The Great War
The Great War, also known as World War I, began on July 28, 1914, and lasted until November 11, 1918. About 22 million people were killed or injured in battle. The high death toll was caused by new weapon developments such as chemical weapons and automatic machine guns, as well as aircraft and tanks. The battle was waged largely in trenches, which resulted in deplorable living conditions and epidemic illness. The view of life within the trenches differs significantly from the horrors of war and the circumstances of life of the soldier during various conflicts. The use of literature, specifically poems written in the trenches, was often a technique used to escape the horrors of war, which allows the individual's mind to remain sane. The writing of poems allowed one to express his emotions. It allowed for one to reduce stress even if the poem was about the brutality of war. When the poet is writing, his brain momentarily is using different functions to create sentence structures and rhymes. It eased the mind of the constant stress of shrieking bullets and looming death.
First-person Perspective
Looking at the individuals' perspective of the war allows significant insight into historical reasoning and a first-person view of the average soldier's life. The reader can get insight into the poet's thoughts such as the stress, fear, and the inside battles the poet is facing. Being able to read through someone else's first-hand experience of the war is a privilege. The reader can relate with the writer on a different level. Reading through the literature of the First World War is like looking through a window and taking a glimpse back in time.
Trench Living Conditions
The living conditions in the trenches of World War One were atrocious. Rain and mud played a role that made a living in the trenches far worse than usual. However, rainfall can be cleansing in a physical and spiritual way. Rain washes the dirt off of the soldiers and gives them their long-awaited bath. The rain washes away the blood, lice, and smell of rotting flesh. There is also a reoccurring theme with rain. Rain symbolizes a sort of baptism. It washes away with the old sins and awakens the newly revitalized self. The poem Rain by Edward Thomas illustrates the same thing.
The Poet Edward Thomas
Thomas was born on the third of March 1878 in Lambeth, England, and died on the ninth of April 1917 in Pas-de-Calais, France. He was born to Welsh parents, Phillip Henry Thomas Mary Elizabeth Thomas. Thomas studied history at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he met his wife, Helen Berenice Noble. Thomas got enlisted into the infantry unit Artist Rifles in July 1915. Two years later, he was shot clean through his chest in the Battle of Arras. He was survived by his wife and informed that he died a "bloodless death" by a concussive blast of an artillery shell.
The Poem Rain
In the poem Rain, Thomas lies awake at night in the trenches, listening to the downfall of pouring rain. The rain and the poet's solitude instigate thoughts of the soldiers and civilians who are also exposed to the dangers of warfare. The rain in Rain is a part of nature that allows Thomas to connect to a wider world. Thomas finds inspiration and the solitude that allows him to reflect on his emotions and thoughts in nature, which lead him to a newfound perspective of the world in which he lives.
Rain as a Cleanser
Rain is a type of traditional romantic poetry. The solitary poet, Thomas himself, contemplates the meaning of life and is moved by nature. He finds himself in connection with a broader world. However, he diverges from the traditional romantic style when he begins embracing existential questions and modern alienation, as he is trying to find the meaning of human existence in a hostile world. The author wrote Rain in iambic pentameter. Throughout the poem, Thomas uses intensity and the rhythm of each stanza to illustrate the increasing and decreasing downfall of rain. Thomas also takes advantage of the fact that the reader is an implied listener, which means that the reader hears his immediate thoughts throughout the poem. The poem allows the reader to look into Thomas's mind and understand his fears and thoughts of solitude.
The Opening of the Poem
The poem opens with a rainstorm during the night: "Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain...". This line introduces several important features of the poem such as the repetition of the word "rain" and the sense of solitude. The phrases "nothing but the wild rain" and "midnight rain" give off the feeling of isolation as if there is nothing around him but a rainstorm and a veil of darkness that is covering the landscape. The opening line introduces the recurring themes of loneliness and sadness that give the poem a melancholy feeling.
The Sense of Solitude
The second line is "On this bleak hut, and solitude and me." It introduces the melancholic, contemplative tone of the poem. The words "bleak," "nothing," "rain," "me," and "solitude" illustrate Thomas's depressed, lonely, and contemplative personality. Thomas is developing a sense of solitude and a heightened sense of self-awareness, which allows him to have an epiphany. He then suddenly realizes the reality of war, and he knows he could die at any moment, which is stated when he says, "Remembering again that I shall die."
