"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke - Robiah

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, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives 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

LEVEL: Sec 2 Express
Theme: War Poetry

I will either use this poem alone, or compare it with Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est”. I will get students to discuss the concept of patriotism during World War 1. Students will get to explore the different portrayals of war through in-depth analysis of the tone and mood utilised in the poems. I will use a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rix-LsinsoE) to allow students to hear an oral reading of the poem. This will help students get a better idea of the tone and mood and how these factors contribute to the themes of patriotism in the poem.

1.     After reading Rupert Brooke’s “The Soldier”, are you able to identify the setting of the poem? How did you manage to identify the setting? Describe the setting.

This question aids in allowing students to first be able to establish the poem’s setting by picking out on specific keywords and hints before they go more in-depth into the themes surfaced in the poem. By ensuring that students are clear with regards to the time in which this poem is set in (World War 1) and the place it is referring to (England) , students will  be able to get a more comprehensive understanding of the poem.

2.     (Based on question 1)  What impression of England does Brooke give?

Here, students have to look at the poem in a more specific manner, picking out words and terms such as “forever England”, “her flowers to love”, “English heaven” to understand how the use of descriptive and figurative language leads to the poet’s positive portrayal of England as a country worth dying for. I will also surface the poet’s use of personification of England as a lady (repeated use of “her”) who is worth protecting and treasuring.

3.     What do you think the tone in the poem is? What about the mood of the poem?

As students listen to the reading of the poem in the youtube video, students may have a better idea of the tone in the poem. I will emphasize the importance of tone in a poem and how it has a great impact with regards to conveying a certain meaning or a specific message to the readers. I will also get students to explain the feelings evoked through the use of tone in a poem. In this case, students will have to be able to discuss the tone of pride and joy used in the poem. Linking this to the mood of the poem where the soldier appears to look upon his death as honorable and an occasion for cheer and “laughter” suggests the soldier’s willingness to sacrifice his life for England.

4.      Now that you have looked at and discussed the earlier questions, how do the setting, mood and tone in the poem contribute to the themes in the poem? How does this relate to the poet’s intention of writing the poem?

While students looked only at specific aspects of the poem in the earlier questions, students now have to look at the poem as a whole. By using their knowledge of the setting, tone and mood of the poem,  students now have to establish the poem’s theme which is patriotism and the respectability and honor of dying for a country like England. The way in which the soldier seems to have an intimate and close relationship with England , referring to himself as “a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware” reaffirms the poet’s positive perspective of patriotism.

After going through the poem in this manner, I will then tell the students about the poet’s background (as someone who never managed to serve as he died from sickness prior to the fighting). Students can then discuss how this has changed their perception of the poem with regards to the credibility of the poem’s message about sacrificing his life for England. Here, we can bring in Owen’s poem for comparison purposes.