About the Poem The Soldier
Table of Contents
Rupert Brooke, a well-known war poet, composed the poem The Soldier, near the beginning of the First World War, which is the fifth one in a series of poems entitled 1914 and published in the book 1914 and Other Poems in the year of 1915. A person can consider/regard it as a piece of propaganda. Because this poem appears to “spin” negatives into positives.
- Rupert Brooke’s poem The Soldier is a: (I) Deeply Patriotic, as well as (II) Idealistic poem. It tells the readers about the love of a soldier for his country or homeland (in this case England) and is portrayed as a kind of nurturing heaven/paradise
- In fact, such is the soldier’s bond with his country (England) that he feels it to be: (I) The Origin of His Existence (II) The Place to which his consciousness will go back after his death
- As far as the popularity of this poem is concerned; it became a hit with the public at the time. People captured the early zeal of the war before the grim realities of long-term conflict made them(selves) aware or known
- In the present time, the majority of people see The Soldier by Rupert Brooke as (I) Somewhat Naive (II) Offering or Providing Little of the Real experience of the war. So, it can be easily understood that the poem, without any doubt, captures as well as distillers a special type of patriotism
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever 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.
The Poem The Soldier Summary
The speaker of this poem is a Soldier. He, in this poem by Rupert Brooke, says that desires to be remembered in a particular way, in case of losing his life in the war. He says to think of how the far-off land on which his death comes will have a small piece of his country, which means that of England for always.
According to the speaker, his corpse will enrich that earth. Its reason is that his body is made from dirt born in England. The aforementioned country created him as well as provided him with:
- (I) Consciousness,
- (II) Her Blooming Plants to Fall in Love with, as well as
- (III) Offered him/the Soldier his Sense of Liberty. He further says that his body belongs to this country means England; and, he always breathed English air. Its rivers cleansed him. In addition, the sun of this country blessed him as well.
The speaker of the poem The Soldier by Rupert Brooke says to think or consider the way in which his soul, through death, will be made pure. And, his consciousness will return to the immortal consciousness similar to a beating pulse, as well as return the nice or beautiful thoughts that England offered him.
He will return the (I) Sights, as well as (II) Sounds of his own home country; to those beautiful/nice dreams that were so happy as the daytime of this country; as well as to the laughter shared with English friends. He again says that he will return to the humbleness or gentleness of this country which inhabits the English minds that are at peace under the English heaven.
Rupert Brooke’s Poem The Soldier Form and Tone
Structure of the Poem The Soldier by Rupert Brooke
- Rupert Brooke’s poem The Soldier is known as a Petrarchan sonnet. In other words, this poem comprises or is made of fourteen lines; and the poet separated them into stanzas
- As far as the rhyme pattern of (the poem) The Soldier is concerned; it is not typical of a Petrarchan sonnet that generally uses ABBAABBA CDECDE rhyming pattern
- The Soldier by Rupert Brooke is a poem that is full of positivity as well as appears to glorify the idea of a(ny) man dying for his nation or country.
This poem remains really popular because of its powerful convictions, with military enthusiasts and as such has got or found its way into popular culture featuring in the music of (I) Pink Floyd and (II) Muse, as well as getting its way onto television screens by appearing the television show MASH
