World war I (1914 – 1918)
A brief history: As many of us know, World War one was started when the Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria – Hungary was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip who was from Serbia. Austria – Hungary, with the help from Germany, declared war on Serbia. However, Russia, Great Britain, France, and Belgium backed up Serbia. We know that the United States got involved later when Germany sank many American merchant ships. From our schooling experience, we know what happened in America, but we don’t know much about what happened in Britain.
So, what happened in Brittan? It is very possible that Great Brittan didn’t end up needing to go to war. According to Historyofengland.net they state that Brittan only went because of its allies. “Britain went to war in Europe, because it had a “Gentleman’s agreement with France and neutral Belgium which the Germans used to march through, as their best route to Paris. Britain also needed to defend their oil wells in Iran (Anglo Iranian petroleum company), which fueled the Navy and was eyed by the Germans for similar reasons. As soon as the Ottoman Turks joined the war the need for Britain to defend the Persian Oil Fields and the Suez Canal, which was the gateway to both the Oil fields and India, was vital” (History of England ). According to this site, Britain only needed to go to war just because France and Belgium were going and also to protect their oil interests.
As stated earlier, Brittan went to war to aid Belgium. After Germany invaded, the British decided to fight because of the Treaty of London (1839) which was signed between Brittan and Belgium. “When Britain entered World War One, it did so in the name of 19th century liberal values - the rights of small nations and the rule of law” (Hew, 2011).
What exactly did the British do? Britain fought in many battles during the first war. Some of them were in trenches in France while others were in the sea and in the air.
Notable British battles: First Battle of the Marne, Jutland, and the battle of Amiens (which is considered the battle that ended the Great War).
A brief history: As many of us know, World War one was started when the Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria – Hungary was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip who was from Serbia. Austria – Hungary, with the help from Germany, declared war on Serbia. However, Russia, Great Britain, France, and Belgium backed up Serbia. We know that the United States got involved later when Germany sank many American merchant ships. From our schooling experience, we know what happened in America, but we don’t know much about what happened in Britain.
So, what happened in Brittan? It is very possible that Great Brittan didn’t end up needing to go to war. According to Historyofengland.net they state that Brittan only went because of its allies. “Britain went to war in Europe, because it had a “Gentleman’s agreement with France and neutral Belgium which the Germans used to march through, as their best route to Paris. Britain also needed to defend their oil wells in Iran (Anglo Iranian petroleum company), which fueled the Navy and was eyed by the Germans for similar reasons. As soon as the Ottoman Turks joined the war the need for Britain to defend the Persian Oil Fields and the Suez Canal, which was the gateway to both the Oil fields and India, was vital” (History of England ). According to this site, Britain only needed to go to war just because France and Belgium were going and also to protect their oil interests.
As stated earlier, Brittan went to war to aid Belgium. After Germany invaded, the British decided to fight because of the Treaty of London (1839) which was signed between Brittan and Belgium. “When Britain entered World War One, it did so in the name of 19th century liberal values - the rights of small nations and the rule of law” (Hew, 2011).
What exactly did the British do? Britain fought in many battles during the first war. Some of them were in trenches in France while others were in the sea and in the air.
Notable British battles: First Battle of the Marne, Jutland, and the battle of Amiens (which is considered the battle that ended the Great War).
British Poetry of World War I
Siegfried Sassoon -
Born in 1886, Sassoon was one of the better-known British poets of WWI. He went to fight in the war when he was 28 years old and was considered to be a great war hero. The Norton Anthology of Literature says, “He fought at Mametz Wood and in Somme Offensive of July 1916 with such conspicuous courage that he acquired the Military Cross and the nickname Mad Jack” (148). After being injured in 1917, Sassoon began to write about the war and his disapproval of it. However, he returned to battle in 1918 but was wounded again shortly after that (149). A good amount of his poetry focused on war. These poems included They (1917), The General (1917), and The Glory of Women (1918).
Links to the poetry can be found here:
https://www.bartleby.com/135/20.html
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57217/the-general-56d23a7de4d1c
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57368/glory-of-women
Born in 1886, Sassoon was one of the better-known British poets of WWI. He went to fight in the war when he was 28 years old and was considered to be a great war hero. The Norton Anthology of Literature says, “He fought at Mametz Wood and in Somme Offensive of July 1916 with such conspicuous courage that he acquired the Military Cross and the nickname Mad Jack” (148). After being injured in 1917, Sassoon began to write about the war and his disapproval of it. However, he returned to battle in 1918 but was wounded again shortly after that (149). A good amount of his poetry focused on war. These poems included They (1917), The General (1917), and The Glory of Women (1918).
Links to the poetry can be found here:
https://www.bartleby.com/135/20.html
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57217/the-general-56d23a7de4d1c
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57368/glory-of-women
Isaac Rosenberg -
He lived only to be 28 years old and died in battle in 1918. Rosenberg joined the army in 1915 and wrote one of his better-known poems Break of Day in the Trenches in 1916. His style is one that was considered unique according to the Norton Anthology of Literature. “After his death his reputation steadily grew as an unusually interesting and original poet, who, though he did not lie to maturity, nevertheless broke new ground in imagery, rhythms, and handling of dramatic effects” (155).
