Write a note on war poets.

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Introduction: The War Poets (1914-1918)

The "War Poets" generally refer to a group of British soldiers who wrote poetry during World War I. Unlike previous war literature that glorified battle, these poets shocked the world by documenting the horror, mud, and futility of trench warfare. Their work marks a shift from Romantic idealism to Modernist realism.

Wilfred Owen

(1893-1918)

Introduction: Widely considered the greatest poet of the First World War. Owen was killed in action just one week before the war ended. His poetry is famous for exposing "The Pity of War."

Key Works: Dulce et Decorum Est, Strange Meeting, Anthem for Doomed Youth, Futility.

Literary Contribution & Style

  • Realism vs. Romanticism: Owen rejected the patriotic lie that dying for one's country is sweet ("Dulce et Decorum Est"). He described gas attacks, rotting corpses, and psychological trauma vividly.
  • Technical Innovation: He is famous for using para-rhyme (or half-rhyme), such as rhyming "escaped" with "scooped" or "groined" with "groaned." This created a jarring, discordant sound that matched the chaos of war.
  • Compassion: Despite the horror, his poems show deep love and pity for the suffering soldiers ("Was it for this the clay grew tall?").

Siegfried Sassoon

(1886-1967)

Introduction: Known as "Mad Jack" for his reckless bravery, Sassoon survived the war to become one of its harshest critics. He was a mentor to Wilfred Owen while they were both recovering in Craiglockhart Hospital.

Key Works: The General, Glory of Women, Suicide in the Trenches, Counter-Attack.

Literary Contribution & Style

  • Satire and Anger: Unlike Owen’s "pity," Sassoon’s primary tool was anger. He used biting satire to attack the incompetent military generals and the ignorant civilians back home.
  • Short, Punchy Style: His poems are often short and end with a cynical "punchline" designed to shock the reader (e.g., "The General" cheering the soldiers as they march to death).
  • Protest: He famously threw his Military Cross into the river as a protest against the prolongation of the war.

Rupert Brooke

(1887-1915)

Introduction: Brooke represents the early phase of the war. He died early in 1915 (from blood poisoning, not combat) and became a symbol of "youthful sacrifice."

Key Works: The Soldier, The Dead, 1914 Sonnets.

Literary Contribution & Style

  • Patriotic Idealism: Brooke wrote before the true horrors of trench warfare were known. His poetry is romantic and patriotic.
  • The "Old Lie": His famous lines—"If I should die, think only this of me: / That there's some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England"—celebrate sacrifice without questioning the cause.
  • Contrast: He serves as a perfect contrast to Owen and Sassoon, showing how the war's image changed from "noble adventure" to "senseless slaughter."

Isaac Rosenberg

(1890-1918)

Introduction: A Jewish working-class poet and painter. Unlike the officers Owen and Sassoon, Rosenberg experienced the war from the ranks of a private soldier.

Key Works: Break of Day in the Trenches, Dead Man's Dump, Louse Hunting.

Literary Contribution & Style

  • Detached Realism: Rosenberg described the trenches with a painter's eye. He found strange, grotesque beauty in the rat-infested trenches ("Droll rat, they would shoot you if they knew / Your cosmopolitan sympathies").
  • Objective View: His poetry is less political than Sassoon’s and less pity-focused than Owen’s; it is impersonal, ironic, and intensely visual.

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