War Literature

I think that there are many reasons why people write war literature why it has been around so many years. There are many purposes to this kind of text and it affects people in different ways. Throughout time war literature was about the legendary stories to be passed down from generation to generation. Many of the early literature has been about the glory of war and the heroes that come from these great battles. This was a theme that was common throughout many of the stories even up until the medieval times. Literature has always been a way for historians to record stories and history so that the culture of a society could remain for years to come. War literature has always been an outlet of expressing the intense feelings of war and throughout time it has changed because of the advancement of technology. War literature is used as a way for soldiers to express their feelings throughout war, when they don’t have any other ways of expressing themselves during those times. Also war literature is a way for those who are families to those soldiers to have a way to have some comfort as they are home. War literature isn;t only written by soldiers anymore, or witnesses of war. They are written by anyone that has been affected by war in any way. 

For Johnny – John Pudney

“For Johnny-in-the-cloud;
And keep your tears
For him in after years.”

This excerpt comes from the poem For Johnny by John Pudney. It is clear to decipher in this poem that it is a eulogy for a soldier named Johnny. You can also say that the name Johnny is just a generic soldier name so it could be a eulogy for any family who has lost a loved one because of war. In the quoted text it says that Johnny is in the clouds, which could be a comparison to heaven or whatever afterlife place that someone enters. And it instructs the reader to not cry for the time you live without Johnny. This poem wants the reader to realize that Johnny is in a better place now and that he is finally at peace eternally. It also asks that his family is taken care of and that his presence always be felt because he will always be with them in everything that they do. Many families can relate to this type of poem, but it is definitely a lot easier to say then to actually not feel sad when you lose a loved one. 

I am Goya – Andrei Voznesensky

“I am the tongue
of war, the embers of cities
on the snows of the year 1941
I am hunger”

This excerpt comes from the poem I am Goya by Andrei Voznesensky. Goya was a surrealist painter for King Charles IV and Goya was a very famous painter who is known for his great paintings depicting war. For the position he was in, he saw a lot of war, destruction and terrible things that come from the struggles of war. This writer Voznesensky is in a comparable position to Goya in the sense that he is also witnessing many of these terrors of war. However, instead of painting what he sees, he expresses his art through writing. We see here in this poem he talks about the fires from war, the climate during the war, and how many are starved as a result of the circumstances. He says “I am Goya” in this poem multiple times because he may be using that as a metaphor to his experiences of witnessing war and having to express about it. 

Sonnets from China – W.H. Auden

“For living men in terror of their lives,
Who thirst at nine who were to thirst at noon,
And can be lost and are, and miss their wives,
And, unlike an idea, can die too soon.”

This excerpt is from a poem by W.H. Auden titled Sonnets from China. I feel like this a poem about how unpredictable war is and how everything is constantly changing by the minute. Everyone in war doesn’t have a set schedule and they play things as they come along. Many soldiers are constantly thinking about so many different things and it can really mess with their minds. They are constantly worried for their life, obviously because they are in a war and can be bombed at any time. With no way of escaping a very painful and bloody death. Also as they are scared for their lives, they are thinking about their wives and family. This is a heavy burden that can really destroy the mind of any person. The coupling of these two things, and trying to feed yourself is very difficult. Like stated in the last line of the excerpt, sometimes people hold on to ideas of what they may think is perfect outcomes for a situation, and those hopeful ideas last longer then the actual lives of the soldiers. 

The Wilderness – Sidney Keyes

“Where the wind saws at the bluffs
And the pebble falls like thunder
I shall watch the clawed sun
Tear the rocks asunder.”

This poem is titled The Wilderness by Sidney Keyes that describes the landscape that the speaker is currently in. When i read this poem I get a sense that the speaker is suffering and is realizing that the wilderness is currently a very dangerous enemy. He describes the winds and the tortuous sun that he endures day in and day out. He describes the sun being so viscous that it “tears the rocks asunder.” He also describes the conditions as being extremely windy because he says that the “pebbles fall like thunder” so I think that he is in a desert like area where there is a lot of sand and the pebbles are being blown around like a sandstorm. With his description of the hot sun and the windy sandstorms, it gives me the impression that he is in a desert. Sometimes during war the greatest enemy that the soldier faces isn’t the opposing soldiers themselves, but the extreme cold, heat, wetness, or dry areas in which they are in. 

When a beau goes in – Gavin Ewart

“When a Beau goes in,
Into the drink,
It makes you think,
Because, you see, they always sink
But nobody says ‘Poor lad’
Or goes about looking sad
Because, you see, it’s war,
It’s the unalterable law.”

