Going To The War Poem Analysis

Throughout history, it has been common for soldiers who are fighting, or have fought, in war to write poetry about their experiences. “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” by Richard Lovelace are two poems that share this theme. Even though they share the similar subject of war, these conflicting poems are an example of how a theme can be interpreted, and written about, in completely different ways. While both “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” focus around the theme of war, Owen’s poem sheds light on the hardships and sufferings that soldiers faced in World War I, while Lovelace’s poem focuses on the romantic, honorable aspects that war has to offer. “Dulce et Decorum Est” describes
“To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” is written in ballad meter, alternating between eight syllable and 6 syllable lines with an ABAB rhyme scheme. The poem, for the most part, follows the ballad meter and does not stray off of its form, making the poem flow with a steady, comfortable rhythm. Ballad metered poems are commonly used for romantic poems, which “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” can be easily viewed as. The poem acts as a letter, or message, to Lucasta from the soldier. He writes the letter as both a way of saying goodbye to Lucasta, and hello to his new mistress. By using ballad meter and having a consistent rhyme scheme, the reader feels comforted by the melodic patterns of the poem. “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” acts as a love poem to the war that embraces the glorified, extraordinary aspects of the war that society idolized. Lovelace writes, “And with a stronger faith embrace / A sword, a horse, a shield.” (7-8). Lovelace uses imagery to feed into heroism that the soldier portrays in the poem. By detailing his ride into battle in full body armor, the images of war are romanticized. Lovelace’s poem is revolved around the romanticized version of war and the passionate bond between soldiers and the war