The_Lark_Above_The_Trenches

The Lark Above The Trenches An appreciation of “The lark above the trenches” by Muriel Elsie Graham Many poems written in response to the events of the 1914-19 war are the products of direct experience of the processes of war – making weapons, nursing the wounded, the loss of brothers, sons or lovers in the trenches – by women in active service in the battle areas as well as by women involved in the war effort at home. The range of this poetry is wide. It is often experimental and in advance of the male poetic response. Muriel Graham has been inspired to write this poem by the newspaper cutting presented at the beginning of the poem. Immediately by reading this epigraph we already recognise the contrast of the beautiful song of the lark with the terrible situation that these soldiers are in. In each stanza, this poem expresses a profound and sombre uncertainty for the soldiers. However, the contrast is reiterated at the end of each stanza, with the reminder of the lark’s song, and we have a glimmer of hope. The opening of the poem is very grim and negative. The repetition of “all” emphasises the drudgery lark, trenches, poem, war, song, men, hope, life, stanza, seeds, contrast, very, suggests, situation, negative, death, above, wounded, word, women, winter, uncertainty, terrible, something, soldiers, sense, response, reiterated, people, optimism, often, new, muriel, lives