Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen: Pointlessness of War

Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen were young Englishmen when the first world war began in 1914. Before the war had finished four years later,both had experienced the horror and pointlessness of war and lost their lives. Each poet takes a different approach to the war in their poetry. Wilfred Owen uses negative language such as 'cancer' 'vile' 'froth corrupted' to generate unsettling images, that made his reader think war was a terrible thing. On the other hand Rupert Brooke wrote romantic poems filled with patriotism and advised his audience dying for their country was a proud and honourable sacrifice, he used words like 'flowers' 'dreams' and 'happy'.

In the poem 'the soldier' Rupert Brooke wants his audience to consider that it is good to die for one's country. He is very patriotic and glorified war making young generations motivated and inspired them to go to a war. He has a strong connection with his country and didn't care if he had died for it. He says in the first line of the poem “If I should die, think only this of me.” This could mean that if he was meant to die or if he would die he wants people to remember him and all the sacrifices he made.

The structure of the poem has ten syllables, he rhymed every other line for example me and be, field and concealed, roam and home. It is a romantic sonnet. The mood of the poem makes you feel England is a happy place and is not affected by the war. It makes soldiers feel confident, uses positive words and is peaceful. The poem creates images, Rupert Brooke uses lots of nature words like fields; rivers; sun; air; earth and flowers. It creates a positive mood to the reader and makes you feel happy and creates bright colourful and clear images.

Rupert Brooke uses the word England many a times and treats England like a woman by saying 'her'. He gives England human characteristics like love, breathe air. He gives England a heart that has a pulse, letting her see and hear and have dreams and thoughts. This is