MAMETZ WOOD - SHEERS

?

Expression of Comradeship, Closeness and Youth

Highlights Grim absrudity of war

Battle of the Somme (Mametz Wood)

Many Welsh soldiers died as well as other nationalities

STRUCTURE

Strong narrative of 2 stories:

1) reports of body parts surfacing periodically after ploughing in years following the war

2) details the discovery of 20 bodies in shallow grave (linked arms)

TERCETS - (common form of 'Skirrid Hill') which allows:

- the breaking up of aspects of a story/ idea (slowly reveals all the harsh details of war to       emphasise the real cruelty)

- the reader to be encouraged to focus on the ends of lines and stanzas while keeping the   story in mind (structure a big part of this poem)

FREE-VERSE - the lines have no regular meter to restrict them which suggests the natural and raw emotion of the speaker and that they are real and genuine

The first 4 stanzas hold one of the stories

1st Stanza: introduces the subject of poem with "wasted young" highlighted by:

- being placed in the middle line at the very start (center point)

- placed after an end-stop

- placed before a Caesura

Next 2 stanzas (2+3) highlights details of the parts of the soldiers uncovered + then imagines their final orders

4th Stanza: all a single sentence that concludes the first story of the poem

SECOND HALF OF THE POEM = 5th stanza introduced though topic marker "this morning" which announces the new subject and brings from large scoped non-specific time to the present day

5th + 6th stanzas: discovery of skeletons "linked arm in arm". Cinematic perspective:

1) Long shots of "one long grave" and "broken mosaic of bone"

2) image of skeletons "mid-dance"

3) Panning close-ups of "boots", "heads" and "jaws" dropped open

Final stanza: holds onto the image of open jaws and runs with it to allow reader to ponder the significance (aural created not just visual). Mention of "unearthing" brings cyclical nature to poem as reader reminded of previous story and the fact these are not the only men who died tragically (many more). Final image of tounge-less skulls singing is gruesome and uncanny as

Comments

No comments have yet been made