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International Journal of English and Education
ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:4, Issue:1, January 2015
492
Copyright © International Journal of English and Education
| www.ijee.org
War Poetry and Politics of Representation: Expressionist Reading of Rupert
Brooke’s Selective War Poems ‘1914 I: PEACE’, ‘1914 III: THE DEAD’, ‘1914 IV:
THE DEAD’AND ‘1914 V: SOLDIER’
Rehana Kousar
1
, Khamsa Qasim
2
, Pakistan
Abstract: This research explores expressionist streaks in Rupert Brooke’s selected war poems.
His war poetry employs different literary techniques like artistic volition, abstraction and
interior monologue in order to depict the reality of war. It calls for insight from the literary
experimentations which are evident in the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Munich and
Strindberg. An expressionist artist does not focus on the objective reality. He seems to be more
interested in subjective responses such as emotions, feelings and intentions. War poets are
occupied with the question of representation, unlike other war poets, Rupert Brooke distorts
traditional thematic division of writing poetry. His war poetry depicts mental and emotional
distortion. This study provides a new insight to the readers to visualize Rupert Brooke’s War
Poetry in a new perspective.
Key Words: Rupert Brooke, Expressionism, Artistic Volition, Abstraction, Interior Monologue.
Expressionism tends to verbalize emotions rather than to dramatize conflicts. It expresses
reality subjectively by using different literary devices such as distortion, repetition, symbolism,
artistic volition, abstraction, and nightmarish fantasy. Expressionist writers and poets build a
symbolist world in look, tone and feelings. Rafati defines Expressionism as a tendency of an
artist to distort reality for an emotional effect. It is a subjective art form. (Rafati 2012, p. 118)
The artist’s consciousness is depicted through the mere visualization, representation and
replication of the outer universe. The politics of the heart are depicted through emotions. War
poets often define war experiences from two angles; jingoist and pacifist. Jingoistic color is
dominant in Rupert Brooke’s poetry. Patriotic feelings often come up and dominate the other
subjects. Edward Salmon defines jingoism as a propensity to oppose anyone who thwarts the
benefit of jingoist country. Jingoist does not give importance to justice or rationality and does
everything entirely under the spirit of exaggerated and misapplied patriotism. (Salmon 2009,
p.35) The major concerns of the Expressionist poetry are man’s inner struggle to achieve his
spiritual transformation – visionary or dreamlike scenes frequently presented this process against
a back ground of actuality which is often distorted to point out grotesqueness.
Expressionism uses the technique of artistic volition for documentation of its ideas and to
explore the epiphany of reality. Alois Riegl is most important critic of artistic volition.
According him artistic volition is not based upon constantly emphasizing factors such as
International Journal of English and Education
ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:4, Issue:1, January 2015
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| www.ijee.org
techniques, the character of raw materials, intention, historical conditions but the sum or unity on
the creative forces – forces of both form or content – these forces organized the work from
within.
The sense of artistic volition, key concept of Expressionism manifests the intention, desire
and purpose of the artist. The presence of Artistic Volition in the genetic process of work of art is
more intense as it employs non – mimetic methods and techniques than the calm and classical
piece of art which follows nature faithfully.
The volitional character of Expressionism permitted artistic volition to apply its stylistic
devices and methods to gain art of consciousness and for the purpose of art that leads to reality.
Artistic volition is able to penetrate reality like realism but not as profoundly and adequately as
realist art does. By pointing to reality, it inspires its public, whipped up the passions and
mobilizes to action even more strongly than the realist artists.
Expressionist writers also use abstraction in their works. Abstraction is a technique for
representing a subject in a way that trespasses the conventions of realism, thus accommodating a
portrayal of the subject that bears little or no resemblance to any object, person or scene as it is
found in nature. There is an abundant variety of artistic approaches towards abstraction and
subjective expression.
The third technique which Rupert Brooke has used in his poems is interior monologue.
Interior monologue is used for representing the processes of character, and psychic content,
partly or entirely unuttered, just as these processes exit at various levels of conscious control
before they are formulated for deliberate speech. Interior monologues can be designated as
‘direct’ and ‘indirect’. In direct monologue negligible author interference is shown and with no
auditor assumed.
