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Representations of War
Introduction
There have been so many issues that have tended to affect the behavior of human beings.
Their attitude towards life has also been as a result of such issues. One of these issues is that of
wars. The issue of war has made so many things that pertain to the human complexity to change
a great deal. In order to have a full evidence of this whole issue, I will have to consider the two
poems that manifests it. One of the poems that I would consider first is that of Kenneth Slessor
entitled the Beach Burial. In this poem, the transient nature of life, death, sadness as a result of
loss of lives by the youths and the war despondence are some of the ideas that have been
presented in this poem that are fully associated by the use of war. So many things happen and
youths especially are the ones who are really affected by this issue. However, this poem is not
entirely based on wars but they are evident in some cases. In this poem, there are no instances of
celebration for the heroic actions, nationalism and patriotism have also not been declaimed. This
poem is a special case that must be seriously looked into and discussed.
One of the attributes that is laid to this poem is the fact it represents a very subdued
tribute to those who guard each and every nation who have made it their mission to fight one of
their common enemy in the name of death in almost all the places (Pittock 16) This is regardless
of their close relationship of either them being friends or enemies. This is a very crucial thing to
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do in as far as the issue of peaceful coexistence is concerned. This is a very crucial thing in the
life of people who have a common goal and knowledge on some of the facts that should be put
In this poem, the strong attitude that Slessor has towards the issue of war is looked into.
This shows how much war has affected his human behavior and attitude towards life. He views
unnecessary and insignificant to a greater extent. He uses various media to vindicate the whole
thing. Some of these includes the Rhyme of the poem, symbolism, language use and even
imagery. Beach Burial tends to show the results of what happens after the war. The battle that is
considered in this case is that of El Alamein. Under this course, there are very huge number of
deaths that are witnessed. We have almost 1250 deaths of Australian citizens being witnessed and
sustained.
Slessor writes very painfully about the death so many youths as a result of this war. This
even makes him to be a correspondent and a war sympathizer. This poem also has a very painful
effect on the reader since he/she is drawn to a reality of war that is very tragic and harsh. The
writer goes on to show and marginalize the splendor and some heroic actions that are usually
witnessed in texts that are mainly concerned with wars. The title of this poem also comes out as a
paradox where the Beach is usually associated with pleasure and life in abundance. However, it
is a place for those who have been killed as a result of war. The attitude of Slessor is therefore
The next poem that can be also considered is the one of Disabled by one of the
renowned writer and poet in the name of Wilfred Owen. When one fully analyzes some of the
issues in this poem, one of the things that is seen for sure is the issue of war. There are some
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ideas about wars that are evident in as far as the whole book is concerned. The focal point in this
poem is fully based on the reflection that is given pertaining to the first World War (ORegan et
al., 45) Another issue that relates to that and has also been recognized in this case is the pressure
that some of the peers have that would make them to fully engage in some of the war activities
and joining the army. One of the ways through which this is shown is by the use of imagery
He is able to look into this world in the perception of a youth and how a young man
can view life as a whole. Some of the youths joined the army and went to wars so that one
day they would be considered a hero. However, they end up being killed before even the
whole exercise begins. In the first line we are told that He sat in a wheeled chair. This
shows the fact that someone has lost his leg. This is a very pitiful and sympathetic time in
the lives of these people. In the first 3 lines of this wonderful work, the poet uses two instances
of imagery that are very much powerful, Owen expresses how the life of someone is full of
sadness. This creates an environment that is full of darkness and gloom. The grey color in the
ghastly grey suit is linked with sadness by the poet. These conditions make the view on wars
and the attitude that people have to really change due to the fear of loss of life.
The last work is that scenario in the Across the Universe Film which is known as the
Strawberry fields. The strawberry field is a song that is written by John Lennon. Under this scene
in the film, there is the use of symbolism for the troops who are now considered to be the
Strawberries and most of them have been splattered on some of the canvas (Sturgess et al., 23). It
is seen that the juice of this precious fruit leaks down the canvas which is as white as snow in a
way compared to blood. These are some of the fatalities that are witnessed in this case which is
as a result of war. This therefore marks a full demonstration of the effects of war on the lives of
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individuals. There are so many war scenes that have been brutally presented in this arena of the
strawberry fields.
Works cited
Dir. Julie Taymor. Perf. Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood Across The Universe. Sony
ORegan, Tom, and Huw Walmsley-Evans. "The film reviewing of Kenneth Slessor: a cine-
aesthetics of the sound cinema." Studies in Australasian Cinema 10.2 (2016): 211-222.
Pittock, Malcolm. "The war poetry of Wilfred Owen: A dissenting reappraisal." The Literature of