How do the poems in this section convey the response to the war back home?
Please post your comments after this trail. Use poems from the specified section.
The Dancers by Edith Sitwell is a disturbing, in some ways grotesque picture of Britain during wartime. The Convalescent suggests that soldiers had a very different view of what was happening in their absence.
Both Smith and Sitwell in their own way show the response of the people back home in Britain with their respective poems. Sitwell’s THE DANCERS shows how the thought of people going out and partying on the dance floor should not take place as there are people out in the frontline of the war dying for them. ‘Macabre’ is Disturbing or horrifying the involvement with deception of death and injury. The opening is macabre because Sitwell uses “the floors are slippery with blood” as it is showing a metaphor of the dirty floor being compared to the bloody floors of the trenches.
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‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell poses a gruesome, macabre picture of war and describes the sadistic irony of how men had to suffer on the Front Line whilst those at home got to ‘dance each night’. The tone of the poem is quite aggressive as Sitwell’s anger is reflected through the fact that many men died ‘hourly’ for the people back at home. The tone doesn’t waver throughout the poem and this enforces Sitwell’s anger towards the people who carried on dancing ‘each night’. This tone enables the readers to understand how Sitwell believed that many did not give recognition to the soldiers and how this infuriated her. Irony is used when she describes that ‘God is good’, this is ironic because she in reality she does not think that he is ‘good’ if he allowed innocent men die so frequently, again reflecting a very negative, angry tone.
'The Convalescent' presents a more sincere image of the war through the eyes of an injured soldier. The day he returns home could be seen to be important as it's compared to Christmas Day, which is viewed widely by most people as an important day to be celebrated. Colloquial language such as when 'helped' is shortened to 'elped' could help to keep the tone more upbeat and gives the poem a more homely feel
Edith Sitwell uses metaphors to express her disgust towards the arrogant attitude of those at the home front, for example 'we are the dull blind carrion-blind'. This presents how ignorant and oblivious they are that innocent lives are being sacrificed for them while they 'dance each night'.
The poem portrays the people who are dancing at home as a parasite "the dull blind carrion fly" which means that those people who are at home dancing and enjoying themselves are basically feeding off of the dead young people who have given their lives for their country, in addition to this by saying "the floors are slippery with blood" Sitwell is given an image of these people who are at home dancing on top of the blood of the soldiers who have given their lives for them
I agree with Ethan but also feel that the image of the floors 'slippery with blood' could represent just how much blood was shed during the war, and by dancing on it could show that the people at home were oblivious like Ethan said, to the men who have sacrificed their lives in order for them to live theirs normally.
The 'Dancers' By Edith Sitwell portrays a narrative perspective towards war as the mood is rather manic, as Sitwell uses a bitter tone towards the back home as they still party with the image of "floors... slippery with blood" which can be ambiguous as it could outline the horrific events of current matters on the battlefields. By the third stanza the dancers are seen as 'the dull blind carrion fly that dance an batten' the image portrayed here is some what deliberate as it is trying to create a real life image to the reader which outlines how society is willing to grow and feed off the sacrifice of young men.
The strong image of death is portrayed with the use of personification such as 'the music has grown numb with death' giving the suggestion that in fact the women have grown numb with the constant death as they continue to dance 'each night' and use the dance as an act of freedom away from the loss of their loved ones.
I agree with Dana's point, however I also think Sitwell uses metaphors such as 'candle in the wind' to reflect the lives being snuffed out for the men 'who hourly die for us'. This is juxtaposed with the frivolity of those at home who 'still can dance, each night', and as Dana put - An act of freedom away from the loss of their loved ones.
In the poem 'The Dancers', Sitwell uses a negative tone throughout which is conveyed through her use of metaphors, which therefore helps to show her disgust towards the ignorance of those at home. For example, the phrase 'we are the dull blind carrion-fly' could suggest Sitwell feels those at home are selfish for feeding off the energy of the men, not considering how they may be feeling and choosing to go out and dance instead. This contrasts with 'The convalescent' as Smith takes a more positive approach, making it seem as though the people at home long for the day the soldiers return, and by comparing it to that of 'Christmas Day', we can see how excited they must be.
