The Soldier (poem)

The Soldier (poem)

The Soldier is a poem written by Rupert Brooke. The poem is actually the fifth of a series of poems entitled "1914".

It is often contrasted with Wilfred Owen's 1917 anti-war poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est"

The manuscript is located at King's College, Cambridge.

References to The Soldier

Part of The Soldier was adapted for the contingency television address that would have been read by President Richard Nixon in the event the Apollo 11 astronauts became stranded on the moon.

Lyrics from Roger Waters' "The Gunner's Dream" (from the Pink Floyd's album "The Final Cut") were based on The Soldier.

Implicit references to this poem (and several others) are made in Muse's song "Soldier's Poem" from their album "Black Holes & Revelations".

Analysis of Poem

This poem was written as the First World War broke out in 1914, as part of a series of sonnets written by Rupert Brooke. Brooke himself, being predominantly a pre-World War poet, died the year after “The Soldier” was published. “The Soldier”, being the conclusion and the finale to Brooke’s ‘1914’ war sonnet series, deals with the death and accomplishments of a soldier. Written in fourteen line Petrarchan / Italian sonnet form, the poem is divided into an opening octave, and then followed by a concluding sestet. As far as rhyme scheme, the octave is rhymed after the Shakespearean / Elizabethan (abab cdcd) form, while the sestet follows the Petrarchan / Italian (efg efg) form. The volta, the shift or point of dramatic change, occurs after the fourth line where Brooke goes from describing the death of the soldier, to his life accomplishments. This sonnet encompasses the memoirs of a fallen soldier who declares his patriotism to his homeland by declaring that his sacrifice shall be the eternal ownership of England, of a small portion of land he has died upon. The poem appears to not follow the normal purpose of a Petrarchan / Italian sonnet either. It does not truly go into detail about a predicament/resolution, as is customary with this form; rather, the atmosphere remains constantly in the blissful state of the English soldier.

External links

* [http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap/tutorials/intro/brooke/vsoldier.html Rupert Brooke: V. The Soldier]


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