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The tone of the poem After Blenheim is sarcastic and ironic as the poet exposes destruction caused by the war. Summary of the Poem After Blenheim Stanza Wise
The tone of the poem After Blenheim is sarcastic and ironic as the poet exposes destruction caused by the war.
Summary of the Poem After Blenheim Stanza Wise
See lessThe rhyming scheme of the poem After Blenheim is ABCBDD. Summary of the Poem After Blenheim Stanza Wise
The rhyming scheme of the poem After Blenheim is ABCBDD.
Summary of the Poem After Blenheim Stanza Wise
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The background of the poem is about two small children and their curiosity when one of them discovers a skull. “After Blenhiem” is an antiwar poem written by Robert Southey in 1796 talking about the Battle of Blenheim which occurred in 1704. Summary of After Blenheim Poem
The background of the poem is about two small children and their curiosity when one of them discovers a skull. “After Blenhiem” is an antiwar poem written by Robert Southey in 1796 talking about the Battle of Blenheim which occurred in 1704.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
See lessRobert Southey’s poem, “After Blenheim”, is an anti-war poem, showing the absurd intricacies surrounding the war which a common people are unaware of. The poem begins with Old Kaspar is basking in the Sun after his day’s work and watching his granddaughter, Wilhelmine play in the garden. He is relaxRead more
Robert Southey’s poem, “After Blenheim”, is an anti-war poem, showing the absurd intricacies surrounding the war which a common people are unaware of. The poem begins with Old Kaspar is basking in the Sun after his day’s work and watching his granddaughter, Wilhelmine play in the garden. He is relaxing “before his cottage door” and the atmosphere of a quiet, peaceful and pastoral view is created. Wilhelmine spotted her brother, Peterkin, coming home with something in his hands. It’s “large and round” which Peterkin actually picked up beside the rivulet. He himself is unaware of what he has found and brought it home to ask his grandfather, perhaps, about his discovery. The object which “was so large, and smooth, and round” attracts Peterkin’s attention and he brings it over. Old Kaspar takes the object from Peterkin’s hand and tells to him “with a natural sigh”, as if he is trying to dig up his memories of the past, that what Peterkin has found is a skull. That too not an ordinary skull but a “poor fellow’s skull” who fell in the “great victory.“ Peterkin is curious to know about the skulls. He wants to know about the war and how everything happened. Wilhelmine is also curious as she “looks up” with “wonder-waiting eyes.“ Old Kaspar sits down to narrate them the story behind the skulls. He says that it was a battle between the English and the French, with the English winning it rightly and valiantly. He goes on to say that the reason of the war is not known to him but he knows one thing for sure that it was a “famous victory.” The actual horrors of the war are presented. The soldiers burnt the villages near Blenheim and no one was spare, not even a childing mother nor a new-born baby. It was a massacre. Wilhelmine exclaim in horror how “wicked” it all is. But the grandfather shushes her saying that it actually wasn’t as it was for a “famous victory. Instead of praising the martyrs of the war, Old Kaspar praises the Duke for whom he believes the “great fight win.” He thinks war is easily fought and the lives lost in the battle are trivial. Peterkin questions him “what good came” at the end of the war to which Old Kaspar responds saying he doesn’t know but all he knows and all he cares is the it was “a famous victory.”
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
See lessThe irony in the poem lies with the fact Old Kaspar glorifies the war by saying “famous victory” despite knowing the reason for the war. He lives and survives under an illusion which is why till the very end he kept on saying that all that matters is the great victory. Summary of After Blenheim Poem
The irony in the poem lies with the fact Old Kaspar glorifies the war by saying “famous victory” despite knowing the reason for the war. He lives and survives under an illusion which is why till the very end he kept on saying that all that matters is the great victory.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
See lessThe moral of the poem is seen through this poem, that the poet shows how vicious the wars can be and how ignorant the common people are to its destructiveness. War is not the solution to peace and those who glorify war and think only of victory in regard to it are nothing but foolish and imbecile (sRead more
The moral of the poem is seen through this poem, that the poet shows how vicious the wars can be and how ignorant the common people are to its destructiveness. War is not the solution to peace and those who glorify war and think only of victory in regard to it are nothing but foolish and imbecile (stupid). Soldiers go through extreme mental and physical exhaustion while being out there on the battlefield and Old Kaspar, on the other hand, doesn’t stop caring about the great victory at the end of the bloody war.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
See lessThe theme of the poem, “After Blenheim”, is the horrors of the war as it is an anti-war poem. The poet shows the absurd intricacies surrounding the war which a common people are unaware of. For the common people, war is glorified as they consider it to be bold and an act of bravery and are only bothRead more
The theme of the poem, “After Blenheim”, is the horrors of the war as it is an anti-war poem. The poet shows the absurd intricacies surrounding the war which a common people are unaware of. For the common people, war is glorified as they consider it to be bold and an act of bravery and are only bothered by the victory. When Old Kaspar was talking about the skull, he said that the skull belonged to that of a brave soldier who died fighting in a way. To him the death of the soldier is not remorseful but the fact that he died for a great victory is more commendable. The poet critics the voice of Old Kaspar by making him oblivious to the real horrors of the war. He is unaware of how gruesome battles are and “many thousand men’s” lives are trivial considered to the victory that they have attained. He is ignorant to the actual consequences of the war and celebrates hollow nationalism by celebrating the “great victory.” Old Kaspar then goes on to say that the reason of the war is nit known to him but he knows one thing for sure that it was a famous victory. This shows how hollow nationalism is for common folk like Old Kaspar. He knows who won the war but doesn’t know the hardship and the bloodshed behind the war. He values war as the result of glory. The poet criticizes this form of glorification by making ironical statement like “great victory” and so on. Kaspar glorifies war instead of accepting it as a mean of physical and psychological trauma. Unlike his little granddaughter, he is oblivious to the truth and lives under the illusions created by the rulers of the time. Due to this mindset, all the matters to Old Kaspar was victory only. The poet wants to bring forth the fact that war is not something to be glorified as it’s not the solution to peace. Soldiers go through extreme mental and physical exhaustion while being out there on the battlefield which cannot be explained in terms of mere victory.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
See lessThe message of the poem used to convey help meaningless wars are. War is not a solution to peace but gives way to bloodshed and brutality. Soldiers undergo both mental and physical trauma while being there out on the battlefield and even the common folk, who are not directly linked with the war, facRead more
The message of the poem used to convey help meaningless wars are. War is not a solution to peace but gives way to bloodshed and brutality. Soldiers undergo both mental and physical trauma while being there out on the battlefield and even the common folk, who are not directly linked with the war, face the harsh cruelties of the war. The poet hopes to spread the message of peace and love through his poem to the readers and that the glorification of war should be stopped at all costs.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
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The refrain in the poem occurs when Old Kaspar continues to say “great victory” or “famous victory”, implying how victories are more important as compared to the lives lost in the war. Summary of After Blenheim Poem
The refrain in the poem occurs when Old Kaspar continues to say “great victory” or “famous victory”, implying how victories are more important as compared to the lives lost in the war.
Summary of After Blenheim Poem
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