The narrator in the poem 'The Convalescent' presents men in war hospitals, who's only desire is to go home to their families, including their wives and children. The line 'one I've never seen' could suggest the narrator has not been home in a very long time, as they have not even seen their own child, provoking emotion within the reader. Although the hospital is described as pleasant in comparison to the front, for example having 'as much as we can eat'. But the narrator's home is described as even more pleasant, for example 'kids'll climb upon my knees.' Smith therefore provides pleasant imagery, romanticising the hope the inured men possess.
The poem "The Dancers" by Edith Sitwell conveys the message of women who have stayed at home to 'gyrate', while their men have gone to war in order to fight for their country. This creates a bitter tone and suggests resentment towards those who stayed at home. The idea of soldiers falling into a routine almost like a dance suggests a form of normality and commitment which is contrasted through the lack of commitment those at home had.
'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell is surreal within its content, the opening line shows that the 'floors slippery with blood' perhaps recalling the battlefields conditions. Sitwell creates a negative imagery throughout when stating ' we are the dull blind carrion-fly', comparing the nation to the 'carrion-fly' shows the bitter emotion Sitwell possesses towards the people back home that had no real experience of the harsh realities of War. Sitwell sets the poem in the traditional form, with three five line stanzas that rhyme a-a-b-c-b setting a song like rhythm within the readers head, this may have been done to make the reader understand the brutal and harsh realities of World War one. Sitwell uses irony within to portray the thoughts that 'god is good', a very sarcastic bitter tone, it may be believed that god is not god, otherwise he would not have brought the War onto the civilians of the time.
In 'The dancers' Sitwell expresses her thoughts that she thinks those back home are enjoying their life and aren't experiencing any trauma in their lives she uses the line 'we dance each night, however Sitwell uses the line ''the world gyrates too' which could suggest that those back home aren't the only ones that are obvious to the sacrifice that the men are making, as the world is also trying to forget. therefore the women and those back home aren't the only ones to blame.
`The Dancers` by Edith Sitwell presents a very macabre tone, and suggests the obliviousness toward what the troops on the front line were enduring and suffering. The opening line "floors are slippery with blood" has strong connotations with the front line and the conditions in which the men had to fight in, comparing a dance floor which should be a place of fun and enjoyment to the battle field a place of pain and tragedy further emphasises this obliviousness.
'The Dancers' looks back upon war as a controlled show where the floor is 'slippery with blood' as if with sin .This could be seen as the afterthoughts of war as soldiers had to kill people so carry that sin if they are religious, the poem is religious as it says 'God id good' to bring forth the contradiction that God allowed war to shock the reader. 'The Dancers' is seen as helpless as they are controlled like soldiers , much like hwo the people back home are helpless to their loved one's who are fighting.
However 'Convalescent' resembles the message of wanting to be back home no matter how comfortable in the hospital they are , they just want to be safe with loved one's and possibly die back home so they get to see the people they possibly fought for in the first place. 'Convalescent' is similar to 'The Dancers' in the way they are trying to make the best out of a morbid situation yet having that longing or after thought of 'Blood' or ''Enry street', as they both use joyful words like 'dance' or ' the place is 'ard to beat', yet it could be argued that this is just to cover up the true macabre of the rest of the poem and shock the viewer , this may link to how soldier's thought the war was going to be joyful and a laugh much like a 'dance' but witness the blood.
'Convalescent' does differ from 'The Dancers' in the way it doesn't really fully speak about war , but the need to go back home.
The poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell conveys a message that shows annoyance to be the main theme. Sitwell uses language to create morbid imagery. She does this by contrasting her settings, i.e. she speaks of 'the floors being slippery with blood' - referring to a dance floor, and the trenches. This gives us as the reader the impression that there is anger towards those back home who are doing nothing in comparison the soldiers fighting for their lives and others at war, and this is conveyed through the sarcastic tone.
In the "Shadow" by Rose Macauley, she writes "there was a shadow on the moon" this gives the impression that she is seeing a plane on a bombing raid, this idea is cemented when she later in the stanza writes "And tumbling streets and houses down, and smashing people like wine-jars" this would allow the reader to know that there has been an attack on a city.
