Poetry Anthology - Mametz Wood Flashcards

(11 cards)

1
Q

Key themes

A

Loss
Suffering
War

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2
Q

Structure

A

Free verse - reflects brokenness of the battlefield and the bodies buried with it
Enjambment - soldiers remains are gradually uncovered, buried truths slowly resurface

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3
Q

Key quotes (7)

A

‘The wasted young’
‘China plate of a shoulder blade’
‘Told to walk, not run’
‘Like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin’
‘Linked arm in arm’
‘In boots that outlasted them’
‘Slipped from their absent tongues’

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4
Q

Analyse ‘the wasted young’

A

‘Wasted’ suggests the soldiers died needlessly
Highlights the futility of the war

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5
Q

Analyse ‘China plate of a shoulder blade’

A

Metaphor to compare their bodies to delicate China
War reduced strong men into fragile remains

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6
Q

Analyse ‘told to walk, not run’

A

Lack of urgency or protection - sense of helplessness and obedience
Poor leadership
Shows how the young soldiers followed commands that led them to slaughter

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7
Q

Analyse ‘like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin’

A

‘Foreign body’ implies the soldiers bones don’t belong hidden beneath the surface
Reinforces the unnaturalness of their deaths

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8
Q

Analyse ‘linked arm in arm’

A

Unity
Remain connected even in death
Suggests a deep bond was formed through shared suffering

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9
Q

Analyse ‘in boots that outlasted them’

A

Emphasises the brutality of war
Their clothing outlived them
Fragility of man

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10
Q

Analyse ‘slipped from their absent tongues’

A

‘Slipped’ implies their death was involuntary
‘Absent tongues’ implies permanent loss of speech

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11
Q

Context

A

Farmers found the buried soldiers in one long grave linked arm in arm
Battle of Mametz wood was notorious for its high casualty rate

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