Wednesday 30 September 2009

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

16 comments:

  1. The poem, Flanders fields is about all the soldiers that died during the war, who are now lying: "between the crosses, row on row" Lines 13-15:
    "If ye break with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
    In Flanders fields" This quote shows that the soldiers shall never be forgotten because every time the poppies grow, they are remembered. The emotion has been portrayed very well in this poem to create a solemn atmosphere.
    "The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below" The last line shows a strong contrast between the noisy and chaotic fighting and now the quiet, calm field where all the poppies grow and birds do sing, were men once stood proud and honorable fighting for their country!
    Tash, Bex, Jenny, Nor, Izzie and Alix :)

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  2. This poem is about soldiers who have died on Flanders fields in Belgium on the second battle of Ypres. they are now buried on the battlefield with poppies and white crosses marking their final resting places.

    John McCrae wrote it in the first person as if he was a solider who had fought in this battle and its gives the impression that he saw close friends die or fellow soldiers with whom he had shred a large part of this war and his life.

    The rhyming structure in this poem is very unusual. There are rhyming couplets at the beginning of each verse and in the 1st and 3rd verses the 5th line also rhymes with the rhyming couplets in the first two lines. However in the 2nd verse it has a very strange rhyming structure. the first two lines are rhyming couplets, but the third is different. The line in flanders fields is repeated in the second and third verses.

    Alexia and Laurie group 2

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  3. the second to last line 'We shall not sleep, though poppies grow' implies that although they are dead they wont be forgotten because each year the poppies regrow like a reminder of those who lost their lives.
    jenny

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  4. I have discovered that John McCrae wrote this poem after the funeral of his best friend, Lieutenant Alex Helmer who died in the war. It is believed that he wrote this poem sitting on the back of a medical field ambulance.
    The poppy, which is the main focus of the poem grew all around him on the battlefields and in all the cementries at Flanders. After writing this poem he threw it away, but it was later discovered by someone else who published it in a magazine.
    Katie group 2

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  5. The title "in flanders fields" is where the soliders fought and died and are now buried. It is also used to end the middle and last paragraph. The first paragraph sets the scene: describing the scene. The second paragraph explains what happened and the last is a message from the dead soldiers. It is sort of like their view point on the whole thing.
    There are quite a few enjambements in the piece. For example,
    "The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below." The enjambement gives great effect to the sentence and really adds to the emphasis on the last word of the first sentence and the first word of the second sentence.
    There is also a caesura in this poem:
    "We are the dead. Short days ago" This gives a nice effect to the sentence and really emphasizes "We are the dead."
    Bex :)

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  6. In this poem, i feel the most influential line is "take up our quarrel with the foe". This suggests that those who died are telling their story and and want it to be finished, their battle to be won. It helps enhance the message that they do not want to have died and vain and be forgotten. It makes the reader stop and think and, although it is too late for us in the present to make a difference and fight, it reminds the reader of how important it was to those who lost their lives.
    Alix

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  7. In my opinion, this poem has a very confident and powerful emotion and is not about sadness or grieving unlike others. The dead soldiers wish not to be forgotten, and they want others to fight, "be yours to hold", so they do not die in vain.
    The most memorable part of the poem is in the second paragraph when it says, "Short days ago
    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved and were loved" and this shows how the soldiers used to live and how they were important and loved by many friends. Also the poem comes from the perspective of someone who has just died and it seems like they are sending a final message to their loved ones.
    Eleanor G7

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  8. 'In Flanders fields' was writen towards the end of John McCrae's, (poet of 'In Flanders Fields', life in world war one. It is writen in the first person as if the soldiers who lie in Flanders fields were telling the poem or wrote it.
    'We are the Dead. Short days ago
    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
    In Flanders fields.'
    This is the second verse in the poem. The poet uses a capital letter in the word 'Dead' give it more emphasis and feeling. He also lists things that were when the soldiers were alive and making the poem even more sad by writing at the end, 'now we lie in Flanders fields'.
    John McCrae died at a young age of 47 (1872-1918) which suggests that he may have fought in the war himself and had writen the poem as people he knew died around him. It might have been a way for him to remember them and for other people to as well as they read the poem and realise how many people died in the war. Maybe John McCrae thought his time would come when he wrote the poem and that may be the reason why he used 'we' instead of 'they'. As you can see you can draw a lot from a poem, which makes them more appealing to write.
    He also uses enjambment twice in this particular stanza to add more affect this is also used in more sections of the poem.
    Holly =D