Links to poetry can be found here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/13535/break-of-day-in-the-trenches
He lived only to be 28 years old and died in battle in 1918. Rosenberg joined the army in 1915 and wrote one of his better-known poems Break of Day in the Trenches in 1916. His style is one that was considered unique according to the Norton Anthology of Literature. “After his death his reputation steadily grew as an unusually interesting and original poet, who, though he did not lie to maturity, nevertheless broke new ground in imagery, rhythms, and handling of dramatic effects” (155).
Links to poetry can be found here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/13535/break-of-day-in-the-trenches
Wilfred Owen -
Another poet who died in the war in 1918. He went to war in 1917 and suffered from shell shock. He went to the same hospital as Siegfried Sassoon and the two became good friends (161). Owen wrote about the horrors of war as seen in his poem Dulce Et Decorum Est (1918) and Anthem for Doomed Youth (1917). Owen’s style was different than many poets at the time. According to the Anthology, Own created what is called a pararhyme. “This last technique, the rhyming of two words with identical or similar consonants but differing, stressed vowels (such as groined / groaned, killed / cold, hall / hell), of which the second is usually the lower in pitch, produces effects of dissonance, failure, and unfulfillment that subtly reinforce his themes”(161).
Links to poetry can be found here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47393/anthem-for-doomed-youth
Another poet who died in the war in 1918. He went to war in 1917 and suffered from shell shock. He went to the same hospital as Siegfried Sassoon and the two became good friends (161). Owen wrote about the horrors of war as seen in his poem Dulce Et Decorum Est (1918) and Anthem for Doomed Youth (1917). Owen’s style was different than many poets at the time. According to the Anthology, Own created what is called a pararhyme. “This last technique, the rhyming of two words with identical or similar consonants but differing, stressed vowels (such as groined / groaned, killed / cold, hall / hell), of which the second is usually the lower in pitch, produces effects of dissonance, failure, and unfulfillment that subtly reinforce his themes”(161).
Links to poetry can be found here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47393/anthem-for-doomed-youth
A close reading of Break of Day in the Trenches:
This poem is written from Rosenberg's point of view while in a trench. He sees a rat, touches it, and wonders if it will touch a German soldier’s hand later in the day. He speaks to the rat and says that soon it will be crossing terrane and seems to almost smile at the sight of men who have less of a chance to live than the rat itself. Rosenberg is describing one of the hardships of war without even describing the gruesome horrors that someone could associate with it. Rosenberg brings a sense of sadness into the poem just by saying that a worthless, dirty rat has a better chance of living than a human does.
Rosenberg also brings up a poppy, which is a type of flower. In one of my other blogs (https://jacobsethking.weebly.com/home/rats-dont-have-to-worry-so-why-should-humans) I write about the poppy and it’s meaning (remembrance).
When describing the poppy, Rosenberg writes, “What quaver—what heart aghast? Poppies whose roots are in man’s veins Drop, and are ever dropping;” which is most likely an association to the men who are dying rapidly. If Rosenberg was in a trench, he would most likely have experienced machine gun warfare which was something the world had never seen before and was something that could kill many men quickly. He then talks about how his poppy was safe behind his ear, which may have been a way to comfort himself by saying that he was still alive and was safe.
Rosenberg also brings up a poppy, which is a type of flower. In one of my other blogs (https://jacobsethking.weebly.com/home/rats-dont-have-to-worry-so-why-should-humans) I write about the poppy and it’s meaning (remembrance).
When describing the poppy, Rosenberg writes, “What quaver—what heart aghast? Poppies whose roots are in man’s veins Drop, and are ever dropping;” which is most likely an association to the men who are dying rapidly. If Rosenberg was in a trench, he would most likely have experienced machine gun warfare which was something the world had never seen before and was something that could kill many men quickly. He then talks about how his poppy was safe behind his ear, which may have been a way to comfort himself by saying that he was still alive and was safe.
Conclusion:
Sometimes war is inevitable between countries. Sometimes war is needed in order to stop one country from doing the wrong things. While war may be necessary in some circumstances, there are no words to describe just how terrible it can be. For people to kill each other and come to the realization that they too may die is sad. Some writers have written about the war to tell of it’s gruesomeness, while others may have written as a way of coping with the stress and sadness. Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, and Wilfred Owen used both techniques when writing about war. Doing so gave readers an understanding of what it was like to be a soldier during that time.
References:
Greenblatt, Stephen, and Jahan Ramazani. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. W.W.
Norton, 2018
“History of England.” World War I (1914-1918) - History of England, www.historyofengland.net/wwone#.
Strachan, Professor Hew. “History British History in Depth: Overview: Britain and World War One, 1901-1918. “BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/overview_britain_ww1_01.shtml
Norton, 2018
“History of England.” World War I (1914-1918) - History of England, www.historyofengland.net/wwone#.
Strachan, Professor Hew. “History British History in Depth: Overview: Britain and World War One, 1901-1918. “BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/overview_britain_ww1_01.shtml
Photo Credit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Sassoon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Rosenberg
https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-37828
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493707177877312007/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Rosenberg
https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-37828
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493707177877312007/