Preview

Compare How Both Poems “the Field of Waterloo” and “the Castle” Deal with Vulnerability and Attack of Inhabitants

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
738 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Compare How Both Poems “the Field of Waterloo” and “the Castle” Deal with Vulnerability and Attack of Inhabitants
The poem “The Field of Waterloo” take us on the journey of how war effects its surrounding nature and murders its miniature creatures and showing us the consequences of its actions where as “The castle” is an allegorical poem telling us the story of an invasion on a castle with the hidden message of human greed and weaknesses leading to our own downfall. Both poems are very different to each other in many ways however hold a similar theme of vulnerability and attack of inhabitants however they are both treated in very different ways.
“The Field of Waterloo” can represent any battle field but in particular I feel this poem represents the Battle of Waterloo fought in 18th June 1815, a battle fought for blood and honour. The poem reflects on the consequences of war on nature, how man is the main enemy of nature and how it is mankind who is most feared. it is a vivid description of the action that takes place on a battle field yet is written in such a clever way that the impressions create the image of war in the readers head instead of stating the obvious and stating the machinery “crushed by wheels” or horses being recognised by “hoofs”, a similar technique is used in the poem “The castle” however the use of imagery is not used but the message is hidden behind the words and only revealed to us in the final stanza. The message of human weakness and greed, the message of how trusting the wrong people may lead to our downfall reminding me of the life of celebrities and how they have no privacy due to the constant media attention. How if they let their guard down as did the castle villagers they are exposed, exposed to the attackers wishing to hurt them and they can do nothing, they are in such a vulnerable state they can only sit back and wait to be attacked.
Influence of old folk tales can be used in Hardys choice of dialect and old English, use of alternative rhyming and his verses linking together combines the entire poem making each stanza almost like a long

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Wilfred Owen Essay

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Wilfred Owen successfully creates the truthful and terrifying image of war within his poems. The loss, sacrifice, urgency and pity of war are shown within the themes of his poetry and the use of strong figurative language; sensory imagery and tone contribute to the reader. This enables the reader to appreciate Owen’s comments about the hopelessness of war and the sacrifice the men around him went through within his poems, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ and ‘Futility’.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For example, the lines “there are zepplins helicopters, rockets, bombs bettering rams armies with trumpets whose all at once blast shatters the foundations” give strong mental images of war, destruction and death. This also is another large detail that may signal the reader to realize that this poem is taking place during a war. Internment and concentration camps occurred historically during major wars. Also, “wailing prayers to utter special codes to tap birds to carry messages taped to their feet” gives images of people praying and of a bird with a paper message tied to its feet. This is another historical clue as during the war as this was a way of communicating. The lines “a voice cries faint as in a dream from the belly of the wall” gives the mental picture of being in a kind of dream-like state where you can hear a faint voice but can’t see anything…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the poem, the author uses imagery coupled with allusion and symbolism to illustrate how the speaker is conflicted by and reflecting on the memory of the war.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comparing Two War Poems

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Wars inspired many writers to write poems during and after the wars. Some poets fought during World War I and World War II. We can define a war poet as person who participates in war and writes about his experiences. The war poems I read from WWI and WWII are kind of related. In this essay I will do a comparison of two different poems from each world war.…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first stanza is written about the present day and takes place in an American bar which would lead to reader to think that maybe Auden is out socialising and enjoying himself. However, it begins to develop quite a solemn and negative tone as he describes the time before the war as being “Of a low dishonest decade.” This creates strong imagery for the reader and could be implying that the betrayal and deceit of people that are in power has built up to this world war. Another use of imagery is when Auden mentions the “Faces along the bar cling to their average day.” This demonstrates how desperate society is to just carry on with their repetitive, dull lives without any complications. It also shows the reader how people went into denial about the war because they were scared of how it would affect them.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Castle Poem Analysis

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages

    For me personally a text that has had a profound effect upon my understanding of the global village is the film The Castle. The Castle’s explores highly relevant issues like the rights of individuals in the globalised world and the egalitarian nature of Australian society. Both of these issues are discussed in the scene at the High Court. During this scene…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The poem centres on Wilfred Owen in a biographical manner. It talks about his experience of watching a man being killed by gas and his personal thoughts as to why he was killed. It seems directed at the reader of the poem but the anger throughout the poem is actually directed at the generals and the government for hiding the horrors of war from the general public and claiming it to be a victory.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What becomes apparent from researching Thomas Hardy's life is the multitude of experiences and influences that may have had some bearing on how he wrote and the content of these works. Obviously, his early life in Dorset and the bearing upon which this had on his early works is apparent through vivid descriptions and the recounting of certain episodes - so much so that it is impossible to ignore the inspiration that he derived from his birthplace. For example, the portrayal of the heath in 'The Return Of The Native' is the work of a man clearly saturated by his environment.…

