Concetti Chiave
- Rupert Brooke, born in 1887, became a symbol of the "young romantic hero" due to his handsome looks and literary connections before dying in 1915.
- Brooke's war poetry, comprising five sonnets from 1914, suggests war is clean and purifying, focusing only on the body's suffering.
- The poem "The Soldier" by Brooke glorifies the honor of dying for one's country, showcasing his patriotic outlook on war.
- Wilfred Owen, born in 1893, wrote poetry based on his traumatic experiences in the trenches, emphasizing the horrors and suffering of war.
- Owen's use of assonances and alliterations provides a haunting quality to his poetry, contrasting sharply with Brooke's romanticized view of war.
What was Rupert Brooke's early life like?
Rupert Brooke was born in 1887 into a wealthy family. During his college education in Cambridge, he proved to be a good student and athlete becoming popular especially for his handsome looks.
He also was familiar with literary circles and met many social figures before the war.
Brooke actually didn't see a lot of the war, because of his death in 1915 in the Aegean Sea (blood poisoning).
Brooke’s reputation as a War Poet rests on his five war sonnets of 1914 in which he advanced the idea that war is clean and cleansing. He tried to testify the safeness of war in which the only thing that suffers is the body.
His poems are very traditional and show a sentimental attitude which wasn't common for War Poets.
After the publication of the war sonnets and his death, Brooke became the symbol of the “young romantic hero”.
The soldier by Brooke
The soldier is a poem written by Rupert Brooke in 1915, and talks about how proud people should be to die at war. He’s very patriotic and thinks that soldiers that fight for their land should be glorified. He says that even death isn't a big deal compared to the honor to fight.
Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in —
He was working as a teacher when he visited a hospital for wounded and decided to enlist in England. In 1917 he was sent to France after a couple months and was injured and sent to Craighlockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh. After his recover, Owen returned to the front in August 1918, but on Nov 4th, a couple days before the Armistice, he was killed.
His poems are painful in their accurate accounts of gas casualties. He used assonances and alliterations extensively. These “devices” gave his lines a haunting quality that made them suitable for any situation in which people must suffer and die.
Owen's war poetry
The poem was written by Wilfred Owen in 1920.
It’s based on the poet’s experience of the horrors of war in the trenches, and it is an attempt to communicate the “pity” of war to future generations. The Latin title means “it is sweet and honourable” but its ironic, because Owen’s vision of war is the opposite of Brooke’s.
Domande da interrogazione
- What distinguishes Rupert Brooke's war poetry from that of other War Poets?
- How does Wilfred Owen's portrayal of war differ from Rupert Brooke's?
Rupert Brooke's war poetry is characterized by its traditional style and sentimental attitude, which was uncommon among War Poets. His five war sonnets of 1914 present the idea that war is clean and cleansing, portraying it as a noble endeavor where only the body suffers. This contrasts with the more grim and realistic depictions of war by other poets like Wilfred Owen.
Wilfred Owen's portrayal of war starkly contrasts with Rupert Brooke's romanticized view. Owen's poetry, based on his experiences in the trenches, communicates the horrors and "pity" of war, using assonances and alliterations to convey the haunting reality of suffering and death. His work, such as the poem written in 1920, ironically titled with a Latin phrase meaning "it is sweet and honourable," highlights the grim truth of war, opposing Brooke's idealistic vision.
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