Essay Questions

It is well-known that Rupert Brooke died at the young age of 27. How does this knowledge change the reading of many of Brooke’s poems?

Many of Brooke’s poems pertain to the life and death of primarily British soldiers. In these poems, Brooke is careful to focus on the lives and emotions of these soldiers, rather than simply their deaths. That said, Brooke’s poetry is deeply entrenched in death-related imagery. He often considers how death took away the spirits of dedicated and kind-hearted British soldiers, whose bodies ultimately returned to the earth of the country that first gave them life. In retrospect, this makes these poems much more emotionally meaningful, given Brooke’s own encounter with death at such a young age. In this way, Brooke’s poems take on a far more somber and appreciative meaning, as Brooke, himself, was taken by death far too soon—just like many of the soldiers he wrote about.

Given the historical context of Brooke’s writing, how are his patriotic sentiments, which are evident in many of his poems, significant?

Brooke lived from 1887 to 1915. Given that two world wars would follow the publication of Brooke’s poem, his patriotic sentiments are particularly relevant and sobering. In his poems, Brooke addresses the bravery and subsequent massive loss of life that is associated with all acts of war. He demonstrates an incredible sense of pride for and in Britain’s army and soldiers and expresses this British patriotic sense in both “The Solider” and “The Dead.” In short, the historical context of the years that followed the publication of Brooke’s poems and his subsequent death are very poignant, as Brooke expressed very strong patriotic sentiments and pride in his country, which would soon become very relevant, as Britain went through both World War I and World War II in the subsequent years.

Brooke published an anthology series of three poems in 1914, entitled “The Solider,” “The Dead,” and “Peace.” How do these three poems tell a collective story of war?

In each of these poems, Brooke addresses the different stages of war. He uses these poems to exemplify how each stage is distinctly different and carries different meaning for those involved. In “The Solider,” which is the first poem in this series, the narrator talks about the incredible tenacity and courage of the men who fought for the British armed forces. He talks about their fears and their jovial natures, which is particularly remarkable, given they faced death and brutality each day. This poem is essentially a dedication to all the men (and later women) who maintained their sense of humanity, even in the darkest and most violent of times. The second poem, “The Dead,” takes a much more somber turn. In this poem, Brooke addresses what is perhaps the most remembered part of war—death. He speaks of the courage of those soldiers from the first poem, whose bodies, after being desecrated and obliterated, will turn to ash and return to the soil of the country that first bore them. In this way, this second poem serves as a memorial to all the soldiers whose lives were taken in the course of war. Finally, in “Peace,” Brooke addresses the strange, bittersweet sense of peace that falls over a country after war has ceased. He explains that the lost lives of those soldiers are also at peace, for their spirits are no longer at war. In this way, these three poems catalogue the long, hard, and emotional journey of war—from the soldiers, who are at first jovial and full of life, to the final moments of peace, where those both living and dead can reflect upon the horrors of concluded war.