"There was a shadow on the moon" could also convey the terror that she felt as she witnessed the event, as this line is written in a very abrupt fashion. To further emphasise this terror Macauley uses semi colons to fit more than one lines within one, this may also convey panic
Within the poem 'The Dancers' Edith Sitwell portrays the naivety of the people who stayed home, comparing to the brutal reality the men went through while they were out fighting. Sitwell also portrays her disgust towards the arrogance of those at home by using metaphors such as 'we are the dull blind carrion-fly' this could represent how the ones who stayed home are selfish for dancing 'each night'.
Within the poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell, Sitwell uses a theme of macabre imagery to show the readers a description of what war was like up at the front line, and how the soldiers suffered. "God is good" is used to ironically to convey Sitwell's strong feelings about God and the realities of the war, as in reality she doesn't believe that 'good' innocent men are dying. "candles in the wind" shows that they are reflecting the lives that are being killed 'those who die for us' is showing that the men are willing to give their lives to fight for those that are back home.
In The shadow by Rose Macauley she refers to a zeppelin raid that civilians are experiencing and echoes it with the experiences of the soldiers at war. 'As if the stars were crashing right into town' echoes how the soldiers have shells crashing into them on the battlefield. Macauley also uses a lot of juxtaposition such as 'dead dreams so sweet' the contrasting images, one horrific image of dreaming of dying is then interpreted as sweet because many soldiers might of felt they would rather die then have to live in awful conditions in trenches and have to anticipate their possible death.
The poem 'London in War' by Helen Dircks, suggests that war presents a metaphorical shadow over the summer with its 'throbbing gloom'. This connotes that although the battlefield was not in London, the overcast of war made itself present in many locations. This works in contrast to many other poems such as in Cicley Fox Smith's poem 'The Convalescent', as the " 'ome in 'Enry Street" is represented as safe and bright, through the reflective imagery of "little flags 'ung out" as well as the welcoming imagery of "out of all the neightbours' doors the 'eads 'll pop to greet".
One could assert that Edith Sitwell portrays a bitter tome towards the arrogant women on the home front with the strong contrast of dancing and death. The macabre image is presented with shocking imagery such as "the floors are slippery with blood" as the metaphor shocks the reader, by giving the overall poem a sinister tone as Sitwell anger is portrayed with the arrogant women continuing to dance almost as if they were dancing on the passed soldiers graves as the men "for those who hourly die for us". Overall portraying a disrespectful manner to the men.
In the poem 'The Shadow', Macaulay uses imagery to portray the effects that the war had on a town; stating that 'there was a shadow on the moon' which is reference to a zeppelin crossing in front of it and how it she watched it 'poise and tilt and go'. Later on in the same stanza, she refers to 'stars crashing right into the town' and 'smashing people like wine jars'. The drastic contrast between the two types of imagery in the first and last half of the opening stanza could suggest to the reader how quickly a town can be torn apart by war and how quickly peoples lives could change. The onomatopoeic use of 'smashing' creates a harsh, realistic sound which connotes a sense of fragility and blood and therefore could enable the poem to have an impact on the reader.
In 'The Convalescent' Smith uses seven quatrains in rhyming couplets and the final line in iambic pentameter in order to convey a more cheerful, upbeat picture of the war
In the poem "Zeppelins" By Nancy Cunard she has it in a sonnet, which I believe to be ironic because of the fact that a sonnet is usually used when someone feels an emotion of great love of happiness however this poem is the opposite since it is about an attack on a city.
I too believe that the fact that Cunard uses the form of a sonnet to be an ironic feature as the content is of mass destruction - as imposed by the zeppelins manned by the Germans. I would infer that in this way she is displaying her own possible grievances with the evolution of modern warfare, as traditionally "the mad crowds" of civilians would have been relatively unaffected prior to WW1. Furthermore, I would comment on how the structure of the first 3 stanzas are set out in lines of 4; this regular structure may have been an implied metaphor for the repeated bombardment from the Germans on the "poorer" "people" of France, invoking global sympathy.
