to do with the bones of dead soldiers
What is the earth a witness of?
Tragedy
What does the imagery evoke?
Horror of war
What does “socketed heads titled back at an angle” brutally visualise?
The moment the men were shot and their screams of pain
What do the final words “their absent tongues” suggest?
The soldiers have finally found a voice
What does the final stanza combine and what does it suggest?
Both elements of the alternating stanzas and suggests that the poem is about offering redemption or justice, both for the dead and the land
What type of battle was Mametz Wood?
One of the most bloodiest battles of World War One
What were the soldiers of Welsh division ordered to do as part of the first Battle of the Somme in 1916?
They were ordered to take Mametz Wood, the largest area of trees on the battlefield
How many men did the 38th Welsh Division lose and how long did the attack last?
4000 men and the attack lasted 5 days
Where did Owen Sheers grow up and when and why did he write the poem?
He grew up in Wales and wrote the poem in 2005 as he felt their bravery and sacrifice was never really acknowledged
What is the poems structure like and what does it reflect?
Regular three-line stanza and reflects the neat linear pattern of a ploughed field
What could the length of the lines changing with longer lines breaking up the neat form reflect?
The “chits of bone” rising out of the ground and disrupting our attempts to forget the past
What does the first part of the poem focus on compared to the final stanzas?
The first part focuses on the land itself whereas the final stanzas focus on the bones and dead soldiers
