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What are the main messages in the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
The poem’s main focus is glorifying the British soldiers who fought and died in the crimean war
It presents war as an event that elevates people into becoming braver and stronger
The poem is focused on the British experience, which is evident through the line ‘Cossack and Russian’ conveying that the poem takes place in the Crimean war
Despite the British soldiers losing the war and passing away, Tennyson does not present this as a sad or depressing event. Rather, he presents it as a moment of pride for not only those soldiers but for our country
What are the main messages in the poem ‘Exposure’?
The poem’s main message is that war and conflict are not events that should be glorified and that soldiers are not some superhuman elevated by struggle
The poem has a very passive tone, lacking any action or fast-paced sections. This highlights the lack of action and and bravery that the soldiers exhibit
Another message of the poem is that to soldiers, the opposing army are not their true enemy. Instead, their enemy is nature and its hostile forces
The poem explores how soldiers are not elevated by war, but rather diminished by their struggles into a husk of their past self
It also criticises the lack of care from the public about the soldiers at war
What are the main messages in the poem ‘Bayonet Charge’?
The poem explores the effects of war on the human psyche and how our primal instincts take over us in times of deep struggle
It criticises the romanticisation of war and the glorification of becoming a soldier by emphasising the trauma and suffering that is felt by soldiers in war
Hughes also criticises the concept of war itself, presenting soldiers as pawns to the higher powers that themselves do not suffer the trauma from the conflicts that they have started
What are the main messages in the poem ‘Remains’?
The poem brings to attention the fact that soldiers do not simply move on from the trauma of war once they return home; and sheds light on soldiers that suffer with post traumatic stress disorder
There are also themes around the acceptance of guilt as throughout the poem, the narrator gradually accepts that he was guilty in the killing
Armitage also conveys the ability of post traumatic stress disorder and other traumas to resurface in daily life and disrupt simple parts of life
What are the main messages in the poem ‘Poppies’?
Weir explores the often ignored perspective of the families of those who have left for war and the sense of loss that they feel surrounding said soldier
The poem highlights the difficulty of grief that people face when their loved ones pass away, expressing the common feeling of denial of the death and the longing to cling on to the past
It expresses that trauma is not only faced by the soldiers themselves, but that their mothers and other loved ones often suffer in silence
What are the main messages in the poem ‘War Photographer’?
The poem criticises the consumption of war photographs by the media, highlighting the inhumanity of capturing people in their final moments and selling them as quick entertainment for the more privileged
Another criticism of war photographs that the poem emphasises is the suffering and permanent trauma experienced by the war photographers themselves; they undergo a lot of trauma for their work but are ignored by the public
What are the main messages in the poem ‘Kamikaze’?
The poem criticises the government’s ability to create social stigma around those who do not give their lives for war
Garland highlights through this poem the beauty of life and nature and highlights the importance of staying alive to witness it
She also critiques the Japanese government’s absolute power during this period, being able to command men to commit suicide for arguably an unimportant cause
The poem highlights the effects of war felt after the fact by soldiers, and highlights the tragedy that can be created by too much government influence
What connections can be made between ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Exposure’?
The poems present polar opposite ideas to each other surrounding the experience of soldiers and war itself, likely fuelled by the poets’ different experiences and time periods
Tennyson presents war as an experience that elevates men into more noble people, whereas Owen portrays an outlook where soldiers are diminished by their traumatic experiences
Moreover, Tennyson glorifies the act of war itself regardless of whether our army wins or loses. Owen, on the other hand, disdains war and presents it as an unnecessary loss of life
Owen combats the traditional presentation of war with the main enemies being the other army, but instead presents that all soldiers regardless of nationality are suffering at the hands of the elements and those who are higher up than them. In contrast, Tennyson is firm throughout the poem that the enemy in war is the opposing army.
Finally, ‘Exposure’ conveys a passivity to war, with soldiers being left to rot in the trenches while the bitter cold gradually eats at them. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ has a very fast rhythm conveying the action-packed version of war that Tennyson sees
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Exposure’?
