World War I

I really enjoyed reading "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke. I felt the poem carefully and truthfully captured the mind and heart of many soldiers during his time and even now.

The poem begins when the speaker openly accepts that he may die due to his services as a soldier: "If I should die, think only this of me:/ That there's some corner of a foreign field/ That is forever England" (1-3). The opening line of this poem is beautiful and shoots straight for the heart. This soldier knows that he may die in battle. Rather than lament this dreary outcome, the speaker proudly proclaims that if he dies, he will remain a part of England and be buried in the earth. The speaker conveys his pride for this country, thus showing the reader that dying is a small price to pay for England.

As the poem continues by giving credit to all those men and women who may/will die as a result of fighting in the great war. He honors them by saying "There shall be/ In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;/ A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware..." (3-5). The speaker in the poem explains that those who are fighting for their country, and thus exhibiting great loyalty, are even more special than the ground in which they lay. The speaker obviously loves his country, but appreciates the people who die in the war even more; he respects them greatly and in showing his regard, further reveals why his death would not be a total loss. Furthermore, I really enjoyed reading lines five through eight because the speaker explains in great detail why the soldiers are so prideful and how their country influenced their lives: "England...Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,/ A body of Englands, breathing English air/ Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home" (5-8). The speaker gives thanks to England for the many blessings he has received from the flowers to the rivers and thus conveys why soldiers are willing to risk their lives. He reveals many reasons why English soldiers love their home and even in death, pay tribute to the beauty and life that England possesses.

The last part of the poem is my favorite part because the speaker focuses his thought on those who have passed: "And think, this heart, all evil shed away,/ A pulse in the Eternal mind, no less/ Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given..." (9-11). The speaker reveals that these fallen soldiers do not blame England or covet the lives of the living; rather, they feel they are giving something back to England for the previously mentioned ways the country gave to them. Giving their lives, from this prospective, is a small contribution in the way of England's beauty and natural blessings. The speaker further describes the fond memories of the lost soldiers as they recall "...Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness" (12-13). In this passage, the speaker shows the human aspects of what the soldier will cherish forever in death. It is not only the beauty in nature that the fallen soldiers appreciate, but the livelihood of the people. These soldiers were able to experiences all of these wonderful things because they lived in such a great country. For that reason, those memories will always be "...In hearts at peace, under an English heaven" (14). The soldiers are not left feeling they missed out on life or left things unfinished at war, but rather the speaker conveys that these soldiers were "at peace." This image is very powerful and bittersweet. No country or body of people want to see soldiers being killed; through the calming and reminiscent tone Brooke uses in the poem, the reader is encouraged and in ways, inspired.

According to Brooke's history, "The Soldier" was one poem that made him memorable. This poem "...meshed perfectly with the temperament of the British people as the nation entered into war" (1097). People liked reading this poem because it gave them comfort as they confronted the possibility of their loved ones passing away. The poem revealed the pride of a soldier's heart and eased the minds of those who were concerned about the war to come. What I wonder is if this poem would have been as successful if it appeared in in the middle or toward the end of the war as opposed to the early stages. England was hopeful at first, but after so many lives lost the people began to lose hope. I do not think people would have appreciated "The Soldier" as much if the reality of the war had already settled in upon it's publication.

During the midst of war in 2008, I am also interested in how this poem would affect our soldiers and their families today. I think much like that of Brooke's times, people would have been much more responsive at the beginning of the war. After so many lives lost and resources used, it is very difficult for many Americans to continue to support the "War on Terror." When the war began after 9-11, Americans were fired up and wanted to see action taken against the enemy. Unfortunately, problems have continued to escalate in the Middle East, and as a result, Americans are split on whether the war is even worth fighting anymore. I know one of my best friends, a Sergent in the US Army, still supports the war and would proudly give his life tomorrow if it meant defending the United States. He served in combat in Iraq for over two years. Thankfully, he is home again, but not without escaping many life-threatening events. He is an example to me and because of him and the sacrifices that he has made (including all soldiers of course), I can somehow relate to what Brooke wrote about the soldiers in England so long ago. Times have changed, but I think the pride of those who sever their country is still much the same.