Sympathy for Others
As Thomas is becoming more self-aware, he then focuses on the falling rain. This leads Thomas to recognize that there is a world in which there are people currently not suffering on the battlefield. He begins to wonder how people are living outside of the trenches, specifically compared to the soldiers who are also fighting in the trenches. This is in the tenth line: "Is dying tonight or lying still awake?" Earlier in the poem, the rain originally brings Thomas to self-examination. However, as Thomas continues to embrace the rain, he begins to think of the world as a whole and how the rain is affecting not just him but others as well. He starts to show sympathy for those who are also stuck in the rain, awake at night, facing the realities of war, as death is looming over them.
Pity and Desperation
Thomas's feelings are again mentioned: "Solitary, listening to the rain." "Either in pain or thus in sympathy." He is beginning to form a sense of pity as he starts listening to the helpless injured soldiers that are on the battlefield, and he knows his helplessness and that there is nothing he can do. The mention of praying illustrates that Thomas is becoming desperate as he mentions, "But here I pray that none whom once I loved." This depicts that Thomas is trying to have more self-control of the situation. He wants to give himself direction in life as currently, he feels lost, depressed, and isolated. The reason for this is that in his current situation, he does not have any control over what happens. The only thing he can do to regain control of his life is to pray. He cannot control the rain, but he can change his perspective of and mentality toward the war. He does not think anyone should endure this type of pain as he mentions he "wishes that no one once loved or loves has to go through this type of horror."
The Metaphorical Significance of Rain
Thomas then explains that the rain has metaphorical significance such as the act of being baptized. The rain is a blessing to Thomas as it makes him realize that death is inevitable, but the consolation of having God's blessing before death gives him comfort and allows him to accept death. "For washing me cleaner than I have been" suggests that Thomas' old sins are being washed away in the downfall of rain, and God is showing acceptance of his soul. As it continues to rain, Thomas continues to believe that the rain is a form of blessing or ablution to the fallen soldiers on the battlefield. The rain is acting as a "cleanser" to the fallen soldiers. He believes that it is stripping away their old identity and creating a blank slate in which their sins for mutilating one another are forgiven. He stated this during the seventh line: "Blessed are the dead that the rain rains upon."
Imagery and Biblical References
Thomas' use of imagery and biblical references is apparent when he utilizes the simile, "Like a cold water among broken reeds, Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff." He uses the simile to describe the men who are exposed to the rain on the battlefield as like cold water, which is stiff, calm, silent, and appears to be inert and without life. Reeds that once stood straight are now broken in half and wilting. The countless broken reeds resemble the men who once stood straight, glorified, unwavering to defeat but are now broken, petrified, and devoid of life. The images of reeds being splinted comes from the Bible, Isaiah 36:6. From the constant symbolism of religion throughout the poem, it can be inferred that Thomas is quite religious.
The Impact of War on Mental State
The poem Rain by Edward Thomas depicts the strain of warfare on the mental state of the average soldier living in the trenches for months away from home. It can be inferred from this poem that soldiers were often depressed, felt isolated, and used religion as a way to escape the reality of war and accept death, as it was easier to die knowing that god accepted you in an afterlife.
Rain as a Deadly Force
In Wilfred Owens's poem, rain is not necessarily considered a religious blessing; it is, however, considered the opposite. It is detrimental and deadly to the soldier's life. Owen describes the water as "guttering down in waterfalls of slime" and "Choked up the steps too thick with clay to climb." Owens's use of imagery that describes the water puts emphasis on how dangerous the water was for the living conditions of the soldier. "Waterfalls of slime" indicates that water rushed into the trenches at high speed and with large amounts of water, and the slime is the water mixing with clay, making it thick like slush, making it harder for the soldier to move. The word "guttering" that he uses replicates the noise of drowning soldiers as the water rushes in like a flash flood, leaving no time to react quickly.
The Claustrophobic Experience
Owens also takes advantage of the use of the reader's being an implied listener. Owens's imagery of the water filling up the trenches, "Choked up the steps too thick with clay to climb," is an insight into Owens's mind as we can see his immediate claustrophobia. The water blocks the steps and begins filling the trenches with clay. He realizes that there is no escape from the horrid trenches. The water is "rising hour by hour" when it was already "waist high," which illustrates that the torrential rain is submerging Owen.
