Thomas Hardy: 'Drummer Hodge' poem analysis

Drummer Hodge: Thomas Hardy

Written in response to the Boer War which Hardy largely opposed, the poem feature a young British soldier who fights and dies in South Africa. Reflecting on the tragic circumstances of his death, the Drummer receives no proper burial and is, instead, becomes a part of the unfamiliar land.

Fought between 1899-1902, the Boer War angered Hardy whom disagreed with the deaths of men to benefit the already rich; challenging traditional perceptions that war amounted to growth/ prosperity.

THEMES

·       Conflict /war

·       Death/ loss

·       Tragedy

·       Victimisation

·       Sacrifice

TONE

·       Sorrowful

·       Disgusted

·       Disappointed / disapproving

FORM

·       Elegy written in memory/ recognition of innocent lives lost in war

·       Rigid sestets highlights permanence of propaganda/ alludes limitations of life and prosperity due to war

·       Steady structure and metre reflects continuity of memory and honour / fast pace acknowledges inability for genuine grievance due to mass deaths

·      …