Vergissmeinicht Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is the German translation of the title?
- Forget me not.
Douglas historical context
- English poet.
- Fought and died in WWII.
- Decent to Germans, avoided unnecessary killing.
- Poem inspired by Douglas experience of destroying German post, discovering a German soldier with a photo!
Douglas literary context.
- Like other war poets, challenging traditional rhetoric of patriotism.
- His pre-war poetry= smooth rhythms, post-war poetry = shows brutal reality of war in “anti-lyrical voice” (as critics say!)
Significance of the mixed use of pararhyme/ full rhyme throughout poem.
- Pararhyme: common of war poets, ie. Sassoon.
(“cold”/ “killed.”) - Mix creates usettled speaker tone.
- Contradiction of speaker wanting to feel sympathy for the soldier but being unable to escape expectations of having no pity for enemy!!
- Failure of clear rhyme scheme –> triumph of savagery/ cynisism.
Two different interpretations of speaker’s view on the dead soldier.
- Lacks sympathy due to desensitising effect of mechanical warfare, not having to look enemy in eye!
- Trying to feel sympathy but due to social expectations on how he should treat enemy, can’t!
What could Douglas be critiquing in this poem?
- Advances in mechanical warfare leading to killing becoming normalised, no sympathy for enemy!
Signifiance of repetition in 1st stanza
- “gone.”
- Emphasising soldier’s death, like a victory for speaker - gloating/ schadenfreude.
What is schadenfreude?
- Feelings of pleasure due to someone else’s misfortune.
- Douglas bases speaker’s feelings towards soldier on this German word.
Examples of speaker dehumanising/ belittling the german soldier.
- “mocked by own equipment.”/ “frowning”: machinery has more humanity than the dead soldier.
- “barrel of gun overshadowing”: establishing hierarchy, weapons have taken a hold on humans in this war.
Examples of schadenfreude (gloating) in poem.
- “sprawling in sun.” mocking soldier, suggesting he’s enjoying sun. Pathetic fallacy –> happiness of speaker.
- Description of Steffi’s picture, suggestion of soppy love, unreal love.
Signifiance of “mocked at by his own equipment, that’s hard and good.”
- Sexual euphemism.
- Equipment remains hard but he has no sexual function at this point.
- Sex symbol of life/ continuation of humans.
- Demise of human interraction/ loss of sympathy from both sides.
- Hard consonants: brutality of situation!
Devillish imagery throughout. Signifiance?
- “entry of demon.”
- “death who had soldier singled.”
- Motif of demonic enchantment, weapons = malicious spirit, driving soldiers to cruelty.
- Personifying death, speaker not taking responsibility, speaker = Grim Reaper!
Significance of description of “Steffi’s” image.
- “dishonoured.” because her boyfriend lost battle, gloating.
- Vergissmeinnicht: German love song –> sugar-coated romanticism. Belittling the lover.
- “copybook”: childish, copied it off somewhere!
- “Gothic script” –> alternative meaning “in bad taste.” Woman’s gift = too soppy/ sentimental! “Script”- acting, just putting up appearances!! Unreal/ fake relationship!
Signifiance of imperative “look.”
- Arrogant/ mocking tone: speaker views himself as superior!
Signifiance of “we see him almost with content.”
- Distorted echo of idiom “with contempt”, delight overrides any other emotion.
- Contempt: worthless/ beneath consideration.
Signifiance of Steffi’s presented suffering.
- dry “dust on paper eye.” Suggesting her tears are fake and unreal like she is.
- Speaker recognises that soldier death is purely subjective. Hint at sympathy/ humanising the soldier?
Signifiance of presentation of regression/ primitivity in poem.
- Archaisms used ie. “Gothic”: oldest Germanic language/ “swart” - word goes back to Ottoman Empire.
- “Gone” and “found” in 1st suggestion, idea that old-world primitivity ironically returning with mechanical weapons advancing.
- “burst stomach like a cave”: “cave” connoting to stone-age primitive behaviour.
- “dust”: sand of desert. .
Words throughout poem that convey things not having full value/ importance.
- “almost.”
- “seeming.”
- “abased” - can mean degraded.
- Belittling the German’s suffering.
Last stanza significant ideas.
- “mortal hurt.” Romeo/Juliet reference, now that soldier has died, Steffi will die too.
- Archaism, no honour paid to the dead- simply saying she will die too!
- “lover and killer”: twin identities, gaining sympathy for soldier?
Archaism definition?
- Old-fashioned
“dust” biblical reference?
- Reminder of inevitability of death “you are dust and to dust you will return.”
- Belitlling Steffi’s emotional suffering?
Published?
1943
Is poem typical of war poetry during WWII?
- No.
- Owen’s, for example, poetry portrays more mutal resepect and pity.
- Douglas work = a lot more cynical, showing the brutal reality of what war does to human sympathy.
