What is the poem Drummer Hodge about?

The poem depicts Hodge’s brisk, unceremonious burial in a country whose terrain and sky were totally foreign to him. With stark irony, it illustrates the senseless cruelty of war, including imperial wars that send confused young people to die in faraway countries.

Why was Drummer Hodge written?

Drummer Hodge is one of several poems by Thomas Hardy that were inspired by the Anglo-Boer War in what is now South Africa, fought between the British Army and settlers of Dutch origin, from October 1899 to May 1902.

How is death presented in Drummer Hodge?

Hardy describes the fate of an anonymous and very young man, Drummer Hodge, who has gone out to fight against the Boers in South Africa and has died in some skirmish or battle. His body is found by his comrades and hastily buried.

What did Parson Thirdly have to say?

Stanza Eight My neighbour Parson Thirdly said, “I wish I had stuck to pipes and beer.” There is a slightly humorous image in this line of skeletons shaking their head. This is not surprising considering everything else the skeletons were doing and saying up until this point.

What type of poem is Drummer Hodge?

The second Boer War poem, ‘Drummer Hodge’, actually uses words that come from the Boer settlers in South Africa: kopje meaning a small hill; veldt meaning open unenclosed country; and Karoo, meaning barren plateau. Hardy’s thoughts about an imagined soldier from Hardy’s own native Wessex, killed in South Africa.

What is Hardy’s main argument in Channel Firing?

Themes in Channel Firing In this case, Hardy emphasizes that fact by describing war as something that has gone on endlessly. It darkly unifies humankind throughout time. The skeleton/skeletons who tell this poem are speaking from the afterlife, waiting for Judgement Day to arrive.

What did Parson Thirdly say about the war in Channel Firing?

And many a skeleton shook his head. My neighbour Parson Thirdly said, “I wish I had stuck to pipes and beer.” Unlock all 484 words of this analysis of Lines 29-32 of “Channel Firing,” and get the Line-by-Line Analysis for every poem we cover.

What is the poem Channel Firing about?

English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy wrote “Channel Firing” in 1914, just months before World War I began. The poem imagines a graveyard that is disturbed by the noise of warships firing their guns out at sea.

What is the tone of Channel Firing?

Tone: The overall tone of the novel is dark/ominous and also contains witty and cynical aspects. It closely compares to the tone of “Channel Firing” which also has a overhanging darkness within. Hardy’s clever and comedic remarks are evident in both.

What does Channel Firing poem mean?

When was the poem Channel Firing written?

April 1914
Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘Channel Firing’ is one of his most popular poems; it was also, perhaps, the most prophetic. Written in April 1914 and published in May of the same year, just a few months before the outbreak of the First World War, it anticipates the conflict that would break out later that year.

Who are the speaker in the poem Channel Firing?

“Channel Firing” Speaker. There are several speakers in “Channel Firing.” The main speaker is the narrator, one of the dead people in the graveyard who are awoken by the sound of the guns. Additionally, God and two other dead people speak.