First World War and the Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

First World War and the Poetry - Essay ExampleThe poets of this period reacted in a number of ways to the warfare. Some of their poems deal directly with war experiences. They spoke about their fortitude and the emotional trauma that they suffered. Some addressed the futility and horrors of the war sm all-arm some expressed the loss of loved ones.The woks of poets like Edward Thomas Isaac Rosenberg, and Wilfred Owen illustrate the horrors of the war in great detail. Having a first hand experience of the war as sol decliners, these writers understood the meaninglessness of the war. They realized that other than destruction there is nothing to be gained from the war. They demonstrated the same in their poetry.In Edward Thomas poetry titled The Owl, the poet illustrates the wretchedness of the aftermath of a war. The soldier is tired, hungry and needs to rest after surviving the war. After having food at the inn, the soldier lays down to rest. scarcely the memories of the war haunt hi m and he becomes restless. He realizes that war did not bring anything other than destruction and loss of lives of fellow human beings. This agitation is further heightened by the cry of the owlThe cry of the owl embodies the misery of all the soldiers who lost their lives. The owl seems to be lamenting the death of those who lost their lives. The soldiers awareness of their deprivation awakens a sense experience of remorse in himAnother of his poems titled The Rain, illustrates how the war can damage ones sense of worth. Feeling solitary amongst the dead bodies that are lying all around, he experiences a void which can never be filled. He is preoccupied with death which he knows is imminentRemembering again that I shall die (Jon Silkin 91).The deaths have hardened him. There is no love in him. He ishelpless among the living and the dead (Jon Silkin 91).He does not feel any blessing for the dead. His life as a soldier makes him cynical. He considers death to be a blessed condition rather than be alive with a sense of such worthlessnessIf love it be towards what is perfect and/ Cannot, the tempest tells me, disap suggest(Jon Silkin 91).Another poet who illustrated the horrors of war is Isaac Rosenberg. His poems deal with the sufferings of the soldiers. He looks at the war from the view point of a soldier.Rosenberg painted what he saw and experienced his poetry bared the colors of light/shade and the contrasts of night and day of the battlefield landscapes he constructedin his poems. These painted poems also contain a philosophizing about life andcivilization. (Trevor Tasker).Isaac Rosenbergs poem Returning, We Hear the Larks shows a soldiers preoccupation with death