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  9. This poem is about the soldiers who have died in Flanders fields and are now buried on the battlefields. It is written in three sections and i think the first section is setting the scene where they are and about them fighting 'between the crosses row on row'.
    The second section is about the life they miss 'we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow'. However i feel this isn't emotional in a sad way and they feel proud for what they did they just want to be remembered for what they have done and for other fighters to follow them and continue to fight. The last section is from the dead solidiers saying in a way here is your chance so do what you do! 'To you from falling hands we throw, The torch be yours to hold it high' I thing this is quite a gripping line and it really makes you think its now the chance.
    I Think the last line is very sensitive and it makes me remember this poem as a very good one 'we shall not sleep,though poppies grow.In Flanders fields' They are saying although there is piece i still worry.
    John McCrae wrote this in the first person as if he were dead i think he either faught and saw people die or had a close friend or relative die.

    Felicity G2 =))

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  10. This poem is about the soldiers that died fighting in 'Flanders Field', hence the name of the poem. The men have now been buried on the battlefields that are covered with poppies to remember them, as each year the poppies grow the men grow in one's memory.
    The first stanza is setting the scene from the soldiers point of view. It describes the atmosphere and shows the contrast between when they were alive and now that they're dead. "Scarce heard amid the guns below" This quote tells us that before the men died there was chaos and lots of noise, however now they are dead it has gone from one extreme to the other as there is virtually no sound at all apart from: "The larks, still bravely singing, fly" which is, in a way a metaphor as its the soldiers trying to say now that they are dead don't give up, let them die with honor and justice and carry on their fight.
    "Take up our quarrel with the foe" This quote also implies that the Poet, John Mccrae is trying to portray the soldiers message. They are trying to make us fight on in their name. Just because they are dead does not mean the meaning for their war is dead! I believe this is what the poet wanted us to think. Although this poem is a very sad and distressing one it is also quite an uplifting one as it is keeping the soldiers alive. The last stanza especially is a very positive outlook on the way the men have been described to feel and express their views, it makes the reader passionate and want to stand up for these brave soldiers and as they say, carry on their war.
    Tash Beaumont :) (sorry, forgotten what group i'm in)

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  11. John McCrae was born on the 30th November 1872. He was from canada, a member of "The Queens own Rifles of Canada", whilst studying at the University of Tornato.
    It is said that this poem was written the day after his best friend's funeral, on the 3rd of May 1915. His friend was killed in the battle of Ypres.
    "In the flanders fields" apeared in an issue of "punch" on the 8th December 1915.
    McCrae was deployed to Boulogne for world war one. He worked in No.3 Canadian general hospital, as a commander.
    He died on January 28, 1918. Having been an incredible physician, author, artist, soldier (world war one) and surgeon (battle of Ypres).
    And of course an amazing poet. I believe that what makes this poem so good, is that McCrae witnessed all of the horrors of war first hand. And from many points of view. As a soldier is he felt the pure tragedy of losing a fellow soldier, how it felt to kill another human. He also saw the aftermath of war, the injuries and the dead.
    the poem it's self shows this. McCrae truly knew what being a solider meant, and how it felt. I think this shows within "In the Flanders fields".
    -Izzie Davison group 7.

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  12. Congratulations for your blog, I admire the poets of the war, I made ​​a compilation of many of them, but unfortunately does not translate well into Spanish. I was honored to receive a comment from the daughter of Edmund Blunden. regards

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  13. very helpful with my homework thx

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  14. very helpful with my homework thx

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