Owen himself was a soldier in the First World War, seeing firsthand the horrifying conditions that soldiers were forced to endure.
Tennyson, on the other hand, was the poet laureate at the time and was not writing about the crimean war because he had directly fought in it. His poem was written based on the accounts of others and his own assumptions about war.
Moreover, Owen wrote ‘Exposure’ at a much later time than Tennyson wrote his poem, connoting that the different attitudes in the poem may be a result of the differing attitudes surrounding the government, war and soldiers in their respective times.
What connections can be made between ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Both poems are portraying an intense moment in war where action is heightened, but they convey different ideas about how these moments affect soldiers.
In Tennyson’s poem, the regular structure connotes a sense of order and clear intent in the battle, even if it doesn’t go the way of the British. In Hughes’ poem however, the moment is presented as incredibly confusing with no sense of direction. This also highlights Hughes’ questioning of the righteousness of war itself and if it should be carried out, contrasting to Tennyson’s firm belief in the glory of war.
Like in ‘Exposure’, ‘Bayonet Charge’ also contrasts ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’’s elevation of soldiers and portrayal of their development into more honoured people. Hughes instead emphasises that human dignities and rights disappear from soldiers as their traumatic situation forces them into a primal state of action and terror. He emphasises that the traditional glory given to soldiers is non existent in reality.
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Both Hughes and Tennyson did not have any firsthand experience of war, and both wrote based on information that they had gathered from other sources.
The source for their differing perspectives may be that Hughes wrote the poem in the 1950s when the truth about war was gradually becoming more available to the public through photographs and videos in the newspapers or on television.
Their differing messages may also signify the changing perspective of the public surrounding war and its effects on soldiers after the first and second world wars shook the earth.
(It is NOT a good idea to talk about them both being Poet Laureates, as Hughes wrote ‘Bayonet Charge’ in the 1957 and only gained the title nearly 30 years later)
What connections can be made between ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘War Photographer’?
The poems have directly juxtaposing ideas about the perception of war and the supposed ‘glory’ of it
Duffy presents through her poem a version of war that showcases its true ugliness and inhumanity, contrasting Tennyson’s portrayal that, while it has dark moments, is overall a much more tame image
Furthermore, Tennyson’s poem represents the appreciation of the public for the soldiers fighting in wars, but Duffy’s highlights the contrary truth that people do not care about those suffering
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘War Photographer’?
Neither Duffy or Tennyson had ever participated in a war first-hand, however the portrayal of war in the media greatly differed in the times they wrote
Duffy published ‘War Photographer’ in the 1980s, at which point wars were regularly shown uncensored in the media.
Through the line ‘of running children in a nightmare heat’ we can infer that Duffy is writing about the Vietnam war, as it was arguably the first fully televised war. This depiction mirrors an image of a small naked girl running away from a napalm bomb dropped by the US army in Vietnam
What connections can be made between ‘Remains’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Both poets present similar ideas surrounding the effects of war on the human mind, critiquing the traditional portrayal that soldiers become stronger and braver people upon entering war
The main difference between these poems is that ‘Bayonet Charge’ focuses on the effects on war during the actual conflict, but ‘Remains’ focuses on the lingering trauma that continues on affecting the soldiers even after they return home
However, Hughes’ poem contains some themes surrounding why soldiers should even go to war that are not present in ‘Remains’, so it is best to avoid comparing that section of the poem
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘Remains’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Both the poets of ‘Remains’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ wrote at a similar time in which wars were becoming televised and there was a lot less censorship and propaganda promoting wars
These similarities could be a reason for the poets’ agreeing perspectives about trauma in war
What connections can be made between ‘Remains’ and ‘Poppies’?