This is a poem titled When a Beau Goes In by Gavin Ewart that can mean one of a couple different things. In this poem it starts out with mentioning a beau going in to something, and then it says into a drink. By definition a beau can mean two different things, one it can be a plane, or two it can be a boyfriend or male young man of some kind. I take this poem using the meaning as a young man who has seen the destruction of war and has been greatly affected by its sites and experiences. When it says “Into the drink” I imagine that the soldier has resulted to drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism because of his past. It continues to say that no one says “poor lad” because he may in some way still look like a solder, whether it be by the clothing that he wears or by the wounds he has suffered. When someone sees a young solider who has returned from combat, they do not judge him for being an alcoholic because they feel as if he has a logical reason to be an alcoholic (the reason being war). However it shouldn’t be like that, and the writer says that this type of thing will never change because it is the “unalterable law.” It has been like this for many years and will probably continue to be for many years. 

Roy Fuller – The Middle of a War

“The original turns away; as horrible thoughts,
Loud fluttering aircraft slope above his head
At dusk. The ridiculous empires break like biscuits.”

This poem is titled The Middle of a War by Roy fuller, and it describes the atmosphere of the war. It sounds like it is coming from a soldier that is scared for his life, and is already accepting his fate. In this poem, the soldier seems like the whole idea of war is terrible and that no one can escape their fate. He describes the loud and terrifying sounds of the war, and how they are going over his head. This makes me think that he is right in the center of the war. He describes the destruction of the great cities and how these things are very easily torn apart. He compares them to biscuits which is a great comparison because when you think about a biscuit, you think about soft easily torn things. Which is crazy to think about great and powerful buildings and structures that seem like they are so strong and sturdy. 

Anonymous

“Eyes of Men thinking, hoping, waiting
Eyes of men loving, cursing, hating
The eyes of the wounded sodden in red
The eyes of the dying and those of the dead.”

When I read this excerpt from the poem titled Anonymous, I think of someone watching a battle going on while watching in terror. I feel like it could be a nurse, random civilian, or a solider who was on his last night, knowing he was going to die during this battle. It seems like the person writing this is in complete acceptance that he is going to die. You can tell a lot about a person by looking in their eyes, so when I read this excerpt it reminds me of the eyes that people get during different situations. It is amazing to me that the eyes can tell a lot about a person. Just the smallest changes in the eyes can tell if a person is furious, sad, genuinely happy, or really scared. For something that is so small on a human body, you can really learn about a person during serious situations when things really matter. 

Where are the War Poets? – Cecil Day Lewis

“They who in folly or mere greed
Enslaved religion, markets, laws,
Borrow our language now and bid
Us to speak up in freedom’s cause.

It is the logic of our times,
No subject for immortal verse — 
That we who lived by honest dreams
Defend the bad against the worse.”

In this poem titled Where are the War Poets by Cecil Day Lewis, it seems like it is a solider speaking who is fighting for a cause in which he truly does not believe in. From the context of this poem I feel like he is from a land where his people were taken over by an invading army at some point in time. Once they were taken over, they had to adjust to the religion, markets, laws, and overall lifestyle of the conquering army. I get this from the beginning lines of the poem that mention how they are enslaved but must speak up and fight for their new freedom’s cause from now on out. It may be freedom in the government’s eyes, but for what this writer was used to, it feels like he is enslaved. In the quoted text, we see that the solider who probably really enjoyed his life before his land was conquered must now defend his land against another army who is trying to invade his land. He already hates the government that took over his old one, because of all the changes that they have made to his culture, but now he must defend that culture so that the new invaders do not come in and do the same thing. He sees his current government as “bad” people, but sees the new invaders as the “worse.” He says that his people were once one of “honest dreams” but now it seems like they are just trying to survive and keep whatever culture they have left. This is a common thing that happened during these times, there are many instances throughout history when lands would be invaded just for the expansion of power, call it greed or call it “fun” for the conquerors. This type of thing still happens today, for example the conflict that is going on with Russia. 

Unseen Fire – R.N. Currey

“I sweat down here before a symbol thrown
Upon a screen, sift facts, initiate
Swift calculations and swift orders; wait
For the precise split-second to order fire.”

This poem titled Unseen Fire by R.N. Currey presents a startling and unique perspective of the daily activities and thought processes of war. In this poem, it is a personal diary type poem because the speaker if this poem is using “I” throughout the entire poem, so it let’s you see inside the mind of this particular soldier. This particular excerpts deals with the constant activities of the soldiers as they are in battle. They have to make quick decisions and have to constantly be doing something or waiting for an order to be made. They are always on alert and there is never a time where they can relax. Even when they are not physically doing something, they are still mentally doing something because they have to pay so much attention to their environment, and make the quickest and smartest decisions on a dime. I think it is significant that he uses the words “I sweat down here” because it shows that they are definitely uncomfortable and it was important enough for him to mention it. When i read this entire poem I get a sense from the speaker that he is very agitated with war because he is listing all of the things that he has to do on a daily basis back to back. He also starts the poem saying, “This is a damned inhuman sort of war.” I can definitely see how war would completely destroy your nerves, especially because there are enemies out there whose mission it is, is to kill you.