It presents consciousness directly to the reader with neglible author interference; it means that
there is either a complete or near – complete disappearance of the author from the page, together
with his guiding such as ‘he said’, and ‘he thought’ and with his explanatory comments. It should
be accentuated that there is no auditor assumed. The character is neither speaking to anyone
within the fictional scene nor he is speaking to the reader. To write in this way is not easy but it
is a real one.
In Rupert Brooke’s poetry, the artist applies artistic volition, abstraction and interior
monologue to show the modern chaos and disorder. In his poem 1914 I, he introduces the
concept of spiritual rebirth, a soldiers’ participation in the war would wash out entirely his old
sins and would give him a rebirth. It depicts his faith in high sounding abstraction like love,
sacrifice and glory. He uses euphemism in detail. He expresses his intimate and subjective
experiences through abstractions. The purpose behind the use of abstraction is to lessen the pains
of a serious event like death. Rupert Brooke’s poems glorify war and make the soldiers to
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ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:4, Issue:1, January 2015
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believe in transcendent reward for those who has made the supreme sacrifice for home and
country during the Great War. Winston Churchil viewed Rupert Brooke as a true voice which
depicts the horror of war and his writing style is both audible and thrilling. (qtd in Bloom
2003,p.37) This voice expresses the idea of self surrender among soldiers. It brings consolation
and comfort for those who are far from the front.
His sonnets such as 1914 III: The Dead, 1914 IV: The Dead and 1914 V: The Soldier l
have patriotic tone. His poetry appeals to the imagination of those whose existence had turned
stale and now benefit from clarity of purpose. Those who must die loose little except the body
and breath are glad to escape their environment. (Riesman 2012, p. 80)
The sense of artistic volition, the central concept of Expressionism manifests the intention, desire
and purpose of the artist. The presence of Artistic Volition in the genetic process of a oeuvre of
art is more acute as it uses non – mimetic methods and techniques than the calm and
authoritative musical composition of artistic production which follows nature faithfully.
Rupert Brooke distorts traditional thematic divisions of writing a sonnet. Sonnets are
traditionally used for love poems. Rupert Brooke has used Sonnets to express his passion for his
land. He also makes variation in rhyme scheme. In this poem, ‘Peace’ Brooke has also deviated
from traditional thematic divisions of Octave and Sestet. Octave follows the rhyme scheme
ABABCDCD that is the style of Shakespeare’s Sonnet. Sestet follows the rhyme scheme of
EFGEFG. It is a Petrarchan writing style. Brooke combines these two trends in his verse. But he
does not follow the thematic divisions of Octave (question/ predicament) and Sestet (resolution/
solution).
Expressionism avoids representing the external reality. The main principle involved is that
expression determines form and therefore imagery, punctuation, and syntax. Indeed, any of the
formal conventions and components of writing can be bent or disjointed to suit the design.
(Carton 1999, p. 54) The volitional character of Expressionism permitted artistic volition to put
on its stylistic devices and methods to gain art of consciousness and for the determination of
artistic output that leads to reality. Artistic volition is able to penetrate reality like realism, but
not as profoundly and adequately as realist art does. By pointing to reality, it inspires its public,
whipped up the passions and mobilizes to action even more powerfully than the realist artists.
Rupert Brooke distorts romantic writing style. He makes enhancements to syllable ten in the
fourteenth line of this poem. He makes the ninth line a full hexameter. He does so to show the
modern chaos and disorder and achieves satisfaction in sonnet form. He endows thematic and
structural flexibility to the sonnet and introduces new themes such as memory, time, death,
physical phenomena, growing up, lust, pain and pleasure.
Abrams describes expressionism that it expresses the inner experience of representing the world
as it appears to artist’s state of mind, or to that of one of literary characters – an emotional,
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troubled, or abnormal state of mind. Often the work implies that this mental condition is
representative of anxiety – ridden modern man in an industrial and technological society which is
drifting towards chaos. (Abrams 1985, p. 57)
Rupert Brooke has used artistic volition in his poem, ‘Peace’. Artistic volition is depicted
through various stylistic devices and methods such as rhyme scheme, imagery, symbolic
language, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, illusions and alliteration in this poem.
