WWI Poetry

Questions

This assignment will be a personal exploration of the devastating effects of World War I

through the eyes of poetry. Many of the poets contained in this anthology never survived to

see the end of the war; all were affected by this catastrophe in some way. Your job is to

choose one poet and to analyze his/her poetry through three selections. Please follow the steps

below.

1. Choosing your poet(s):

Scan the biographies of the poets in this anthology, and take a quick glance at their poems, maybe

check out the title and first line or two. Then choose one poet and write your choice at the top of

your paper. (Okay, can you choose more than one poet? Sure! Just realize you will have to read 3

biographies instead of just 1.) On the lines below, identify the area of the war in which your poet

was involved (years, geographic location, particular battles, etc.). Feel free to match this section up

to any lecture info from last week!! : )

2. Read & understand the poems:

Jot down each title (you need 3 poems total) and provide a brief summary (in your own words) of

what each poem is about. Remember, when analyzing poetry, the comprehension level comes first!

And this may require using a dictionary, or reading through the poems more…than…ONCE!! :0

3. Analyze the poems:

1. Literary techniques:

a. What literary devices do you notice in each poem? (See page 3 for a bit of guidance

with this section!) List the techniques with examples from each poem! Perhaps a

chart might work well here…

b. What literary devices are conspicuously absent? Why do you think that is? Perhaps

the content of the poem might give you a clue…

c. Is there a connection or pattern between the three poems? Gasp! The chart might

come in handy right about now…!

d. How well does the poet use these elements to get their message and tone across to

you, the reader?

2. What view of the war does each of these poems show you? (For instance, the home

front, life in the trenches, dealing with personal loss, physical injuries, etc.) Is there a

connection or pattern between the three in content or tone?

3. What images of the soldiers (if applicable), or the speaker, do you get from these three

poems?

4. Personal interpretation:

1. After reading the author biography information, how did this change the way you read

his/her poetry? Why did this biography information affect you – or not?

2. In your own words, summarize the intent of your WWI poet(s) – why did they write

these pieces of literature? What was their purpose? In your opinion, do they

successfully achieve their intent? How so?

3. What was your personal reaction upon first reading this collection?

4. Which poem would you rank as the top choice from the three? What about this poem

speaks to you? How does it communicate to you? Which lines, in particular, caused

you to pause – in wonder or in horror? Why?

5. Is poetry a fitting medium to discuss the horrors of war? Why or why not? Is there a

better medium (even modern ones) in which to discuss war issues?

6. After reading this small sampling of WWI poetry, do you think citizens should be

pressed into war (like these guys who were drafted to fight in The Great War) to support

a country’s cause? Explain your thoughts as related to the poems you read. Feel free to

compare & contrast to the boys in AQWF!

** Yes, these are big, complex questions! So yes, you should give a rather complex answer. I

would expect a short paragraph for each, with examples and quotations from the poems to support

your thoughts and opinions. Please keep your answers grouped in the 4 steps above and correctly

numbered (as per this handout), for my convenience.

Levels of study for poetry analysis

I. Inner structure

a) free verse or a set rhyme scheme

b) line length

c) stanza length

c) punctuation usage (or lack thereof)

II. Sound effects

a) repetition

b) onomatopoeia

c) alliteration / assonance

d) rhyme

i) end

ii) internal

iii) slant

III. Tone

a) attitude toward the subject

b) attitude toward the audience

d) point of view/narration

e) style

i) diction

ii) imagery

iii) figurative language

1) simile

2) metaphor

3) personification

4) symbolism

5) hyperbole

6) oxymoron

7) irony

IV. Interpretation

a) Title: why this title? What does it mean in relation to the poem itself?

b) Subject choice: what is the poem about?

c) Speaker: is the speaker identified? What do you know about him/her?

d) Purpose and overall meaning: what is the poet ultimately saying?

e) Your personal response: well, did you like it or not??