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Essay / Poems in Honor of the Boer Wars
In this essay I will analyze the style and techniques used in the two poems. I will do this by comparing the two poems and including text samples that will help illustrate my points. The two poems I will analyze are “The Drummer Hodge” by Thomas Hardy and “Remains” by Simon Armitage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe poem “Drummer Hodge” was published by Thomas Hardy in 1899, this was after the end of the First Boer War and just before the start of the Second Boer War. More than 20,000 British soldiers were killed during the Second Boer War, and more than 900 went missing and were never found. It is for these soldiers that “Drummer Hodge” is most evocative. “Remains” by Simon Armitage was published in 2008 as part of his The Not Dead collection. A series of war poems based on the testimonies of former soldiers. Unlike “Drummer Hodge,” there is no rhyme scheme for this poem, which contributes to the flow and theme of the poem. The fragmentation of sentences allows the reader to feel as if they themselves are part of the conversation of the poem. This use of technology helps draw the reader in, making them feel like they are a part of what is happening. “Drummer Hodge” is divided into three stanzas and has the ABAB rhyme pattern that runs throughout the poem. This helps illustrate the theme of war drums. The structure of the lines and number of syllables help create a rhythm in the poem that reiterates the idea of a drum. The first and third stanzas are in the present tense while the second stanza is in the past tense, this use of switching between tenses helps to convey the natural tone of the speaker and how the poem is a story of what is happening to the of young drummers who were used to carry messages and munitions to the front lines during the Second Boer War. The title of this poem is “Drummer Hodge”. The word Hodge is a colloquial abbreviation of the name Roger. The name Roger is used as a typical name for an "English farm laborer". It was also considered a slang word for a country boy. With Hardy using this name which suggests an unremarkable laborer, Hodge is representative of the casualties of the Second Boer War. Next comes analysis of the tone and language used throughout the poem. The tone used in the poem is rather hostile. This could suggest a feeling of hostility towards the Boer War and the use of drummers. There is also a sense of resentment that Hodge is buried in South Africa, a “strange” and “foreign” place, a place that is not home. Many images are used in this poem, each stanza beginning with an earthly image and ending with stars as a funeral, the idea of the strangeness of the land and stars being emphasized several times. "Strange stars in the midst of darkness", the "strange stars" perhaps refers to the strangeness of the country in which the young drummer is buried, "gloam" being an archaic word for twilight, used to describe the landscape under the stars. Where Hodge becomes one with the earth in which he is buried. Using stars helps cultivate a sense of expansiveness in which it is easy to get lost. This is used to signify how Hodge's death is overshadowed by the importance of the war. If war had not broken out, the young drummer would have lived and died in his native country, on British soil to which he belonged, rather than in foreign lands and being the "salt of the earth". The poem “Remains” is divided.