Expressionism and Symbolism can be connected by way of their subjectivism. In fact
symbolism, which in nearly every way, rejects what Expressionism stands for is a stage through
which many Expressionists had to pass in order to reach their artistic destination. (Weinstein
2010, p. 16)
He has used rhyme words such as hour – power, sleeping – leaping, weary – dreary, move –
love, mending – ending, breath – death. Rhyme scheme in this poem is ABABCDCD in the first
paragraph like the Octave. In the second paragraph rhyme – scheme is EFGEFG like Sestet. The
poet has used religious images such as ‘glad from a world grown, old and cold and weary’ to
depict a sort of conversion.
Virginia Woolf says about his style, that Rupert Brooke wrote freely, but not entirely without
self – consciousness and it is apparent that his acquaintances have not cared to publish the more
familiar passages in his letters to them. She further argues “whether or not it was for the good of
his poetry he would be in the thick of things and one fancy… a subtle analytic poetry or prose
perhaps, full of intellect and full of his keen unsentimental curiosity.” (Woolf 1918, p. 23)
Bloom comments on 1914 I: Peace that ‘Peace’ reveals Brooke’s romantic –even sentimental
vision of the war, a vision unencumbered by much of his actual experience. The poem celebrates
the discovery of a cause and the eager anticipation of the regeneration of a world grown old and
cold and weary. (Bloom 2003, p. 14)
Rupert Brooke has used onomatopoeia by calling death as ‘friend and enemy’ in the last line. It
depicts that death has a power to deprive of spirit but it also brings eternal peace. This poem is a
declaration of self- realization and self- determination. He has used symbolic language to create
an enthusiasm among soldiers. He pronounces that ‘God be thanked who has looked on us with
this hour’, ‘Wakened us from sleeping’, ‘with hand made sure’, ‘clear eye’ and ‘sharpened
power’ to provoke the idea of glory, honor and valor.
Bloom comments on 1914 I: Peace in such words as ‘Peace’ reveal Brooke’s rather romantic –
some might even say sentimental – vision of the war, a vision of unencumbered by much actual
experience. The poem celebrates the discovery of a cause and the eager anticipation of the
regeneration of a world grown old and cold and weary (Bloom 2003, p. 14).(Again the same
problem)
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ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:4, Issue:1, January 2015
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He has used simile in this line, ‘Swimmers into cleanness leaping’. It creates an image of
baptism, absolution and ‘muscular Christianity’. Brooke is a pre-war poet. He is a product of
‘muscular Christianity’. In this poem he has sentiment of cleansing like Siegfried Sassoon’s
poem ‘Absolution’. According to ‘Muscular Christianity’ war is a path to cleanse society. He
desires to state that by soldier’s participation in the war would wash off entirely the old sins. This
sacrifice of the soldiers would bring a rebirth. The best approaches to understanding and
appreciating the poetry of Brooke are to uncover the ideas of place and sentiment that dominate
his works and to organize the fascinating manner in which he blends structural integrity and
eloquence, which appears spontaneous, passionate and boarding, and the experimental. (Riesman
2012, p. 78)
Rupert Brooke says: ‘Glad from a world grown old and cold and weary’.
In the above mentioned line, we also find a repetition of the words of ‘a’ and ‘o’. This repetition
provokes a fresh signature to the verse form. He has employed a metaphor, ‘half – men’ to
describe those people who are against war. It also evokes an idea of those human beings who are
interested in young women and sex. Lines from six to eight are reacting against Bloomsbury
friends. They had pacifist ideas about war.
