It is apparent, that Poetry has been a controversial topic, but will eventually remain, a relevant art form in modern society and culture, and that it has been utilized to designate the explicit nature regarding the horrors of war.
It can be said, that for an art form to remain relevant in modern society, it must contain several influential bonds, to grasp the attention of the nominated target audience. It is evident that many prominent authors have altered Poetry, by utilizing songs to bestow knowledge about the horrors of war from a global perspective. It should be noted, that with these alterations, Poetry can still be regarded as a relevant art form in modern society. Throughout the eras, Poetry has revolved around the ideologies of authors to convey expressions and ideas. These ideologies revolve around the moral, social and ethical values of the author. Poetry has continued to express these ideologies by employing the use of rhythm and literary techniques. In modern terms, Poetry is referred to “the unique intersection of language and state of mind” by various writers. In retrospect, Poetry has been used by various poets and songwriters throughout the eras to educate, inspire, persuade or entertain.
Whilst the progression of poetry into modern society has been controversial, with a wide sector of the general demographic agreeing that poetry should be disregarded as an irrelevant literature device in modern society. However, with the yet, undetected alteration of poetry by various authors, to remain a relevant art form in modern society by understanding emerging sub-cultures and arising issues. It can be said, Poetry will remain a key literature device in modern society, due to the various alterations that help Poetry remain relevant in modern society. Examples that support the relevance of poetry in modern society can include “Dulce et Decorum est” by Wilfred Owen and I Was Only 19 by the band ‘Redgum’. Both examples are renowned popular songs that utilize poetry to elaborate on the Horrors of war. These songs share similarities in context, but reveal the alteration of poetry within different timeframes. The Horrors of War was a popular topic for various influential songwriters during the first world war and the Vietnam war.
During the harrowing events of World war 1, Wilfred Owen walked down his own psychological journey, which revolved around the use of poetry to relieve his Body, heart, and soul. Because of this, Wilfred Owen is now recognized as the greatest English poet of the First World War. His poetry revolved around expressing the battlefield, in a utopian setting where the world is filled with blood, sweat, and tears. Dulce et Decorum est was placed into the spotlight and became Wilfred Owen’s signature poetry piece, due to the unique style Wilfred Owen used to ensure that Poetry remained relevant during World War 1. Dulce et Decorum est was a 2-3-minute poetry piece that was created in 1920 and was first published on the 1st of April 2016. This poem was met with mostly positive recognition and awe from various communities around the glove.
During the writing stage of Dulce et Decorum est, Wilfred Owen originally structured the poem to manipulate his target audience’s thoughts on war. Within each page, it is evident that Wilfred Owen clearly expresses his perception of the world around him filled with blood, sweat, and tears. Wilfred Owen has achieved this by effectively employing various language features. The Rhyme within the text implies the heaviness and misery of the men at war by the slightly dull rhyme-scheme ab ab. The ‘udge’ sound in English is frequently associated with thickness and limited mobility (l.
2,4) just as the ‘umble’ cluster connotes a lack of precision (l.9,11). In contrast to rhyme, Stanza one has been composed using regular iambic pentameter rhythm, which asserts the sad but relentless nature of the horror Wilfred Owens platoon experiences. Verb tenses are used to reflect the changes of time, for example, in stanza one of Dulce et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen’s men ‘marched’ and ‘turned’ and ‘went’. Repetition is used to draw the attention of the reader, for example, ‘Gas! GAS!’, capitalized on the second use, jolts us into the awareness of the terror and horror of the attack. It should be noted that Owen’s use of alliteration builds as the pain worsens. for example, soldiers are ‘Bent’ like ‘beggars’ l.1, who ‘a cough’ and ‘curse’.
l.2 to emphasize the horror surrounding the event. And finally, Owen uses contrast to intensify the horror experienced by soldiers and his audience. For example, in line 8 he takes the reader off guard: the lethal ‘gas-shells’ (or Five-Nines) drop ‘softly’, as gentle rain might, and are ‘behind’ rather than an overt danger in front. These words seem impotent and unthreatening, yet in line 9 Owen punctuates the first four short sharp words with exclamation marks. When Wilfred Owen ultimately died, the world lost a soldier, poet, and activist.
but the ideologies that Wilfred Owen has explicated will never be forgotten and will continue to support the relevance of poetry in modern Society. Now, during the Vietnam war, a comparable poetry piece has been created by Redgum, calling for the war to stop. Altered Edition: Redgum were An Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975. The band employed several singers and writers, most notably John Schumann and Trevor Lucas. Redgum grew rapidly, and the band soon became the figurehead in political issues, with various songs hitting the top charts in Australia. “I Was Only Nineteen” was one of the most successful songs Redgum released, which peaked at #1 on the National singles charts, and ranks in (APRA) the Australasian Performing Right Association list of Top 30 of All-time Best Australian Songs created in 2001. “I Was Only Nineteen” recognized the horrors of war, and recognized that the world was filled with violence and hate.
This song ultimately pictures the life of a traumatized soldier in a broken world. The Lyrics address key issues in war, such as grief, death, mentally affected soldiers. “I Was Only Nineteen” is a song that creates an atmosphere that is seeking peace, equality, and unity and ultimately away from war.