The poem Zeppelins by Nancy Cunard has a metre of iambic pentameter which is appropriate to the epic nature of the subject and the serious tone of the poems. It is also in the form of a Shakespearean Sonnet.
Whilst this feature identified is true, as must of the sonnet 'Zeppelins' is a consistent iambic pentameter, I would not surmise every stanza in this regard. I would draw particular attention to stanza 3 where - although following the 4 line structure - any rhythmic meter is to be found. In this method, Cunard may have been trying to portray in inferred image of when the bombardment from the zeppelin occurred; through stanzas 1 and 2, the iambic pentameter may have been used to gain the reader's trust in the regularity of the pattern - implying the attacks on the French citizens would become a regular pattern. By allowing the next stanza to be a "frenzied" contrast to this, Cunard may have been suggesting that attack was happening in that moment.
The poem 'The Convalescent' uses iambic heptameter to convey the eagerness and determinism which the male speaker is feeling towards the possibility of going back home to his family instead of staying in the trenches.
In the poem 'Zeppelins' by Nancy Cunard, the reader is shown that those on the home front were also expected to experience the horrors of war, and so presents them as being brave as opposed to ignorant, as the poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell may suggest. For example, the phrase 'maddened with war and strength and thought to kill' suggests the deaths from the battlefield have extended to that of the towns, as civilians are also dying. This horror can also be portrayed through Cunard's use of structure as iambic pentameter creates a rather serious tone, conveying to the reader how much the women at home had to face too.
The poem 'The Shadow' could represent the innocence of normal civilians, as the first stanza opens with beautiful imagery such as 'stars were crashing'. This could represent the confusion and innocence of civilians who thought the bombs were stars.
The structure that Edith Sitwell has used In 'The Dancers' includes iambic tetrameter which gives a playful, upbeat tone to the poem, which contrasts with the negative, traumatic story that she is trying to portray to the readers.
in the poem 'Zepplins' an iambic pentameter is used deliberately to convey a serious tone as the poem continues to tell a piece of serious information. This is followed with a A-B-B-A rhyming scheme.
‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell shows the morbid reality of the background of the front line. Women left behind to dwell on life, even though their spouse and offspring are defending their country they “still can dance, each night”. The first opening lines of the poem are macabre, women dancing on “blood” which can be the stickiness of the floor in an entertainment pub. “The world gyrates too” is portraying how the war in Flanders is being blown up and women “dance, each night”. The tone is diverse in the explicit dialogue “we are the dull blind carrion-fly” and natural dialogue of “swell our music, make it loud.” The ironic line in the poem is “God is good”, Sitwell uses sarcasm when writing this line due to her not believing in it. She shows this in the line “his wind blows the light out”.
‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell portrays a very macabre picture of the war and shows the gruesome parallels between the soldiers at war and the women left at home. The sombre tone that Smith creates shows the horrific reality of the fact that while the men are dying on the front line, the women at home ‘can still dance’. This tone remains consistent throughout the poem which reflects the women’s constant grave thoughts and feelings regarding the dying soldiers. Sitwell often mixes reality with metaphors, creating strong connections between the women and men’s lives. The whole poem is written as a metaphor due to the fact that the ‘dance’ she is describing is in fact the Great Battle of 1916. Sitwell attempts to damn the people at home for carrying on with their everyday lives for evoking guilt within them by describing the act of war as if it was a dance as this is something that the women would be able to relate to as they had experienced it themselves. Sitwell uses iambic tetrameter and trimeter in order to mimic the constant rhythm of ‘music’ that would have been experienced at the dance. This creates a steady rhythm that enables the reader to follow the poem easily. However, the interjection of iambic trimeter at the end of each stanza beings the reader back to reality and away from the daydream of the horrific dance of the war.
The Dancers by Edith Sitwell is a disturbing, in some ways grotesque picture of Britain during wartime. The Convalescent suggests that soldiers had a very different view of what was happening in their absence.
