After the War by May Wedderburn Cannan is a beautifully written poem that has a strong emotional and moral appeal. In the poem, the poet has tried to develop a deep sense on the terrors of the war. The two stanzas poem is showing a cause that the war is a dreadful thing. She further emphasizes that hope is all what she is left with. The poet emphasizes that after the war she is going to sit with her friend on the terrace, where she used to sit with her, and will watch the beautiful sky changing to blue; the sky which once used to be grey because of the war. The poet strongly believes that after the war ends there will be a good summer afternoon, which, she is going to enjoy with her friend. She would like to remember all the good days that are gone. However, she has not given up on hope. Although the poem is very short, the content is too strong that there is an emotional pull in it. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the poem is rhythmic in style, and each stanza consists of four phrases (Cannan).
On the other hand, War Girls by Jessie Pope shares experiences of a girl who has been striving for their survivals and lived when the solider boys have left for the war. The poem tremendously explains the struggle of girls doing man’s chores when the war breaks.
I believe that the poem emotionally draws the readers, visualizing the scenarios of their daily routine. The misery and emptiness of their hearts when affections have almost vanishes in their lives. The author has aligned the affection and brutality aspect of society in the state of war in a very neutral tone, careful choices of words that make the readers to feel the pain girls have been going through during the phase of war. Besides of the fact, that the chores and duties that have been mentioned in the poem are mainly performed by men who have left for the war.
On the other hand, After the War
In my opinion, the combination of the paradox scenarios and duties of the gender that has been mentioned in the poem such as ‘strong, sensible and fit, they’re out to show their grit (Pope 23)’ reflects contracting phase of the lives of these girls. Explaining that these girls have been working hard in their lives with dedication fulfilling their as well as duties of the man, with a hope that their lives will be better once the solider boys will be coming home. The poem portrays the pain of a wife, sister and mother who are waiting for their loved ones to come home and take charge of things that they have left behind. It is a narrative poem that tells the story about the girls during the phase of the war. The poet has used neutral tone with intense words with a repetition in the starting and closing of stanzas along with alternative ending of each phrase with rhyming words.
Works Cited
Cannan, May Wedderburn. After the War. London: Oxford University Press, 1917. Print.
Pope, Jessie. "War Girls." 1939. Web. 17 November 2014. <www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/248382>.
