I am not a fan of poetry and especially not poems that are short and to the point. To me, it makes it harder to find the author’s purpose of the poem in just a few lines. Essentially, because the author wants the reader to indicate the several meanings in a poem without adding so much detail. When reading the directions of the poem, then reading the poem title itself, I was able to grasp that the poem would be about the military or people of the military. Which would make sense, given that we are currently reading the novel Catch-22.
Upon reading and analyzing the poem, my inferences were correct. In just ten lines, the author described the stages of being in war through a speaker who experienced it or even assumes how war is. There was a lot of visual imagery used in the poem, obviously to get the reader to paint a picture of what is happening to convey the speaker’s attitude. For starters, the speaker seems as if they wish they were a General or Colonel, “guzzling and gulping in the best hotel” (5), assuming that the Colonels and Generals get the best treatment. As well as the speaker describing the training and treatment of younger soldiers, “And speed glum heroes up the line to death” (3). Both uses of imagery contradict themselves because it seems as though older soldiers train younger soldiers to their death. Indicating that the sole purpose of a General in war is to relax and watch younger soldiers complete every task in battle. The speaker of this poem has a negative or sarcastic attitude towards the epithets of war. Conveying that the trials and tribulations that young soldiers go through in war do not compare to Generals or Colonels. In the two ending lines of the poem is where the bigger picture is found, “when the war is done and youth stone dead” (9), he experienced war and experienced younger soldiers dying; “I’d toddle safely home and die—in bed.” (10), older soldiers then get to die in the comforts of their home. The overall message is to criticize the mistreatment of younger soldiers in war. The sarcasm of the speaker is to convey the irony in the soldiers who sacrifice themselves to become manipulated by older soldiers in war.
I love how you open up your post by just speaking to your audience. It's often easy for writers to take this root and become too colloquial in their language. However, you used the art of conversation to segue perfectly into you main body. I also like how you made a connection with Catch-22. Not many others have done this. We shared many of the same views as far as the writer's purpose and how Sassoon used poetic devises to convey that meaning. However, I never thought about his use of sarcasm. I would have liked to see more elaboration and analysis in your post as well as some way to directly connect the audience to what you're saying. Perhaps adding a personal anecdote or something along those lines would have encouraged the reader to be more involved in your writing. Besides that, I thought you presented many unique points and supported them with apt textual evidence.
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ReplyDeleteI liked the hook of your blog post as many readers can relate to the struggles of reading poetry-and not only short poems! Anthony did something similar in his blog, but it was cool to see different reasons why people have issues interpreting poetry when they first read it. There was a line in your blog post that I didn't agree with (you kind of fixed it by the end but I thought it was worth noting). I don't think that Sassoon wishes he was a high ranked officer in the military; I believe that he was simply saying that if he was one he would be a glutton, out of shape, uncaring and so on. Also, i wish you had a done a little comparison to Catch-22! That would have been an amazing blog post. The poem and the novel are making criticism of war and bureaucracy and although you mentioned the novel you didn't really address it. It would have been great to see! I liked your analysis of visual imagery and how it revealed the poet's attitude, I just wish there was more of an explanation of how the poet used that device to convey his message. But, overall great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view on the difficulty of short poems, but such poems also allow us to challenge ourselves. Your view on the use of imagery parallels with the element I picked out form the poem: juxtaposition. Therefore, I understand your point of view on this poem, and open my eyes to some new ideas. To me, visual imagery is more difficult for me to explain because I am not good describing a scene. However, your analysis not only paint a picture of the poem, but also how you perceive as a writer. Certainly, it would be interesting to see how your and Anthony’s analysis on visual imagery are similar and different. While I was reading your post, this came up in my mind: if the generals keep training the soldiers and sent them to death, their position is secured. Thus, the generals can continue to enjoy luxurious treatment. However, how did the generals become generals in the first place? Maybe some generals were lucky to survive from the war or maybe they were raised in a prosperous family and were promote to general immediately. This will be a mystery!!
ReplyDeleteI liked the beginning of your blog post! I too struggle with poems that are so short, that they do not give any ideas for anyone to bounce off of. I do feel as though your first paragraph was a great way to start off your post, especially with what else you had in store. I love how you made a great inference of what the poem could possibly be about war. I was not even able to make that connection so I commend you for pointing that out. Delving into your analysis, I do think that you presented some really unique and valid points. How Sassoon's use of visual imagery enabled the audience to view how the Major's of the Base have better treatment than the lower-ranked soldiers. One piece of criticism I have is that I wish that your introductory paragraph went full circle with your closing. Maybe you could have made a direct comparison between Catch-22 and Base Details. I am excited to see what you pull out of your sleeve next. Good Job!
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