ReplyDeleteBoth Smith and Sitwell in their own way show the response of the people back home in Britain with their respective poems. Sitwell’s THE DANCERS shows how the thought of people going out and partying on the dance floor should not take place as there are people out in the frontline of the war dying for them. ‘Macabre’ is Disturbing or horrifying the involvement with deception of death and injury. The opening is macabre because Sitwell uses “the floors are slippery with blood” as it is showing a metaphor of the dirty floor being compared to the bloody floors of the trenches.
Delete
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‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell poses a gruesome, macabre picture of war and describes the sadistic irony of how men had to suffer on the Front Line whilst those at home got to ‘dance each night’. The tone of the poem is quite aggressive as Sitwell’s anger is reflected through the fact that many men died ‘hourly’ for the people back at home. The tone doesn’t waver throughout the poem and this enforces Sitwell’s anger towards the people who carried on dancing ‘each night’. This tone enables the readers to understand how Sitwell believed that many did not give recognition to the soldiers and how this infuriated her. Irony is used when she describes that ‘God is good’, this is ironic because she in reality she does not think that he is ‘good’ if he allowed innocent men die so frequently, again reflecting a very negative, angry tone.
ReplyDelete'The Convalescent' presents a more sincere image of the war through the eyes of an injured soldier. The day he returns home could be seen to be important as it's compared to Christmas Day, which is viewed widely by most people as an important day to be celebrated. Colloquial language such as when 'helped' is shortened to 'elped' could help to keep the tone more upbeat and gives the poem a more homely feel
ReplyDeleteEdith Sitwell uses metaphors to express her disgust towards the arrogant attitude of those at the home front, for example 'we are the dull blind carrion-blind'. This presents how ignorant and oblivious they are that innocent lives are being sacrificed for them while they 'dance each night'.
ReplyDeleteThe poem portrays the people who are dancing at home as a parasite "the dull blind carrion fly" which means that those people who are at home dancing and enjoying themselves are basically feeding off of the dead young people who have given their lives for their country, in addition to this by saying "the floors are slippery with blood" Sitwell is given an image of these people who are at home dancing on top of the blood of the soldiers who have given their lives for them
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ethan but also feel that the image of the floors 'slippery with blood' could represent just how much blood was shed during the war, and by dancing on it could show that the people at home were oblivious like Ethan said, to the men who have sacrificed their lives in order for them to live theirs normally.
DeleteThe 'Dancers' By Edith Sitwell portrays a narrative perspective towards war as the mood is rather manic, as Sitwell uses a bitter tone towards the back home as they still party with the image of "floors... slippery with blood" which can be ambiguous as it could outline the horrific events of current matters on the battlefields. By the third stanza the dancers are seen as 'the dull blind carrion fly that dance an batten' the image portrayed here is some what deliberate as it is trying to create a real life image to the reader which outlines how society is willing to grow and feed off the sacrifice of young men.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe strong image of death is portrayed with the use of personification such as 'the music has grown numb with death' giving the suggestion that in fact the women have grown numb with the constant death as they continue to dance 'each night' and use the dance as an act of freedom away from the loss of their loved ones.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dana's point, however I also think Sitwell uses metaphors such as 'candle in the wind' to reflect the lives being snuffed out for the men 'who hourly die for us'. This is juxtaposed with the frivolity of those at home who 'still can dance, each night', and as Dana put - An act of freedom away from the loss of their loved ones.
DeleteIn the poem 'The Dancers', Sitwell uses a negative tone throughout which is conveyed through her use of metaphors, which therefore helps to show her disgust towards the ignorance of those at home. For example, the phrase 'we are the dull blind carrion-fly' could suggest Sitwell feels those at home are selfish for feeding off the energy of the men, not considering how they may be feeling and choosing to go out and dance instead. This contrasts with 'The convalescent' as Smith takes a more positive approach, making it seem as though the people at home long for the day the soldiers return, and by comparing it to that of 'Christmas Day', we can see how excited they must be.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator in the poem 'The Convalescent' presents men in war hospitals, who's only desire is to go home to their families, including their wives and children. The line 'one I've never seen' could suggest the narrator has not been home in a very long time, as they have not even seen their own child, provoking emotion within the reader. Although the hospital is described as pleasant in comparison to the front, for example having 'as much as we can eat'. But the narrator's home is described as even more pleasant, for example 'kids'll climb upon my knees.' Smith therefore provides pleasant imagery, romanticising the hope the inured men possess.
