In 1914, with the assassination of the Arch-Bishop Franz Ferdinand, the First World War began. After 4 years, on November 11th, 1918, an uneasy peace was reached; the Central Powers (Germany, Hungary, Ottoman Empire) was forced to sign a treaty. However, with the German economy in shambles, and the citizens of Germany unhappy, WWII soon erupted in 1934. With Pratt 's work experiences and schooling, Pratt would have realized the flaws of the treaty and with the poem "The Shark", it reflects the uneasy peace after WWI.
Initial reaction to the end of WWI, also know as the Great War, was stunned relief. After 4 years, and over 10 million casualties, the first true global war finally concluded. No where in history, were their deaths to this degree. Pratt, with his education and work experiences would have observed this, providing the basis for his poem "The Shark". The poem itself is about a shark, swimming in and out of a
harbor. At first the shark swims "leisurely"(Pratt) and "Stirred not a bubble"(Ibid),
Cited: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. "World War I." Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 30 Oct 2006 . Lancashire, Ian. "E.J. Pratt, Biography." E.J. Pratt. 29 Oct 2006. .