Topic/Theme: Battlefield conditions
Question: How does poetry highlight the non-human enemy of battlefield conditions in the First World War?
I got this idea because I was really interested in the poem “Song of the Mud” that Dr. Ruzich suggested in class. In my paper, I want to talk about the non-human elements of the war that contributed to death and terrible conditions. Specifically, I am thinking of the muddy swampiness of the battlefield. “The Battle of the Swamps” and “Song of the Mud” both personify mud, making it feel like an actual enemy combatant rather than just nature. So, I want to talk about that personification and how it emphasizes that German’s weren’t the only enemy soldiers faced in the trenches and in battle.
Related to that, I also want to look at the non-human enemy of the weather conditions through poems like “Futility.” This poem, for instance, personifies the warm sunlight in contrast with fatally cold conditions. It highlights the enemy in a different way but sticks to the theme of a non-human enemy. I might use “Exposure” instead or in addition to “Futility.” Of course, “Winter Warfare” needs to go in too, since it really personifies cold weather conditions with the “Colonel Cold” character.
Poems to Use
“The Battle of the Swamps” by Muriel Elsie Graham (Scars p. 41-43)
“Song of the Mud” by Mary Borden (Online/Dr.R’s blog)
“Futility” by Wilfred Owen (Penguin p. 54)
“Exposure” by Wilfred Owen (Penguin p. 55-56)
“Winter Warfare” by Edgell Rickword (Penguin p. 53)
What I need help with…
If anyone has any other suggestions for poems to use about battlefield conditions, I would love to hear them!
Does this question seem expansive enough? Does it need to be narrowed down more? Any ideas about the scope of the paper being too large/small are appreciated. I was thinking about including something about the decaying bodies if this is too narrow, but I don’t want to get out of hand.
I think that your topic is narrow enough that you should be able to delve deep into the poems. I don't know if this would fit your topic well enough, but you mentioning the "non-human enemy" of the battlefield made me think about how soldiers could come to resent the trenches and brought to mind the poem "I tracked a dead man down a trench" by W.S.S. Lyon (page 110 of Penguin).
ReplyDeleteI think that the poems you picked fit your paper perfectly. The first poem that came to mind when I read your topic was "The Battle of the Swamps." I wonder if there is a difference between the way that female noncombatants' poetry depicts the non-human enemy and how the combatants' poetry depicts the non-human enemy. We have seen that propaganda demonizes the enemy, so I wonder what makes people begin to see the battlefield as the enemy. It seems to me that combatants would be more likely to see the battlefield as the enemy because they see the horrible condition of the battlefield firsthand. And possibly noncombatants would be more likely to focus on the human enemy because they have not seen the battlefield and are seeing more propaganda demonizing the human enemy.
I really like that you've chosen to look at both female and male poetry because women seemed to depict the battlefield often even though most women never actually saw the battlefield.
I do think this is narrow enough; focusing on weather/landscape as an enemy of war seems specific enough that you'll be able to retain focus. However, I seem to be inherently incapable of retaining focus, so if you find when writing that your paper that it's just a bit too short, I'd love a discussion on the Romantic poets that came before the war and worshipped the sublime beauty of nature. Fussell repeatedly hits on that in his book, so you'll have plenty to work with if it seems warranted to you. I think the contrast in the treatment of nature, first as a beautiful act of God and then as a harsh weapon, is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Sydney,
ReplyDeleteYour paper topic is very interesting! I know we discussed in class how soldiers came to resent dawn/dusk because those were two popular times to attack, but I never really considered the actual physical conditions of the battlefield. I do think that this topic is specific enough to be able to really dive deep into while still producing the required page length.
With that being said, I don't think you need to add decaying bodies because you have a strong focus already. However, I think it would be interesting to see how you would relate those to your question if you chose to.
The poems you have are really good and "Battle of the Swamps" also immediately came to mind. I like how you are incorporating male and female poets into your paper! Although many women didn't see the battlefield (and nurses really only saw what happened due to being on the battlefield) it is interesting to see how well they write about the battlefield. I like your poem selection, those are really strong for your topic/question, so I don't think you need to take away or replace any of them.
I'm very excited to see what you do with this paper! I hope our suggestions help!
- Vic
Sydney,
ReplyDeleteI think that your topic is extremely interesting and focused. The poems that you provided will provide great evidence for your paper! I am not sure if this will help, but Fussell’s chapter on Arcadian Recourses and the idea of the “antipastoral” might be useful to include in your paper as well. The idea you describe of nature being an enemy combatant of war reminds me of the “demonic world” that Fussell describes in that chapter. A poem that comes to mind regarding the antipastoral is Rickwords “Moonrise Over the Battlefield.” Rickword calls the moon a “damned entrancing bitch” and it reminds me that soldiers during WWI did not want to be exposed by the moon while on night raids. This is an element of nature being an enemy combatant of war if you are looking for any other poems.
This is a great topic and I definitely think there's a lot to work with. It's narrow, but it's not so narrow that you won't be able to reach page count. Non-human enemies during the war (personifying nature and man vs. self emotional conflicts) is a really interesting theme in the poetry we've covered, and I think your paper is going to be very engaging. I'm looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI Love this topic because of how legitimate it is. Disease and nature were just as much enemies of the troops as the Germans shooting at them. The poetry selection you have is superb, I looked at them all and you have a great many things to draw from them. If you do somehow end up falling short of the page requirements, (which I doubt), I would be careful to insert some words about the dead bodies. While you can derive disease and mental strain from them being left on the battlefield, I fear that might be too deep a rabbit hole to fall into. But, being from Erie I do love this topic because weather is a killer. Good luck!
ReplyDelete