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Question: What makes this sonnet romantic!?
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England!. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home!.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven!.
Would you say this gives a romantic view of military in WW1!?
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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I think what is meant by a romantic view of military in WW1 is the absence of any description of war!. There are none of the typical metaphors or similes of war-time poems, instead it philosophies about England and all its glory: "Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam" and "happy as her day" etc!.
The sonnet is saying where ever this English solider should fall, a small piece of his much loved country will stand!. You have to consider the author's state of mind while penning this, he is deeply patriotic and is probably a long way from home, missing everything about his old life and reminiscing: "Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given"!.
Have a read of this very famous war poem which draws on all the horrors the solider is facing and compare it to the sonnet!. I'm sure it will help you understand the difference between the two styles and why the sonnet could be considered as giving a romantic view of war!.
http://www!.warpoetry!.co!.uk/owen1!.htmlWww@QuestionHome@Com
Depends on what you mean by "romantic" http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/RomanticismWww@QuestionHome@Com