Notes on "Mametz Wood" by Owen Sheers

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Created by: Missy
Created on: 18-12-11 18:24

Inspired by a trip to the battle field on the 85th anniversary of the battle of the Somme.
Battle of Mametz wood was in July 1916.
Placed name is used because people know that it was real, creates sympathy, people may have connections with the people who fought.
Enjambment is used in the poem to reflect the never-ending nature of war.
consists of 6 stanzas, each with 3 lines. This represents the strictness of military life and how war always happens in the same way and we never learn from it.
The poet is looking back at what has happened.
There are themes of: violence, memory and place.

'For years afterwards' creates interest for the first line, represents how even 85 years later it still effects us.
'farmers found' soft alliteration creates a calm atmosphere, juxtaposing the previous warfare the poet is reflecting on.
'the wasted young' a pun for how the soldiers shouldn't have died?
'they tended the land back into itself' nurturing imagery, contrast to what has happened. Suggesting they should have been nurtured more by the Generals?
'the china plate of a shoulder blade' represents the fragile nature of humans and peace.
'broken birds egg of a skull' alliteration is used with plosive B's (mimicking…

Comments

franc

Report Thu 9th February, 2012 @ 19:06

thank you very much helped me alot

Yasmina

Report Tue 13th March, 2012 @ 19:12

Thanks soo much this helped me a lot :)

naz

Report Tue 3rd April, 2012 @ 12:30

thanx for this =] it was a big help =D

Baba Blacksheep

Report Wed 4th April, 2012 @ 09:18

A good analysis but missing some key points in some places, especially for the third stanza. I really think that the concept and idea of puns should be discarded for this poem, considering it is a very serious piece. Overall, it was a good piece of analysis and was quite helpful. :-) Thanks a lot.

Maddie

Report Tue 10th April, 2012 @ 10:39

thanks i needed this:-)

Kate Westall

Report Tue 17th April, 2012 @ 17:46

Brilliant, thank you :)

Frankii Watson

Report Sat 21st April, 2012 @ 16:45

Thankyou, this really helped me! I can't sem to find much on the poems in the Conflict section, but this was a great help for Mametz Wood! (:

john

Report Thu 17th May, 2012 @ 17:58

this was great but please improve spelling as i did get quite confused