He promotes the young person by using the line ‘where there’s no ill, no grief, but sleep has
mending’. He calls forth the thought that purity is in dying, it will cleanse society. The image
‘sleep’ shows death. Brooke has also used personification in the poem, ‘1914 I: Peace’. He calls
a friend and enemy at the same time. The tone of the poem is lofty. Rupert Brooke’s poem Peace
deals with the transcending reward for those who has made the Supreme Sacrifice for home and
country during the Great War. His diction is classical and romantic. This poem is like a
thanksgiving to God. God has furnished an opportunity to be brave and honest enough. He gives
strength to fight for a noble cause. He has made the soldiers to rise above the masses in society.
By dying for this noble cause, soldier’s all sins dissolves and they enter into heaven.
By using stylistic methods he gains art of consciousness. He understands the purpose of art and
leads his readers to reality. Bloom writes about the Rupert Brooke’ poem ‘1914 me: Peace’ in
such language that this poem reveals Brooke’s romantic and sentimental view about the war, a
view unencumbered by real experience. This poem keeps the feeling of rebirth and regeneration.
In his view war purifies and cleanses the sickly and corrupted society. Reisman says about
Rupert Brooke: The best approaches to understanding and appreciating the poetry of Brooke are
to discover the ideas and sentiment that dominate his works and to recognize the fascinating wall
in which he blends structural integrity and eloquence, which appears spontaneous, passionate,
and abutting on the experimental (2012, p. 78).
Artistic Volition is also present in the poem, ‘1914 III: The Dead’. It is a Petrarchan sonnet.
In the Octave the rhyme scheme is ABBA CDDA. The rich images and delicate music of this
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ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:4, Issue:1, January 2015
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Sonnet constitute something of an achievement is strangely out of contact with the actuality that
inspired it (Johnston 1964, p. 12) The rhyme words Rupert Brooke has used dead – red, old –
gold, serene – been, dearth – earth, pain – again and wage – heritage. It creates a sense of deep
reverence for the dead soldiers in war. He has used literary technique assonance (repeated vowel
sounds in the next lines and row). The first line of the poem has repetition of ‘o’ and ‘you’ for
example:
Blow out, you bugles, over the dead!
There’s none of these so lonely and poor of old
The line ‘but dying has made us rare gifts than gold’ contains the repetition of consonant s –
sound. He has used both literary terms assonance and consonance to memorialize the dead
recruits. Bugles are military instruments that are used for celebration.
He has employed a metaphor ‘rich dead’ for the dead soldier in warfare. The lines ‘there’s
none of ‘These so lonely and poor of old’, ‘but dying has made us rare gifts than gold’ create a
metaphorical paradox. These lines also recall Shakespeare’s Drama Henry V: Act IV: Scene III
where he talks that to die for country gives nobility to the present. Repetition of words ‘blow out
you bugles’ at the beginning of both Octave and Sestet insist on the remembrance of the dead
soldier. The poet provokes the patriotic feelings among soldiers that the dead soldiers’ sacrifice
of their lives has brought back peace and love. They have redeemed the fallen world. Rupert
Brooke has used personification in this poem. ‘Rich dead’ is personified as a dead soldier. He
has used ‘Dead’ with capital D to give it an identity. He has used words such as ‘Holiness’,
‘Love’ and ‘Honour’ in the second paragraph of the poem. He uses personification when he says,
“Honour has come back, as the king, to the earth”. King to the earth personifies the Christ. Christ
has sacrificed for the salvation of the humanity. It also causes us to recall the old myth ‘the
return of the king’ that brings back new life and return to the earth.
He uses a metaphor in the line ‘and paid his subject with a royal wage’. The poet says that the
sacrifice of life is a great gift for the whole nation. The Octave talks about the soldier’s loss of
his life while Sestet reminds us the benefits that soldier’s death brings to his country. In the last
lines he thanks all the soldiers who have helped to find an ennobled country. Brooke has used a
metaphor in the lines; ‘poured out the red sweet wine of youth’ glorifies the bloodshed of the
soldiers. He sees bloodshed as a very honourable. The poem is full of imagery. In the eleventh
line of the poem, the poet has used simile ‘honour as a king’ to create jingoistic feelings among
the youth.
