Rupert Brooke’s “The Soldier” embodies everything that it means to be a soldier of one’s country. The poem describes the last wishes of a soldier who is either going off to war or is in war. The soldier wants to be remembered as a loyal patriot of his country, he does not want anyone to mourn his death.
"If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;"
He wants everyone to know that where ever he may die, he died as an Englishman, a loyal soldier to the motherland. He has such high regard for England that where ever he may die, not only will that spot be forever England, but the soil will be made richer because it was nourished with an Englishman.
I think this poem must have been a very emotional poem to have been read by English families of soldiers at war in World War I. The first war where so many families lost loved ones and so many families were without the men for so long. Brooke goes on to explain about the things that make this soldier who he is
"A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home."
This describes the pleasures that England has given the soldier, the fresh countryside full of flowers and streams and crisp air; but it also reminds the readers of the letter what the soldier’s cause for fighting is, he wants to preserve these great things for the next generation. He was able to take his England for granted, but now it is time to fight for what he has come to take for granted so that others may enjoy it as well.
The poem ends with a set of emotionally charged lines.
"Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given,
Her sights and sound; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven."
He is pouring out all the experiences that English has so kindly given him, and now rests at peace under an English heaven. This poem immortalizes what it is to be a true English soldier.
6 comments:
Andrew - Very nice posting on "The Soldier." I think you did an excellent job of articulating your interpretation of the poem. And the photo you posted adds to the feeling of the poem. Well done!
Andrew,
Very good, appreciative exploration of Brooke's poem. It might have been interesting to juxtapose it with a poem by Owen or Sassoon, though. Brooke's poem seems incomplete without a contrasting view of a soldier.
Andrew,
I enjoyed your analysis of The Soldier. It was interesting to read this poem about a soldier in this period. Do you think todays soldiers have lost the sense of patriotism in the poem, or do you think this was just a romanticized view of soldiers?
awesome first quote and I really enjoyed your interpretation of this reading. agree
You did a great job at interpreting this poem. I found it interesting that you mentioned how the families involved must have felt. I also think the picture went well with this blog. Good Job!
I really enjoyed your enterpretation Andrew.
I wrote my own poem on a similar topic and would like to share.
The $oldiers
Planes fly over my bed when I am asleep.
They come from Markah, some unknown fleet.
Those poor soldiers, some mother’s sons,
Of them I don’t know what becomes.
They are probably off to some foreign land.
To fight for their country in foreign sand.
They must think it strange to be so far from home,
From their parents and families, all alone.
War is stupid, fighting is mad
The soldier kills, is that bad?
I hope that someday we will have peace.
Calm and quiet would be such a feast.
For now, those soldiers fly over my head.
They think it’s to keep people safe in their beds.
I know that they are wrong in the way that they think.
But the politicians that have sent them are the ones that stink.
By Imad Abujaber
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