ReplyDeleteThe poem "The Dancers" by Edith Sitwell conveys the message of women who have stayed at home to 'gyrate', while their men have gone to war in order to fight for their country. This creates a bitter tone and suggests resentment towards those who stayed at home. The idea of soldiers falling into a routine almost like a dance suggests a form of normality and commitment which is contrasted through the lack of commitment those at home had.
ReplyDelete'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell is surreal within its content, the opening line shows that the 'floors slippery with blood' perhaps recalling the battlefields conditions. Sitwell creates a negative imagery throughout when stating ' we are the dull blind carrion-fly', comparing the nation to the 'carrion-fly' shows the bitter emotion Sitwell possesses towards the people back home that had no real experience of the harsh realities of War. Sitwell sets the poem in the traditional form, with three five line stanzas that rhyme a-a-b-c-b setting a song like rhythm within the readers head, this may have been done to make the reader understand the brutal and harsh realities of World War one. Sitwell uses irony within to portray the thoughts that 'god is good', a very sarcastic bitter tone, it may be believed that god is not god, otherwise he would not have brought the War onto the civilians of the time.
ReplyDeleteIn 'The dancers' Sitwell expresses her thoughts that she thinks those back home are enjoying their life and aren't experiencing any trauma in their lives she uses the line 'we dance each night, however Sitwell uses the line ''the world gyrates too' which could suggest that those back home aren't the only ones that are obvious to the sacrifice that the men are making, as the world is also trying to forget. therefore the women and those back home aren't the only ones to blame.
ReplyDelete`The Dancers` by Edith Sitwell presents a very macabre tone, and suggests the obliviousness toward what the troops on the front line were enduring and suffering. The opening line "floors are slippery with blood" has strong connotations with the front line and the conditions in which the men had to fight in, comparing a dance floor which should be a place of fun and enjoyment to the battle field a place of pain and tragedy further emphasises this obliviousness.
ReplyDelete'The Dancers' looks back upon war as a controlled show where the floor is 'slippery with blood' as if with sin .This could be seen as the afterthoughts of war as soldiers had to kill people so carry that sin if they are religious, the poem is religious as it says 'God id good' to bring forth the contradiction that God allowed war to shock the reader.
ReplyDelete'The Dancers' is seen as helpless as they are controlled like soldiers , much like hwo the people back home are helpless to their loved one's who are fighting.
However 'Convalescent' resembles the message of wanting to be back home no matter how comfortable in the hospital they are , they just want to be safe with loved one's and possibly die back home so they get to see the people they possibly fought for in the first place. 'Convalescent' is similar to 'The Dancers' in the way they are trying to make the best out of a morbid situation yet having that longing or after thought of 'Blood' or ''Enry street', as they both use joyful words like 'dance' or ' the place is 'ard to beat', yet it could be argued that this is just to cover up the true macabre of the rest of the poem and shock the viewer , this may link to how soldier's thought the war was going to be joyful and a laugh much like a 'dance' but witness the blood.
'Convalescent' does differ from 'The Dancers' in the way it doesn't really fully speak about war , but the need to go back home.
The poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell conveys a message that shows annoyance to be the main theme. Sitwell uses language to create morbid imagery. She does this by contrasting her settings, i.e. she speaks of 'the floors being slippery with blood' - referring to a dance floor, and the trenches. This gives us as the reader the impression that there is anger towards those back home who are doing nothing in comparison the soldiers fighting for their lives and others at war, and this is conveyed through the sarcastic tone.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Shadow" by Rose Macauley, she writes "there was a shadow on the moon" this gives the impression that she is seeing a plane on a bombing raid, this idea is cemented when she later in the stanza writes "And tumbling streets and houses down, and smashing people like wine-jars" this would allow the reader to know that there has been an attack on a city.