McCourt criticizes Brooke for copying the sound as well as the substance of other poets’ work:
“To often he seems to record the emotional and imaginative experiences of someone other than
himself. He had read widely, and his mind sometimes gave back what it had received before the
process of transmutation was complete. The verses of a hundred poets echo in his writings.”
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(McCourt 1994, p. 151) While Michael Hasting say, “ if the poetry sounds mawkish and
chillingly self – indulgent, it is because we cannot even pretend to grasp that particular brand of
unctuousness [Sic], that humor, that false sense of tranquility… when we laugh hysterically at
the apparent idiocies in this poem [Grantchester]. (Hasting 1964, p. 150)
He has used the term onomatopoeia when he says ‘rich dead’ in the first line the poem, ‘1914
III: The Dead’. The tone of the poem is patriotic and it is a pre – war poem written for the nation
who has to suffer the bitter realities of death in the front line.
Rupert Broke uses artistic volition in ‘1914 IV: The Dead’. Like the other poem by him, this
has patriotic tone . He creates a dreamy world where the young ones live carefree. He says that
the dream world disappears with the start of First World War. Now this youth would participate
in war and serve their country. 1914 IV: The Dead is a sonnet (a lyric poem of the fourteen
lines). It is a Petrarchan sonnet which has two parts; Octave (eight lines) and Sestet (six lines). In
the Octave the rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD and rhyme scheme in the Sestet is EEFGFG.
Rhyme words are cares – theirs, mirth – earth, known – alone, friended – ended, laughter – after,
dance – radiance and white – night. The tone of the poem is severe and shows sadness at the end
of the poem.
Brooke is remembered as the author of the war Sonnets, and it is as if one should characterize
Wordsworth by The Happy Warrior; and the Zeal of His less critical admirers has projected on
his public image a sentimental gloss. A kind of patina of ‘quaintness’ said Brooke himself,
‘which swathes dead books as sentimentality Swathes dead people, has little hold on the living
(Hassall 1964, p 528). Mrs. Cornfield says about Rupert Brooke: “I can’t imagine him using a
word of that emotional Jargon in which people usually talk or write about poetry. He made it feel
more like carpentering” (Bloom 2003, p. 15).
Rupert Brooke has started the poem with long sentences in 1914 IV: The Dead. He uses
commas to separate different feelings such as ‘washed marvellously with sorrows’, ‘swift to
mirth’, ‘And the sunset and the colours of the earth’. He has used juxtaposition’, ‘and sunset and
the colours of the earth’ to emphasize. Brooke has started this poem with third person plural. The
omniscient narrator narrates the feelings, thoughts and motivations about the death of Frontline.
In the middle of second stanza the subject is changed into third person singular. He does so to
emphasize the death of a pure heart at the front.
Artistic volition is also found in his poem ‘The Soldier’. The rhyme – words in this poem are
me – be, field – concealed, aware – air, roam – home, away – day, less – gentleness, given –
heaven. And rhyme scheme in the first paragraph is ABABCDCD. The second paragraph has a
rhyme scheme of EFGEFG. This new variation in his writing style makes him unique to the
other poets of his time. It also fits his role to provoke patriotic ideas among his young.
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Brooke has used many images to show the idealized selflessness of a soldier. This line ‘there
is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England’ provides an image of pathos and
patriotism. ‘Corner of a foreign field’ provides an image of the anonymous nature of death in
war. Bergonzi says about Rupert Brooke’s poem the soldier in the following words that 1914 I:
The soldier is among the most famous short poems in the language. If the Tolstoyan theory of art
had any validity it would be one of the greatest… (Bergonzi 1965, p. 36- 37)
He has used alliteration in second line of the poem. The repetition of the ‘O – sound’ in words
‘some corner of a foreign’ and repetition of ‘f – sound’ in ‘foreign field’ provides a soft and
subdue tone of the poem. The poet has used a metaphor in the fourth line of the poem. The word
‘dust’ in ‘rich earth a richer dust’ signifies Brooke’s idea of a body returning to the dust. Dust is
a common literary metaphor that is used for human body .John Lehmann has criticized the
patriotic expressions of Brooke as shallowly, unrealistic and sentimental. He makes a dividing
line between the illusionary world created by Rupert Brooke and the genuine horrors of warfare.
