Requiem For The Croppies Flashcards
Title analysis
A requiem is a mass for the dead, the poem was written to honour the croppies who died fighting the British
As the croppies were denied a proper form of remembrance by the British when they were buried without “shroud or coffin”. This poem serves as a remembrance mass of sorts to the fallen men
“No kitchens on the run, no striking camp”
Shows their lack of sufficient equipment or base
The repetition highlights how the croppies aren’t properly provisioned
The phrase “on the run” demonstrates how they were disorganised and hurried their movements. They had to keep moving to survive
“A people hardly marching on the hike”
The adverb reinforces the amateurish, unprepared nature of the Croppies
The caesura and the term ‘hike’ suggests the difficulty the Croppies face in manoeuvring and maintaining military formations
“The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave”
Personification depicts the brutality of the British as the hill becomes saturated in the blood of the slaughtered Croppies. It could also represent the initial feeling of shame and embarrassment at their defeat
The term ‘soaked’ reinforces the extent of the slaughtered Croppies
Metaphor they formed an attack line that they weren’t able to hold
Potential themes and comparisons
Remembrance; Anthem for Doomed Youth, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Mametz Wood, Last Post, What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, Easter Monday, Poppies
Death; Anthem for Doomed Youth, The Charge of the Light Brigade, An Irish Airman Forsees His Death, Easter Monday, Vergissmeinnicht, Mametz Wood, Out of the Blue, The Man He Killed
Non-combatants in conflict; Out of the Blue, Poppies, Easter Monday
