Revision:World War I - Female Poets and Writers

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Jessie Pope

• Incredibly pro-war

• Wrote three anthologies of pro-war poems including "The call" and "Who's for the game?"

• She was despised by many soldiers, especially Owen - he originally dedicated "Dulce et decorum est" to her, "If you too could pace behind..."

• Her poems emphasise war as fun, a comradely adventure. For example, in "Who's for the game?", "the red crashing game of a fight" (compares war to a game), "Who'll toe the line for the signal to "GO!"" (again, sport-like).

• It can be seen at one point as perhaps slightly realistic, "who knows it won't be a picnic", but the next line "-not much, yet eagerly shoulders a gun? Who would much rather come back with a crutch (that idea of a small wound again shown ironically in Glory of Women by Sassoon!) than lie low and be out of the fun?"

• Very inspiring, "Your country is up to her neck in a fight/And she's looking and calling for you" - the personification and pronouns make the reader feel it is their duty to help Britannia in this war.

• "When that procession comes/Baners and rolling drums/Who'll stand and bite his thumbs" - shaming those who do not go to fight. Contrast to "a few, too few for drums and yells" (The send-off, Owen)

Vera Britten

• Britten's diaries are important. Also wrote poetry, see 'Perhaps-', considered one of the saddest poems of loss. Dedicated to her dead fiance Roland Leighton. Typefies feminine war poetry, a nature focus and very personal.

• She served as a VAD (voluntary nurse), and wrote diaries

• Her brother and fiance were killed in the war, and the tone of her diaries shows the brutal realism in contrast to other female writers.

Quotes

Anti-War

“ God makes a man of flesh and blood

Who years to live and not to die.

And this man when he feared to die

Was scared as any frightened child.” - The Deserter, Winifred M. Letts

“ Still not quite clear in the poor, wrung heart of him

What the fuss was about” - He Went For A Soldier, Ruth Comfort Mitchell

Who’s For The Game – Jessie Pope

“Who’ll give his country a hand”

“ Who knows it won’t be a picnic – not much”

“Lie low and be out of the fun”

“ Come along lads”

Anti Pope etc

“I’d like to wring your neck,

I really would!

You make all women seem such duffers!”

“You shame us women.

Can’t you see it isn’t decent,

To flout and goad men into doing,

What is not asked of you?” – The Jingo-Woman, Helen Hamilton

Grief

“ What’s little June to a great broken world with eyes gone dim

From too much looking on the face of grief, the face of dread” - June, 1915 – Charlotte Mew

Patriotism

“ The soldier dying dies upon a kiss,

The very kiss of Christ.” - Summer in England, 1914, Alice Meynell

Difficulties For Women

“We dare not weep who must be brave in battle” - Of all who died in silence far away, Iris Tree

Comments

These notes are aimed at A Level English students at A2 level.

Originally written by Forgotmytea on TSR Forums.