The Soldier Poem Analysis 4o614n

The Soldier If I should die, think only this of me. That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be, in that rich earth, A richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England’s, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blessed by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, And pulse in the eternal mind, no less, Give somewhere back the thoughts by England given, Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends’ and gentleness; In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. - Rupert Brooke

This poem is The Soldier by Rupert Brooke. The poem has a few subjects, it is about WWI, but it is also about England and English nationalism. A soldier in the First World War tells it, but it is largely about his patriotism towards England and his feelings about making the ultimate sacrifice for his country. It is often read at memorial services for English soldiers even to this day. In it he describes how England made him the person that he is [A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware/Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam], and that his death will be justified, because he died for England [Washed by the rivers, blessed by suns of home/And think, this heart, all evil shed away,]. Though he is in a terrible war, he still feels great pride for his country. The themes in this poem include sacrifice, pride and English nationalism. The poem describes his belief that wherever he dies, that place will become England and therefore better because he died there. The author clearly believes that England is the best country in the world and that foreign soil will become better in English blood is spilt there. He reminisces about England [give somewhere back the thoughts by England given/her sights and sounds, dreams happy as her day] and believes that England made him the person that he is, and that he eternally belongs to England [a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware … A body of England’s, breathing English air]. Just by being English, he thinks that “all his evil will be shed away” and he will be forgiven for sins committed “under an English heaven”. Although he is in a position to make the ultimate sacrifice, he still believes in his country. The poem is trying to instil a feeling of patriotism and pride of nation. Although in the poem it is specifically English patriotism, the feeling can be translated to any country. Although some of the subjects are war and death, the poem does not directly acknowledge these, in fact only very briefly mentioning death in the first line [“if I should die, think only this of me”]. The poem is overall a uplifting poem, reminiscing his memories of home and life in England. Although the descriptions don’t really work, it does make me feel slightly proud, seeing as we were in the same war and fought a similar fight for the empire. Poetic devices in this poem that I can identify are mainly metaphors. In the line “gave, once, her flowers to love”, the flowers might not necessarily represent flowers, but rather English women. “There is some corner of a foreign field, that is forever England”, the soil isn’t really England, it is a metaphor. There is a lot of imagery in the language. In the line “a richer dust concealed” the dust represents his body where it is buried. It is through these metaphors that he paints a unique picture of England and patriotism. This poem is not an anti-war poem like so many like it; in fact Winston Churchill used the poem as a recruitment tool during WWII because of its patriotic themes. However, it is not directly in of war. I believe its purpose to be a statement of love for his country, and an illustration of his view on England and the English people. It is also a declaration of his willingness to die for his country, and an explanation of why he feels this way. The poem does not war, but it does slightly glorify it, which is one of the reasons it was used in recruitment drives.