World War 1 Essay Example for Free

World War 1 Essay In this essay, I am going to explore the similarities and differences between different WW1 poetry. I will be looking into the points that the poems show and comparing them with each other. Different poems are written for different reasons and they are written to show different things. In terms of the realities of war, In Flanders Fields is the only poem that truly shows this. This is because John McCrae wanted to show the realities of war because his friend had died during the war, this meant that McCrae was determined to show the realities of war and not let people think that it was easy or fun as people said it was. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow (In Flanders Fields) This shows that war isnt all that good. It explains quite bluntly that they are dead, this is to show the harsh realities of war. It represents that they no longer have lives because they are soldiers and so do nothing else but fight. It explains this by using past tense, which shows that it no longer exists. The poem In Flanders Fields also shows mans inhumanity to man. This is also because McCrae is trying to show what war was really like and show the insensitive realities of war. Take up our quarrel with the foe (In Flanders Fields) This shows that people in war did show inhumanity to the opposition because they were not suppose to be a team together, they are fighting. By using the word foe, it is dehumanising the enemy and making them a lesser worth. Also the word take, is an imperative and shows that war isnt fair. This poem is quite clearly not propaganda. On the other hand, some poems were very positive for war and try to show war as a positive thing so that they recruit young men and soldiers and encourage them to enlist. To show war as a positive thing, the poets often used euphemisms for death in order to make it sound good. His lance is broken; but he lies content (The Volunteer) This shows death in a positive way and makes it sound as if it is something good. It shows the reader that even though they have died, they feel good about it and are proud to die for their country. However in the same poem, there are also some negative points which show that the poem is not completely propaganda or positive for war.