    • 536 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No matter what the circumstances of ones life and interest, war has affected many and all lives across the world. Through evaluating values in the two different works depicting the World War I, War Horse and Wilfred Owens’s short poem have many similarities as well as differences. By further analyzing both pieces the goal is to aid in a better understanding of World War I. . Being forced to go fight in a different country and somehow being tricked into doing so through propaganda glamorizing the Great War. Being cold and wet and watching men die around you and better make sure you have a gas mask.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The stories of the two poems are very contrasting, they oppose one another quite obviously. One about the horrors of war, one about how much 'fun' it is. Both poems serve a purpose and perform to it very well, using all kinds of techniques to encourage or discourage young men to join the army. The storyline of 'Who's for the game' is telling of how great the war is and how you simply can't miss out. This is meant to attract young soilders to join the army and fight in the first world war. She makes the war seem like a big fun game by using lines like “Who's for the game, the biggest thats played, the red crashing game of a fight?” This entices the young men as they think that the war will be fun and a laugh but also honourable and noble to take part in. It makes it seem like a sort of game and men are persuaded to join in. In contrast 'Dulce et decorum est' has a very different theme and story. The poem tells of an experience of a soldier during an attack in World War One. The mood of the poem is sadness. Sadness could be too weak a word to describe the poem but is still the main emotion that comes to heart. The horrors of WW1 and trench warfare are involved in "Dulce et Decorum Est". The fact that Owen experienced the war himself really makes you think how horribly the war was. The story is also supposed to make everyone realise the loss and pain that the war creates and to discourage men to recrute as it would be a waste of life. It is very effective because if someone read the words “all went lame, all blind.” they would not want that to happen to them and would probably less inclined to join the war.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poet’s purpose of writing this poem was to reflect and acknowledge his guilt for the mistreatment of his late wife. The persona reflects and contemplates on his behavior towards his wife while she was alive ‘Her who but lately – Had shivered with pain’ and his yearning to be reunited with her again ‘Would I lay there – And she were housed there! – Or better, together… We both, - who would stray there’ Hardy acknowledges that his love was lost – his mistreatment to his late wife ‘Her who but lately – Had shivered with pain’ and was found again, unfortunately too late…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A large part of the poem is the repetition. This repetition of certain phrases creates a rhythm not unlike the galloping of horse’s hooves on the ground. This creates a feeling of verisimilitude and provides an authentic experience for the reader. The repeated phrase, “Cannon to the right of them/Cannon to the left of them/Cannon in front of them.” suggests that they were surrounded by enemies on all sides. The sentence also suggests the large imbalance of numbers on the British side compared to the Russians. This emphasises the victory at the end of the poem.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Flanders Fields

    • 525 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The poem, In Flanders Field by John McCrae, explains the emotions of the soldiers who fought in World War 1. McCrae demonstrates this with the words he uses to set the changing tone of this poem. The poem switches from pride to depressing and then to a warning which shows how quickly emotions can change in the course of war. In addition to the tone of the poem the theme is also thought provoking.…

    • 525 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Flanders Fields

    • 1833 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The poem, “In Flanders Fields” written by Canadian John McCrae remains one of the most important and memorable pieces of war poems ever written. John McCrae came from a respectable family and became a soldier/ doctor/ author/ teacher. Though he wrote textbooks on medicine and numerous poems he will be forever remembered as being the voice of the many who had fallen during WWI. “In Flanders Field,” stirred the hearts of soldiers and their family’s everywhere- not just Canada. In a simple language and with flowing verse it vividly evoked the situation and emotions of the front line troops. John McCrae’s poem later inspired the poppy to become the symbol of Remembrance and sacrifice.…

    • 1833 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    my heart will go on

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thomas Hardy was an English author, novelist and poet, who is mainly known for his contribution in the naturalist movement. Though he always regarded himself as a poet and claimed poems as his first love, they are not as popular as novels composed by him. Hardy's huge popularity lies in the large volume of work, together known as the Wessex stories. These novels, plotted in a semi-fictional place, Wessex outline the lives of people struggling against their passion and the adverse conditions. Most of his works reflect his stoical glumness and sense of cataclysm in human life. As both poet and author, Hardy displayed his mastery in dealing with themes of disappointment in love and life, human suffering and all-powering fate. Most of his works are set in the milieu of social tragedy, injustice and evil laws and often have a fatalistic end, with many of the characters falling prey to the unanticipated conditions. Among his most important works are novels Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native Wessex…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays