1914+I.+Peace

Peace: What is the poem about? What are some significant word choices? · Beauty of peace · Word choices: God, Death · Action packed word choice and phrases build the upcoming energy and enthusiasm for the war such as: “wakened us from sleeping (2)”, “with eye made sure, clear eye, and sharpened power (3)”, “swimmers into cleanness leaping (4)” · First person perspective gives sense of unity · Words with negative connotations used in conjunction with negatives: “no ill, no grief…naught broken” · “Swimmers” as a metaphor for the people of the nation, who are leaping to a world of “cleanness”, leaving the “sick hearts”, probably the enemies or the opposition, in the “old and cold and weary” world. What type of emotions are played upon? What is the tone/mood of the poem? - enthusiastic, optimistic, encouraging, inspiring. (the “worst friend” (oxymoron which reveals that the worst thing they had there was just a bad friend rather than something dangerous or threatening), (“but death”, says that death was the worst to expect, as if it isn't a big deal.), “no ill, no grief, naught broken” adds to the positive atmosphere What is the significance in the choice of sonnet form?   § Italian Petrarchan   · Octave   · Sestet   § The Octave promotes the idea of leaping from a era of war and coldness to a new era with peace and happiness with enthusiasm   § Sestet describes this new era  What are the purposes of the poem  - To encourage patriotism by expressing the central idea that death is nothing compared to the honor and pride that one receives through service to one’s country  - Promote peace