ReplyDelete"There was a shadow on the moon" could also convey the terror that she felt as she witnessed the event, as this line is written in a very abrupt fashion. To further emphasise this terror Macauley uses semi colons to fit more than one lines within one, this may also convey panic
DeleteWithin the poem 'The Dancers' Edith Sitwell portrays the naivety of the people who stayed home, comparing to the brutal reality the men went through while they were out fighting. Sitwell also portrays her disgust towards the arrogance of those at home by using metaphors such as 'we are the dull blind carrion-fly' this could represent how the ones who stayed home are selfish for dancing 'each night'.
ReplyDeleteWithin the poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell, Sitwell uses a theme of macabre imagery to show the readers a description of what war was like up at the front line, and how the soldiers suffered.
ReplyDelete"God is good" is used to ironically to convey Sitwell's strong feelings about God and the realities of the war, as in reality she doesn't believe that 'good' innocent men are dying. "candles in the wind" shows that they are reflecting the lives that are being killed 'those who die for us' is showing that the men are willing to give their lives to fight for those that are back home.
In The shadow by Rose Macauley she refers to a zeppelin raid that civilians are experiencing and echoes it with the experiences of the soldiers at war. 'As if the stars were crashing right into town' echoes how the soldiers have shells crashing into them on the battlefield. Macauley also uses a lot of juxtaposition such as 'dead dreams so sweet' the contrasting images, one horrific image of dreaming of dying is then interpreted as sweet because many soldiers might of felt they would rather die then have to live in awful conditions in trenches and have to anticipate their possible death.
ReplyDeleteThe poem 'London in War' by Helen Dircks, suggests that war presents a metaphorical shadow over the summer with its 'throbbing gloom'. This connotes that although the battlefield was not in London, the overcast of war made itself present in many locations. This works in contrast to many other poems such as in Cicley Fox Smith's poem 'The Convalescent', as the " 'ome in 'Enry Street" is represented as safe and bright, through the reflective imagery of "little flags 'ung out" as well as the welcoming imagery of "out of all the neightbours' doors the 'eads 'll pop to greet".
ReplyDeleteOne could assert that Edith Sitwell portrays a bitter tome towards the arrogant women on the home front with the strong contrast of dancing and death. The macabre image is presented with shocking imagery such as "the floors are slippery with blood" as the metaphor shocks the reader, by giving the overall poem a sinister tone as Sitwell anger is portrayed with the arrogant women continuing to dance almost as if they were dancing on the passed soldiers graves as the men "for those who hourly die for us". Overall portraying a disrespectful manner to the men.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem 'The Shadow', Macaulay uses imagery to portray the effects that the war had on a town; stating that 'there was a shadow on the moon' which is reference to a zeppelin crossing in front of it and how it she watched it 'poise and tilt and go'. Later on in the same stanza, she refers to 'stars crashing right into the town' and 'smashing people like wine jars'. The drastic contrast between the two types of imagery in the first and last half of the opening stanza could suggest to the reader how quickly a town can be torn apart by war and how quickly peoples lives could change. The onomatopoeic use of 'smashing' creates a harsh, realistic sound which connotes a sense of fragility and blood and therefore could enable the poem to have an impact on the reader.
ReplyDeleteIn 'The Convalescent' Smith uses seven quatrains in rhyming couplets and the final line in iambic pentameter in order to convey a more cheerful, upbeat picture of the war
ReplyDeleteIn the poem "Zeppelins" By Nancy Cunard she has it in a sonnet, which I believe to be ironic because of the fact that a sonnet is usually used when someone feels an emotion of great love of happiness however this poem is the opposite since it is about an attack on a city.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that the fact that Cunard uses the form of a sonnet to be an ironic feature as the content is of mass destruction - as imposed by the zeppelins manned by the Germans. I would infer that in this way she is displaying her own possible grievances with the evolution of modern warfare, as traditionally "the mad crowds" of civilians would have been relatively unaffected prior to WW1. Furthermore, I would comment on how the structure of the first 3 stanzas are set out in lines of 4; this regular structure may have been an implied metaphor for the repeated bombardment from the Germans on the "poorer" "people" of France, invoking global sympathy.
DeleteThe poem Zeppelins by Nancy Cunard has a metre of iambic pentameter which is appropriate to the epic nature of the subject and the serious tone of the poems. It is also in the form of a Shakespearean Sonnet.