Moeyes criticizes Rupert Brooke’s reputation by saying that he is surprised that Brooke’s
reputation as a rebel – innovator has never been seriously questioned, the more so since no
commentator has been able to explain how an arch – rebel came to write a cycle of fervently
patriotic war sonnets. (Moeyes 1991, p. 456)
Rupert Brooke has used personification in the poem ‘The Soldier’. He has personified England
as a mother, who gives life to the Soldier, moulds his character, educates him and gives him
future directions. He says:
… England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love her ways to roam,
A body of England’s breathing English to roam air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home
… Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
He has used the word England six times in the poem to create an understanding what England (as
a mother) has done for a soldier. He does this to gain patriotic intensity. This also reminds a
soldier his duty. He should sacrifice his life to keep English clean. He has used a metaphor in this
poem, ‘In that richer earth, a richer dust concealed’ to create a value of soldier’s death. Churchill
comments 1914: V: The Soldier that the thoughts to which he gave expression in the very few
incomparable war sonnets which he has left behind will be shared by many thousands of young
men moving resolutely and blithely forward into this, the hardest, the cruelest and the least –
rewarded of all the wars that men have fought (Churchill 1915, p. 5).
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He also uses alliteration in this poem. The repetition of ‘f – sound’ in ‘foreign field that is
forever England’ provides a gentle tone to the poem. Like the poem 1914 I: Peace Rupert
Brooke had used a combination of two traditional writing styles of a sonnet in 1914 V: The
Soldier. He combines Octave with Sestet in this poem. He likewise employs a combination
between Iambic Pentameter and Troche in this poem. The line, ‘And think, this heart, all evil
shed away’ is a best example of Iambic Pentameter. The technique of troche is used in the eight
line of the poem, ‘washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
He has used a variation in imagery; natural imagery and after life imagery in the poem 1914 V:
The Soldier. In nature imagery he has used images such as fields, dust, flowers, rivers and suns
to create a feeling of homeland. Heaven is an image of after – life. Brooke has used the word
‘heaven’ to console the soldier that their death will lead them to heaven.
Panofsky says that abstraction is the simplest comprehensible forms of the ‘non real’ in diverting
contrast to the ‘real’. (1981, p. 25) Brooke uses the term abstraction in this poem, ‘1914 I:
Peace’. In this poem the poet has used the word ‘swimmer’ for mental relaxation. This word
calls forth the young person who is failing to contend for their land. The youth thinks that all
blood – shed in war is for a noble deed. This thought makes them happy and patriotic.
The creative method of Expressionism accelerates the process of abstraction and transforms its
formal orientation. The impressionists and symbolists subjectivized their creative method more
and more while as “the expressionist precisely abstracted away from these typical characteristics
in as much as he proceeded like the impressionists and symbolists, from the subjective reflex in
experience … emphasized precisely what in this appears from the subject’s standpoint – as
essential in as he ignored the ‘little’, ‘petty’, ‘inessential’ aspects and uprooted this ‘essence’
from its causal connection in time and space ( Lukacs 1934, p. 2).
Abstraction is used to lessen the pains of death and to dramatize the jingoistic ideals such as
bravery, honor, valor and ‘die for one’s country’ in the poem, 1914 III: The Dead. He used
words ‘bugles’, ‘rich dead’, ‘rare gifts than gold’, ‘sweet wine of youth’, ‘joy’, ‘holiness’, ‘king’,
and ‘nobleness’ to create joyous tone. Abstraction takes us away from the bitter realities of life to
the happy and dreamy land. The above mentioned words also do the same job.According to
Munch the urge to abstraction is the result of a great inner unrest in man caused by the
phenomena of the external world. It corresponds in the religious sphere, to a strong
transcendental coloring of ideas. We should like to call this condition an immense spiritual
agoraphobia (Munch 1964, p. 49).
