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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

into full consideration.

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

this issue in terms of sacrifice. In that connection, he acknowledges it as either something

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

changed by what he is able to see in as far as the war is concerned.

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

which is created by the poet. It is evident that Wilfred himself is a soldier.

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

Pictures Home Entertainment, 2007. DVD. 222-809


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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

the Great War Reconsidered. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2001. 205-218.

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