Both of the poems explore the effects of trauma on victims of war after the conflict has occurred
However, in ‘Remains’, Armitage explores the effects of trauma on the actual soldiers fighting in wars, but Weir presents the struggles faced by the family members of the soldiers who never returned
Moreover, both of the narrators in each poem struggle with their memories of the past. The emotions of these memories however are entirely juxtaposing, and the narrators both contrast in one’s desire to flush them out but the other’s to keep them
The narrator of Weir’s poem clutches on to the positive memories she has of her young son, filled with denial about the fact that he is gone
The narrator of Armitage’s poem however is plagued by his memories and tries desperately to get the guilt of that day to leave his mind
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘Remains’ and ‘Poppies’?
Both poets are the exact same age (b.1963), which is reflected in their shared presentation of the negativity of war
Both poets write about a similar conflict - (Certain lines in ‘Remains’ hint to it being about a Middle Eastern conflict) (Weir was asked by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy to write poems commemorating British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq)
Armistice day does not mean that Weir is writing about the First World War, as after the Second World War the day was changed to honour the fallen soldiers of any subsequent wars.
What connections can be made between ‘Remains’ and ‘Kamikaze’?
Both poems present themes about the suffering that soldiers face not only in war but after the war
The two poems also criticise the lack of care for returned soldiers after war, as the narrator of ‘Remains’ ends up addicted to try and deal with his post traumatic stress disorder, not receiving significant aid from the government. Similarly, the narrator’s father in ‘Kamikaze’ was treated like he no longer existed, and no one ever got to hear his experiences before he died. This sense of tragedy conveys Garland’s criticism of the Japanese government.
Moreover, both poems explore the theme of guilt faced by soldiers and how it continues to plague them for the rest of their lives.
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘Remains’ and ‘Kamikaze’?
Both of the poets are British, and personally have no personal experience In the wars that they write about
They write at a similar time in similar conditions, influencing the agreeing messages of their poems
What connections can be made between ‘Exposure’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Both of the poems share similar themes about the reduction of humanity in soldiers due to the difficult conditions of war
However, they differ in how they present this reduction. ‘Exposure’ presents the men as gradually fading away into nothing as they succumb to the elements, whereas ‘Bayonet Charge’ focuses on the action in battle and how that trauma reduces soldiers into a nearly savage state
Overall, although they share similar messages, the difference between these poems is that one presents the passivity of war while the other is a lot more active
Both poems are set in the First World War, as Owen was a soldier who died in this war and the imagery in ‘Bayonet Charge’ is consistent with the conditions in that war
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘Exposure’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Owen was himself a victim of this war, suffering in the trenches and dying in battle. Hughes however was born long after the war ended, and was inspired by it to write the poem.
Hughes bore witness to the Second World War as a teenager and saw how it affected his home town of Yorkshire, inspiring him to become a war poet to comment on the terrible conditions of war
Although both poets came from different backgrounds, they both shared the same passion for shedding light on the truth of war through their poetry
What connections can be made between ‘Poppies’ and ‘Kamikaze’?
Both poems explore the effects of war on the family dynamics of the soldiers and their close relatives who did not fight in the war
They both present a tragic element to war in the fact that it breaks families apart whether or not the soldier survived. However, they differ in where the tragedy stems from. In ‘Poppies’, the tragedy is that the soldier never returned home, whereas in ‘Kamikaze’ the tragedy is in the fact that he did return
Both narrators of the poems are longing for a connection with the soldier who they have been disconnected from by war, both unable to achieve it as they are both dead
What similarities/differences are there between the poets of ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘Poppies’?
Garland was born right before the Second World War, indicating that she and her community were likely affected by the war. All over Britain, there were soldiers who did not return home and Garland saw personally the effect that war had on families.
Weir, however, did not have any personal experience seeing how war affected families, but she had a wider range of uncensored media surrounding war giving her a wide perspective.
What additional non-war poem works well when compared with ‘Kamikaze’?
Ozymandias
Both poems explore themes surrounding abuse of power by governments and leaders
Moreover, they both highlight the impermanence and overall unimportance of this abuse of power, highlighting the beauty of nature as the Earth’s true ruler
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