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Hourglass16

  • Last seen on Sep 14 12:20 PM. Member since September 13.
  • I am a 17 year old person
  • I have 2 comments, 5 poems, 1 story

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  • A Strange Affair - Prologue at storywrite
    It was a dark evening in early October; the sun had set hours before, leaving a pale half-moon in its place, and the customary biting cold

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  • on Who's for the Game? by Jessie Pope, on September 13
    'Dulce et Decorum Est' was actually written as a response to this poem, as Owen found Pope's lack of realism and her ignorance on the subject of losses in war to be insensitive and distasteful. You're right about it being the complete opposite to Pope's work because that's how it was intended! Pope wrote propaganda, whereas Owen's poetry was always gritty and honest. In my opinion, this makes him the better poet.

  • on Who's for the Game? by Jessie Pope, on September 13
    This poem is good in its own way, and was clearly an effective way of recruiting people to the war effort but let's face it: this is propaganda. Pope was employed by the government to churn out rallying poems that completely downplayed the horrors of war and the death that went hand-in-hand with a battle of this magnitude. Though she was well-respected before the war began, this poem, along with others that played up the apparent "heroism" of war, caused many to lose this respect for her. However, she was just doing her job and may not have in fact believed in what she was saying (though this does not redeem her). The way that she plays to the audiences weaknesses - a male not wanting to be seen as a coward and perhaps longing for the chance to fight for his country - is extremely clever, but there is too much of an emphasis on the untrue here. "Who would rather come back with a crutch / Than lie low and be out of the fun?" - Pope is suggesting that the worst that can happen here is a broken leg, when the reality is far more grim. She was indeed a talented poet but her motivation was misplaced and that is what makes this poem what it is.