War_Poetry_Comparison

Exploring the differences in the presentation of war between: ‘In Flanders Field’ by John McCrae and ‘Who’s for the Game'’ by Jessie Pope Throughout the duration of the First World War, a great deal of poetry was written to reflect the time. Some poems delivered messages of pro-war persuasion, whilst others tried to expose the bleaker realities of what war was really like. Jessie Pope was an English writer and journalist who is now best known for her patriotic poetry during the First World War. She wrote in a jingoistic style which revealed a ‘gung ho’ attitude to a war that, due to her gender, she could scarcely have participated in or had any realistic picture of. ‘Who’s for the Game'’ is propaganda in the form of verse; it takes a subtly accusatory tone, denying and completely trivialising the horrors of the war experience. ‘Who knows it won’t be a picnic – not much – yet eagerly shoulders a gun’. Out of context, the poem appears as a sales pitch but, however insensitive it may seem today, her attitude was not uncommon in the early 1900’s. Pope uses many technical devices in order to manipulate the reader into fulfilling the poem’s aim – to volunteer for duty. ‘Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid' … And who thinks he’d rather sit tight' … Than lie low and be out of the fun'’; the rhetorical questions are targeted at young men who would be eligible to sign up and fight. The accusatory tone taken in various lines could have been used to invoke guilt in young men who felt unwilling to sign up for the war. In addition, she also appeals to the reader’s patriotism and gallantry by personifying Britain in the female gender, ‘and she’s looking and calling for you’; juxtaposing the two contrasting attitudes of the man who would rather ‘sit tight ‘as opposed to the man who ‘would much rather come back with a crutch than lie low and be out of the fun’ makes young men think about the impression they are creating by not recruiting for the war. Pope likens competitive games and heroism to war, as she thinks it will make fighting seem more attractive to men. ‘Who’s for the Game'’ and other poems like it tried to promote motivational messages; they were part of war-supportive propaganda. By contrast, John McCrae was a Canadian physician, poet and soldier during World War 1. He is known for the writing of the famous memorial poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, which depicts the aftermath of a horrific battle. Rather than delivering a message which has a particular objective, McCrae’s aim is to portray the cruel reality of life and death in war. ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow’ –the blowing of poppies could be symbolic of the fallen men; although they are dead, their memory is still alive because the poppies grow from the earth in which they are buried. ‘Short days ago we lived’ reminds the reader of how quickly life can cease to exist. In ‘saw sunset glow’, the use of a sunset as a symbol of death is effective and links to how short life can be - it is only a matter of time until night sets in. Caesuras are added in lines of the poem to leave room for reflection after bold sentences such as ‘We are the Dead.’ Writing from beyond the grave gives an eerie quality that is intended to deliver a jarring impact. Unlike Pope, McCrae had first-hand experience of the war and therefore his perception was not idealised. Pope completely fails to grasp the statistically shocking loss of life and the awful way in which it was lost. She presents war as if it is something exciting, comparable to a competitive game in which men can engage and hope to return home victorious, bearing trophies. McCrae meanwhile, tries to contrast this false idealisation with the horror and sadness of what actually took place. Though he acknowledges the nobility of the soldiers, he conveys the misery and ugliness of war.