Women Poetry of world war one - 1575 Words

Women Poets of the First World War During the First World War, many women began writing about their experiences and their opinions of the war. However their works have been given less importance as compared to the Literature written by Men of the time. ‘Even while poetry is arguably the most central of women’s war time genre, readers have often found it disappointingly backward-looking in both style and subject matter’ (Blucks, 89) While looking at the works of Women poets we find a variation in themes ranging from those who encouraged men to fight the war to those who fought the war themselves and despised it. This research paper attempts to study the different kinds of poetry written by women and the themes they express. ‘The†¦show more content†¦One such poem that expressed these themes is The Wind on the Downs by Marian Allen. This poem was written to her Fiancà ©, Arthur Greg who died in the war. The poem expresses her struggle to cope with the news of his death- ‘You have not died, it is not true, instead You seek adventure in some other place’, a feeling that was faced by most women on the home front. Men on the war front often suffered horrible deaths, many of whom, the bodies were never found. Their loved ones at home therefore had no closure. The lines of Vera Brittain’s Perhaps expresses the same idea when she says – ‘..though kind Time may many joys renew, There is one greatest joy I shall not know Again, because my heart for loss of You Was broken, long ago.’ Her poem expresses deep feelings of loss because life might go on as usual for her and everyone around by her loved one will not be there to enjoy it with her. Many of the women were insistent on being on the war front. They may have felt subordinated or may have been carried away by the idea of the war or maybe just wanted to be useful first world war is notable for having transformed woman’s role of a mere spectator of a male event into one active participant at various levels, in the war behind. Therefore some did go to war and worked on various levels. ‘Female feats went unrecorded; occasionally they got a mention in the papers’ (Khan, 133). A range of poetry was also a cry for much needed respect that ought to be givenShow MoreRelatedUniversity Of Oxford English Professor, Dr. Stuart Lee1318 Words   |  6 Pagesthe First World War was one of the seminal moments of the twentieth century in which literate soldiers, plunged into inhuman conditions, reacted to their surroundings in poems. Lee’s statement identifies the role played by First World War poetry played in not only commemorating the Great War but also allowing scholars to gain an insight into the brutalities of the conflict through this literature available. This essay will agree with the statement that First World War poetry has become one of theRead MoreIntroduction to Eavan Boland755 Words   |  4 PagesBoland is introduced to us as one of the most important poets in modern Irish literature. She is commended for her interest in  feminist  issues throughout her work, in particular the role of women society. In her poetry she expresses a more accurate view on the contributions and achievements of women in Irish history.Bolands early poems were about domestic issues such as marriage and children. Boland also  showed an interest in the role of women in Irish literature and society. In  Child of ourRead MorePotrayal of Women in The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, and The Renaissance992 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the three literary periods: The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, and The Renaissance; women have been portrayed and treated in different ways. The Iliad by Homer is about the Trojan War fought by the Achaeans and Trojans which was over the capturing of the wife of King Menelaus, Helen of Troy, by Paris. In The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, it is about a group of 29 people who are all on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to worship St. Thomas’s shrine; however, as Chaucer describes all these typesRead MoreAnna Akhmatov The Russian Antigone1023 Words   |  5 Pagesof the other women of her time. â€Å" Anna Akhmatova was the leader and heat and soul of Saint Petersburg tradition of Russian Poetry in the course of the first half of the twentieth century.†(New World Encyclopedia 1). Along with being a poet, Akhmatova also wrote prose, litera ry scholarships, memoirs, and autobiographical pieces. In her 77 years of living Anna Akhmatova accomplished so much she went down as one of the greatest Russian poets and an inspiration for women all over the world. Anna AkhmatovaRead MoreJessie Pope War Women Analysis1582 Words   |  7 PagesMasculinity and Femininity in Jessie Pope’s war poems: â€Å"War Girls† and â€Å"The Call† The world wars have greatly impacted modern British literature in the 20th century. There were many poems written about the period of war; some showed them in a positive light and some negative. Gender roles, gender relations on what means to be a man or a woman impacted greatly during this time. In particular with World War I, women in large numbers took over jobs in the homeland while the men were out fighting. QuestionsRead MoreThe Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot857 Words   |  4 PagesT.S. Eliot transformed the traditional poetry form into a more modern style. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888. At the age of 25, Eliot moved to England where he began his career as a poet. Eliot greatly attracted the modernist movement, which was poetry written in the reaction of Victorian poetry. His first poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, was known as one of the most famous pieces of the Modernist movement. In his poetry, Eliot combines themes such as aridityRead Mo reEssay on T.s. Eliot And Society1454 Words   |  6 Pagesrole in society. Many things occurred during these eighty five years that accounted for a great social change. Among these things were World War I, the Civil Rights Movement, prohibition, women suffrage, and the Great Depression. Particularly after World War I and during women’s suffrage, society’s standpoint on certain issues changed dramatically. After World War I, people’s attitudes swung with high expectations for themselves but were soon lowered after the economy’s fall. During women’s suffrageRead More Felicia Hemans and Jane Taylor Essay1093 Words   |  5 Pagesliteracy world of the 19th century saw an emergence of female writers into the male dominated profession of poetry. Many men felt as though their profession was being invaded. They resented women entering the public sphere. This mentality in part helped influence which women were able to write and what they wrote about. Fe licia Hemans and Jane Taylor are both women poets that emerged during the 19th century. Both women have used their poetry to help expand on traditional notions of romantic poetry duringRead MoreBritish World War I And Wilfred Owen s `` Anthem For Doomed Youth ``941 Words   |  4 PagesBritish World War I soldiers Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon both have a similar approach to World War I poetry, however, Owen is the more effective writer. Owen’s poetry is heavily influenced by Sassoon’s, but Sassoon’s poetry entails very gruesome imagery in great detail. In Owen’s poems, he describes the pleasures of life being deadened because of the war and denies the expectations of the war from society. Sassoon’s poems are far more depressing and visual with descriptive words but seem toRead MoreWar Poems954 Words   |  4 PagesWar is a time of violence, protest, death and pain for many people around the world. With this conflict, a lot of poetry is wri tten because poetry is one of the most common ways for people to put across their feelings about situations. War is one of these situations for which many people have very strong feelings. A common theme in war poetry is the transformation that war brings about in a person. Many poems reveal boys going into war and becoming young men after the experience. Another dominant