Fear, Chaos, and Horror
Owens also uses iambic pentameter in "Sentry." The tone throughout the poem shows a sense of fear, chaos, and horror. The phrase "shell after frantic shell" illustrates the daily occurrence of artillery barrages on the soldiers' location. However, it seems as if Owen is deeply afraid and is anxious for the barrage to stop. "Eyeballs, huge-bulged like squids" is the only simile Owens uses in the poem, which consequently indicates the fear within the soldier's mind. His pupils appear to be dilated, reacting to the environment and the adrenaline being pushed out by his nervous system in reaction to his fear.
The Relentless Assault
Owens's use of onomatopoeia such as the words "whizz-bangs," "buffeting," "snuffing," "thud! flump! thud," and "thumping" suggest that the chaos of the assaults is hard-hitting and that the constant barrages of artillery are relentless. However, the words "thud! flump! thud!" along with "thumping" and "crumps and pummeled" convey muffled sounds as if the shells are landing in confined spaces such as the trenches. This is in contrast to the noises indicated by the "whizz-bangs" and "shrieking," which illustrate that the shells are landing in the open spaces above the trenches.
Symbolism of Light and Darkness
Owens also alludes to the symbolism of light and darkness. The whizz-bangs snuff out the candles and put the trenches into darkness and despair, which blinds the sentries. The light is a symbol of the sentries' vision; however, there is irony in that he cannot see the candle flame, which symbolizes hope. However, when the candle flame burns out, the sentry shouts that he can see it. The loss of light in the trenches represents the loss of hope and perseverance within Owens and his soldiers. "I say, we heard him shout 'I see your lights!' But ours had long died out." This means that Owens and his men have lost the spirit to continue fighting, and they are accepting defeat and death. However, once Owens loses his fate, the sentry's fire is relit, and he has the spirit to continue fighting. It also makes a reference to Sir Edward Grey, who was the foreign secretary at the outbreak of war. He stated Europe lost faith and hope once the war started by saying, "the lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." Therefore, the lack of light throughout the poem represents death.
The Horrors of the Trenches
Owens's use of diction is carefully picked to illustrate the horrors and grotesque experiences that were witnessed in the trenches. He describes the previous lives, cramped in terrifying conditions like animals "Who'd lived there years, and left their curse in the den, if not their corpses..." Leaving their "curse in the den" refers to the trench being a cemetery. Men have died in the trenches, and their corpses are removed; however, the souls and memories of the men remain. Owens often uses words with one to two syllables to describe the environment, which has a profound impact on the reader since usually one-syllable words are stronger since they are short and brief. He uses words like 'murk', 'stank old,' and 'sour' to describe the smells of the trench.
Traumatic Memories
The poem Sentry reflects back on the traumatic experience of trench life. The poem depicts the fears and horrors that Owens witnessed while he was in the trenches. Owens compares his claustrophobic fear of confined spaces to the horrors of almost drowning. It appears that Owens is deeply traumatized by these events, as he says, "I try not to remember these things now." Owens wrote Sentry as a way to relieve his mind of his traumatic memories, as he possibly shows symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, known as Shell Shock during his time, in the poem.
Comparing Edward Thomas and Wilfred Owens
Even though Edward Thomas and Wilfred Owens were in similar situations during similar times, they wrote very different poems because of their mentalities and perspectives on life. Thomas appeared to have been more religious than Owens. If Owens was religious at any time, it must have been stripped away by the horrors of war. Thomas frequently made allusions to religious symbolism, such as the association of men with broken reeds, which is a reference to the Bible, Isaiah 36:6. Also, the act of praying was heavily important as it offered Thomas acceptance in the afterlife. He welcomed the rain as baptism, which gave him comfort. On the other hand, Owens did not make any religious references, which could be seen as proof that he did not believe in God because the horrors of war had made a profound impact on his perspective. He thought that God did not exist because why would God make a living thing endure such horrors in life. Owens had a hard time coping with the things he had witnessed, while Thomas was more accepting of his fate.