Rupert Brooke uses Abstraction in 1914 III: The Dead’. Like lyric poetry, this poem also
expresses feelings and thought through abstract language. The use of abstract language makes a
serious issue (like death) into the less threading issue. Words such as ‘human joys and cares’,
‘swift to mirth’, ‘dawn’, ‘the colours of the earth’, ‘heard music’, ‘touched flowers and furs and
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cheeks’, ‘laughter’, ‘lit by the rich skies’, ‘dance’, ‘loveliness’, ‘a white unbroken glory’, ‘a
gathered radiance’ and ‘a shining peace’ remind us about the expressionist tem abstraction.
These words with positive connotation takes us away from the prolonged sufferings, political
errors, official insincerities and the callousness and agonies of war which are portrayed by both
Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.
Abstraction has multiple meanings as Langer says: “In one sense (abstraction) it means
something foreign to art, lifeless and inexpressive; in another sense it means formal, pure and
expressive beyond the power of words” (Langer 1964, p. 379). Langer further says that there are
at least four or five independent sources of abstractive techniques and the interplay of logical
projection which they engender creates the semblance of irrationality and in definability which is
delighted of artists and the despair of aestheticians (p. 380)
Elements of abstraction are also found in this poem ‘1914 V: The Soldier’. These elements
provide psychological satisfaction to the idea of being dead at the front of the young recruits.
The words, ‘dreams happy’, ‘laughter’, learnt of friends’, ‘in hearts at peace’, ‘an English
Heaven’ provides a soothing effect to the terrific idea of death. This soothing effect is what we
call abstraction.
It is an expression of the most intimate thought that lies nearest the unconscious, in its form. It is
produced in the direct phrases reduced to minimum of syntax. It is a technique that is used to
represent the psychic content and processes of character that are entirely or partly unuttered
according to Humphrey: “the speech of a character in a scene, having for its object to introduce
us directly into the interior life of the character, without author’s intervention through
explanations or commentaries…” (1954, p. 24)
Rupert Brooke uses interior monologue in the poem, 1914 III: The Dead when he says:
Blow out you bugles over the rich Dead!
Rupert Brooke has also used interior monologue in the poem, The Soldier to depict his own ideas
about the patriotic feelings and ideals of bravery and valour. He says:
If I should die, think only this of me,
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England …
He further uses this technique in these lines:
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less…
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Brooke`s poems were rejected by saying as Shallow and a lie. Hynes calls them as `Plaster
rhetoric` and criticizes that in a poem like The Soldier` Brooke had to fill an empty rhetoric with
too – easily weighted words – England four times and English twice in fourteen lines, lines,
dreams, heaven, eternal mind, and the vaguely comforting somewhere…` and he further
comments that he did so `to falsify the truth of dying and glorify death by calling it sacrifice`.
(Hynes 1972, p. 150)
Charles Sorely has criticized Rupert Brooke that he has clothed his sacrifice and attitude in nice
words. In reality he has sentimental attitude devoid of personal experiences at war and spiritual
insight. (Bloom 2003, p. 15) Moeyes concludes Brooke’s poetry as ‘amateur’ and ‘poseur’ and
further criticizes his poetry it does not analyze and investigate the truth, but helps to escape from
and compensate for a reality he could not cope with. (Moeyes 1991, p. 467) To conclude, we can
say that Rupert Brooke has different and pre – war ideals. His use of Expressionism leads to a
different reality than Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. He died soon after participating in
war and could not get ‘the reality’ which Wilfred Owen called ‘old lie’ in his poem, DULCE ET
DECORUM EST.
Rupert Brooke applies artistic volition, abstraction and interior monologue in his poems. He does
so to show the modern chaos and disorder. His poetry is somewhat patriotic written before the
starting of First World War. In his poem 1914 I: Peace he says that soldiers’ participation in this
war would wash away all the previous sins and would bring rebirth. These poems express
feelings and thoughts through abstract language. The use of abstraction lessens the pains of a
serious issue like death. Rupert Brooke’s poems deal with the transcending reward for those who
has made the supreme sacrifice for home and country during the Great War.
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