ReplyDeleteWhilst this feature identified is true, as must of the sonnet 'Zeppelins' is a consistent iambic pentameter, I would not surmise every stanza in this regard. I would draw particular attention to stanza 3 where - although following the 4 line structure - any rhythmic meter is to be found. In this method, Cunard may have been trying to portray in inferred image of when the bombardment from the zeppelin occurred; through stanzas 1 and 2, the iambic pentameter may have been used to gain the reader's trust in the regularity of the pattern - implying the attacks on the French citizens would become a regular pattern. By allowing the next stanza to be a "frenzied" contrast to this, Cunard may have been suggesting that attack was happening in that moment.
DeleteThe poem 'The Convalescent' uses iambic heptameter to convey the eagerness and determinism which the male speaker is feeling towards the possibility of going back home to his family instead of staying in the trenches.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem 'Zeppelins' by Nancy Cunard, the reader is shown that those on the home front were also expected to experience the horrors of war, and so presents them as being brave as opposed to ignorant, as the poem 'The Dancers' by Edith Sitwell may suggest. For example, the phrase 'maddened with war and strength and thought to kill' suggests the deaths from the battlefield have extended to that of the towns, as civilians are also dying. This horror can also be portrayed through Cunard's use of structure as iambic pentameter creates a rather serious tone, conveying to the reader how much the women at home had to face too.
ReplyDeleteThe poem 'The Shadow' could represent the innocence of normal civilians, as the first stanza opens with beautiful imagery such as 'stars were crashing'. This could represent the confusion and innocence of civilians who thought the bombs were stars.
ReplyDeleteCunard's deliberate ironic use of an iambic pentameter within `Zappelins` conveys the horrors of the realities which occured during a Zeppelin bombing
ReplyDeleteThe structure that Edith Sitwell has used In 'The Dancers' includes iambic tetrameter which gives a playful, upbeat tone to the poem, which contrasts with the negative, traumatic story that she is trying to portray to the readers.
ReplyDeleteZepplians (written is a shakesperian sonnet) uses three quatrains and a rhyming couplet, and uses and iambic pentameter.
ReplyDeletein the poem 'Zepplins' an iambic pentameter is used deliberately to convey a serious tone as the poem continues to tell a piece of serious information. This is followed with a A-B-B-A rhyming scheme.
ReplyDelete‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell shows the morbid reality of the background of the front line. Women left behind to dwell on life, even though their spouse and offspring are defending their country they “still can dance, each night”. The first opening lines of the poem are macabre, women dancing on “blood” which can be the stickiness of the floor in an entertainment pub. “The world gyrates too” is portraying how the war in Flanders is being blown up and women “dance, each night”. The tone is diverse in the explicit dialogue “we are the dull blind carrion-fly” and natural dialogue of “swell our music, make it loud.” The ironic line in the poem is “God is good”, Sitwell uses sarcasm when writing this line due to her not believing in it. She shows this in the line “his wind blows the light out”.
ReplyDelete‘The Dancers’ by Edith Sitwell portrays a very macabre picture of the war and shows the gruesome parallels between the soldiers at war and the women left at home. The sombre tone that Smith creates shows the horrific reality of the fact that while the men are dying on the front line, the women at home ‘can still dance’. This tone remains consistent throughout the poem which reflects the women’s constant grave thoughts and feelings regarding the dying soldiers. Sitwell often mixes reality with metaphors, creating strong connections between the women and men’s lives. The whole poem is written as a metaphor due to the fact that the ‘dance’ she is describing is in fact the Great Battle of 1916. Sitwell attempts to damn the people at home for carrying on with their everyday lives for evoking guilt within them by describing the act of war as if it was a dance as this is something that the women would be able to relate to as they had experienced it themselves. Sitwell uses iambic tetrameter and trimeter in order to mimic the constant rhythm of ‘music’ that would have been experienced at the dance. This creates a steady rhythm that enables the reader to follow the poem easily. However, the interjection of iambic trimeter at the end of each stanza beings the reader back to reality and away from the daydream of the horrific dance of the war.
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