A Synthesis of the Themes in Selected Poems about War Essay - 2

A Synthesis of the Themes in Selected Poems about War - Essay typefaceRichard Lovelaces To Lucasta, Going to the Wars is addressed to a spends sweetheart at the point of his leaving for fight, who he tries to convince of the importance of going to war. The soldier first admits that the war may be compared to having anformer(a) mistress, as he will now be chasing the foe with more ardor and comprehend his weapons and horse with a stronger faith than he has chased or embraced his lover but then goes on to justify this comparison. The narrator then says that the only cogitate he is capable of loving her so much is because he loves honor more. This love of honor is proved by his taking to war so eagerly. In the poem, the act of love and act of war are compared and war is considered a nobler activity. The poem goes so far as to assert that not only is war a greater love, it is the only reason that men are capable of loving women they are both quests to prove their honor. This view of bringing up the nous of honor in war and placing it over other lesser concerns equal romantic love appears in this poem of the 17th century. England, at the time, was known for valorizing courage and war and espousing values of strong patriotic feeling among its citizens. This trend of thought is again reflected in English poetry in a poem like Alfred Tennysons Charge of the Light Brigade, which was written in 1854. Nearly two hundred years after the appearance of Richard Lovelaces poem. Tennysons historied poem also speaks of the noble six hundred who were part of the Light Brigade that fought for England against Russian troops in the Crimean War. Most of the poem is a passionate exhortation to the cavalry but there is already a note of recognizing the futility of war. As Tennyson writes Not tho the soldier knew / Someone had blunderd the soldiers are themselves asleep of why they are to fight the war that they are being sent to fight and this is a crucial idea that changes the perception of war from something seen as estimable and brave to something that is later conceived as foolish, wasteful and cruelly absurd. Wilfred Owen was among the first poets to most poignantly write about the horrors of war. His poem Futility reveals a pained voice that is disconnected by the continuance of something as dreadful as the war. Was it for this the clay grew tall? the speaker asks, as he describes the death of a young soldier from France. already the style has changed from being one of fervent exhortation and pride to one of tragic loss and dismay. There is no encouragement to the troops or make of honor or even praises for the sacrifices made during the war. The poem instead humanizes the soldiers who are compelled to lose their lives in pointless wars that they have not been responsible for starting. Owens other poem Dulce et Decorum est takes head on the older perceptions on war and debunks them. The title of his poem and the final line challenges Horaces quote Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, which roughly means that it is good to die for ones country, and calls it an old lie. The language of this poem is harsh and unforgiving, describing the soldiers as beggars and hags, who all went lame, all fraud. The physical torture that the soldiers undergo at the front is described in all its horror, and there is no idealistic