formal essay
Death is tragic, but sometimes sweet. In my chosen poem “Returning, We Hear the Larks”, the poet Isaac Rosenberg used symbolism to ironically demonstrate the sweetness and the sadness of a war death. To respond to this poem, I used similar style and devices to show the point of view of other soldiers.
A lark is a bird that symbolizes daybreak, a positive start in Christianity. Rosenberg implied its image in the poem to signify hope, however, in an ironical meaning. The poem then conveys the joy and the sadness of death of a soldier on a battlefield. The lark in the poem signifies the positive end of a soldier, who is hopeful to die and end war. In my own poem, I used lark in its original meaning, when a war ends, a daybreak comes.
Rosenberg’s poem conveys two contrasting emotions of death. In four stanzas of 3-3-3-7, without any obvious rhymes, Rosenberg first introduces the situation, then the death, finally in the last two paragraphs, he expresses first the joy of an end, then the beauty and poisonous traits of death. For the soldiers, death before the end of war was an only escape, which seemed beautiful but is only an end. In my poem, I mainly described the joy of a soldier who made until the end, but also the sadness regarding the friends who couldn’t. Both poems describe the complexity of an end, that it can include two contrasting emotions at the same time.
Through many readings this year, I learned many different aspects of war. This includes both positive and negative aspects. This poem highlights one of these complex emotions, theming on death. I followed that complexity to describe emotions about the end of a war. As a conclusion to this whole unit of war, my opinion is that an enormous tragedy as war integrates many complicated emotions that cannot be simply described.
A lark is a bird that symbolizes daybreak, a positive start in Christianity. Rosenberg implied its image in the poem to signify hope, however, in an ironical meaning. The poem then conveys the joy and the sadness of death of a soldier on a battlefield. The lark in the poem signifies the positive end of a soldier, who is hopeful to die and end war. In my own poem, I used lark in its original meaning, when a war ends, a daybreak comes.
Rosenberg’s poem conveys two contrasting emotions of death. In four stanzas of 3-3-3-7, without any obvious rhymes, Rosenberg first introduces the situation, then the death, finally in the last two paragraphs, he expresses first the joy of an end, then the beauty and poisonous traits of death. For the soldiers, death before the end of war was an only escape, which seemed beautiful but is only an end. In my poem, I mainly described the joy of a soldier who made until the end, but also the sadness regarding the friends who couldn’t. Both poems describe the complexity of an end, that it can include two contrasting emotions at the same time.
Through many readings this year, I learned many different aspects of war. This includes both positive and negative aspects. This poem highlights one of these complex emotions, theming on death. I followed that complexity to describe emotions about the end of a war. As a conclusion to this whole unit of war, my opinion is that an enormous tragedy as war integrates many complicated emotions that cannot be simply described.
chosen poem
"Returning, We Hear the Larks"
by Isaac Rosenberg
"Returning, We Hear the Larks"
by Isaac Rosenberg
Sombre the night is:
And, though we have our lives, we know
What sinister threat lurks there.
Dragging these anguished limbs, we only know
This poison-blasted track opens on our camp—
On a little safe sleep.
But hark! Joy—joy—strange joy.
Lo! Heights of night ringing with unseen larks:
Music showering on our upturned listening faces.
Death could drop from the dark
As easily as song—
But song only dropped,
Like a blind man's dreams on the sand
By dangerous tides;
Like a girl's dark hair, for she dreams no ruin lies there,
Or her kisses where a serpent hides.
And, though we have our lives, we know
What sinister threat lurks there.
Dragging these anguished limbs, we only know
This poison-blasted track opens on our camp—
On a little safe sleep.
But hark! Joy—joy—strange joy.
Lo! Heights of night ringing with unseen larks:
Music showering on our upturned listening faces.
Death could drop from the dark
As easily as song—
But song only dropped,
Like a blind man's dreams on the sand
By dangerous tides;
Like a girl's dark hair, for she dreams no ruin lies there,
Or her kisses where a serpent hides.
created poem
"Returning, We Leave the Larks"
"Returning, We Leave the Larks"
At the start of a day,
After the silence of a night,
A call rang, beautifully as a lark.
Joy, joy, joy, arise in ourselves,
Alas, the end has came.
Throw away the guns, and let us rest.
Like a fleeing bird, we depart.
With broken bones, flooding blood,
We sing loud the song of joy.
We only bones and ashes and guns.
When the sounds of joy goes distant,
Only silence and sleeping friends remains,
On the quiet battlefield.
Only the larks sing a lullaby,
On the all quiet front.
After the silence of a night,
A call rang, beautifully as a lark.
Joy, joy, joy, arise in ourselves,
Alas, the end has came.
Throw away the guns, and let us rest.
Like a fleeing bird, we depart.
With broken bones, flooding blood,
We sing loud the song of joy.
We only bones and ashes and guns.
When the sounds of joy goes distant,
Only silence and sleeping friends remains,
On the quiet battlefield.
Only the larks sing a lullaby,
On the all quiet front.