Mametz Wood analysis (GCSE)

During the Battle of the Somme there was a battle to capture Mametz Wood in Northern France in July, 1916. There were many casualties and 4000 men lost their lives and yet the German front line was captured. The soldiers were known for fighting extremely bravely and there is a memorial for their courage.

In the poem we are told how for many years after the battle, farmers find bones from the soldiers that fought in a field near Mametz Wood. On one particular day a mass grave is found where 20 soldiers have been buried . The skeletons armed were linked together as if dancing.

Structure

The 21 lines of the poem are divided into 3 sections:

-The first nine lines describe the unearthing of bones for years
-The next three could stand alone…