The Solidier

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

• He enlisted at the start of WW1 in 1914 and was assigned the Royal Naval division
• While on a ship at sea he was bitten by a mosquito and died at age 27
• He never experienced war and the true brutality

Question 2

Summary of the poem

Answer 2

The poem presents an idealized view of a soldier’s willingness to die for his country

Stanza 1: Deeply patriotic—England is described as a mother who shaped him

Stanza 2: He believes that death will be comforting, and he will give back what England gave him

Question 3

Form

Answer 3

Petrarchan Sonnet: Traditionally used for romantic poetry

Sonnets are usually about a person, but here the narrator’s love is for England

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

Octave (first 8 lines): Describes how England has enriched his life

Sestet (final 6 lines): Reflects on how, after death, he will return the gifts given by his country

Confident tone: Starts as deeply patriotic but becomes more reflective

Enjambment: Creates a conversational and flowing quality

Question 5

Language

Answer 5

Personification:
England as a mother → suggests she shaped him as a person

Religious:
Death is purifying and brings him closer to God

Romanticizes war:
Dying is portrayed as noble and beautiful
The soldier’s spirit lives on in England

Question 6

Mood

Answer 6

Patriotism: Passion for his country and pride in being English

Idealism: He knows he will die at war, but he sees it as an honorable sacrifice

Reassurance: The poem may comfort both the soldier and the reader, making death seem peaceful

Question 7

Key Quotes

Answer 7

washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home

A pulse in the eternal mind

In hearts at peace, under and Englsih Heaven

Question 8

washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home

Answer 8

• Imagery of nature romanticise England
• The verb ‘washed’ = cleansing and purifying
• Home = comforting
• calm and serene imagery
• ‘blest’ adds spiritual dimension and religous connotations

Question 9

A pulse in the eternal mind

Answer 9

• Death is purifying and brings the solider closer to god
• his spirit lives on in england
• eternity through scarifice
• ‘pulse’ is a metaphor - alive in spirit

Question 10

In hearts at peace, under and Englsih Heaven

Answer 10

• Religous imagery- views England as heaven
• potrays death as a noble and beautiful act of patriotism
• Calm and menigful reinforcing patriotic propoganda