My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar- - PowerPoint Presentation

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My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar-A.e housman

Andrew, Kathy, Leon, AndreaSlide2

SummaryThis poem is about guilt, loss and choices.

The poet is conveying to the readers that people die in the war because of the decisions and choices that are made.This shows signs of guilt in which a man remembers his fallen comrades – “in their graves my comrades are,” and laments not having acted in a certain way. The author mentions the fact that he remains alive because, unlike the others, he failed to react in an honourable and satisfactory manner – “I forgot and ran.”

The title suggests that what happened to him during the war is all he thinks about. It dominates his dreams.Slide3

FORM The poem has a traditional structure, with two four line stanzas. Each has an ABAB structure.

The simple and concise form gives the effect of a eulogy or lament- the narrator in the poem is guilty and expresses only what must be said. Slide4

Stanza 1The first line is a confession to the reader- the poet ‘dreams’ of a ‘field afar’. As it is a dream, it is a reflection on something which is affecting him strongly.

The neutral first line is suddenly disrupted with “blood and smoke and shot” in line two, introducing the theme of war.

“There in their graves” sets the poem in a physical place-the battlefield where the narrators fellow soldiers died. The ‘comrades’ are referred to as such to build on the war/battle image.

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“And blood and smoke and shot”-Enjambment from the previous lineSmoke and shot- create an image of warAlso creates a violent atmosphere.Relevance-

we all know war can look very ugly and terrifying, even today with lots of wars in the middle east countries.

Stanza 1Slide6

My dreams are of a field afar1st person point of viewDreams- implies fantasyField- sets the scene of a battlefield

Afar- direct emphasis the poets friends are far from him since they died( narratored

by a survivor of the battlefield)

Housman would not be referring to himself personally as he himself was never IN a war.

Stanza 1Slide7

Stanza 1“There in the graves my comrades are”There- preposition- very specific

Graves- negative imageryComrades- interesting use of vocabulary instead of ‘friends’- may imply a sense of patriotism

“In my grave I am not”

Preposition- in

Repitition

grave

I am not- poet is happy to be alive

Creates a more positive moodSlide8

Stanza 2ABAB rhyme - a marching rhythm, like a soldier’s march or a march towards death 

I too was taught the trade of manAnd spelt the lesson plain;

“taught” “lesson” shows that fighting was something to be learnt and was a skill to master

“trade of man” - metaphor for the role of soldiers and war, tone seems sarcastic and ridiculing the job, perhaps the narrator was trained to be a soldier but was not committed and hence the underlying guilt in the poem. Shows the expectations of “man” in society - to fight and defend.Slide9

Stanza 2But they, when I forgot and ran,R

emembered and remained.contrasts the narrator to his fellow soldiers - opposites “forgot...remembered” and “ran...remained” and hence the guilt the narrator feels for the others’ deaths.

also contrasts with the first line “I too...” and “But they...” highlighting differences between the narrator and his comrades.

listing - emotions are not contained - all the narrator could do was run away from his duties as a soldier while his friends died as heroes, his emotions can’t be held in longer and the guilt is taking over his dreams.

alliteration - the soldiers were all alike and followed their dutiesSlide10

Comparison to ‘Reservist’ Both poems depict the reality of war with the use gruesome imagery. Cheng mentions, “masked threats and monsters armed,” while Housman says “blood and smoke and shot.” The poet shares to the readers their own experience of war through imagery.

In the last stanza in Reservist, Cheng suggests that these soldiers can perhaps be “unlikely heroes.” However, the speaker in ‘My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar’ does not see himself as a hero who fought for his country. This is because he was reluctant to fight while the others fight for him. Now he feels the guilt in his dreams – “In my grave I am not.”

‘My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar’ is a short poem as the narrator wants to forget about his experience about war, but it still haunts him in his dreams. ‘Reservist’ is a much longer poem which proclaims that the narrator in this poem feels as though he cannot get out of being involved in the war because as long as he lives, he will always be a ‘reservist’ who should always be ready to fight for his country.Slide11

Comparison to ‘Cambodia’Compared to Cambodia

a contrast between a survivor and the dead - ie. “One man shall... Five men shall be dead” in Cambodia

and “Their in their graves... In my grave I am not”

the feeling of guilt is conveyed as in Cambodia the one survivor feels guilty and helpless that people are dying and he “shall live, live to regret” and the underlying tone of guilt in

My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar

with the constant comparisons between the narrator and the fallen soldiers.

“One man shall wake from terror to his bed” show the nightmares and the horror of the after effects of war from what they have seen and witnessed in

Cambodia

while the whole poem

My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar

is the narrator’s feelings of horror and terror from experiencing war which have ultimately destroyed his dreams.Cambodia is a 20th Century poem whereas My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar was written in the Victorian Era/Edwardian Era showing how such themes remain the same even as time goes by. Does this show that humanity doesn’t change its means of doing such things? Is war the only way to resolve issues?Slide12

Comparison to ‘because i like you better’

Similar structure-Housman uses 4 line stanzas in both poems, and while the rhyme schemes are not the same they are similar (ABAB in Field Afar, ABCB in Liked You)Euphemism in both poems is apparent, as ‘in their graves’ is a mild way of saying they have been killed in battle, while ‘it irked you’ is Housman expressing how opposed to his affection his love was.Slide13

Poets backgroundHousman, whose father was a solicitor, was one of seven children. He much preferred his mother; and her death on his 12th birthday was a cruel blow, which is surely one source of the

pessimism his poetry expresses. While a student at Oxford, he was further oppressed by his dawning realization of homosexual desires. These came to focus in an intense love for one of his fellow students,

an athletic young man who became his friend but who could not reciprocate his love. In turmoil emotionally,

Housman failed to pass his final examination at Oxford, although he had been a brilliant scholar. Slide14

Critiques“A frail looking self-absorbed man of letters, A.E. Housman had no attributes visibly suitable for the profession of arms. Nevertheless, soldiering and the accidents of military life fascinated him; and a large number of his poems, including some of his best ones, are on military and warlike themes..”

Critics say that Housman’s fascination in such themes was because of “their colourful uniforms and their destiny”, they were “men paid to die” or because of their “relentless pursuit of glory”. The contradictory reasons is what makes Housman’s poetry so fascinating.

He loved soldiers

soldiers

for being “not so much heroes as automatons”

"Although Housman's distinctive blend of sadness and savagery seems dated and unappealing, his writings embody certain patriotic and critical attitudes which no student of English culture can fail to ignore," declared Tom

Paulin

in

The Observer.

Housman frequently deals with the plight of the young soldier, and he is usually able to maintain sympathy both for the youth who is the victim of war and for the patriotic cause of the nation. Robert B. Pearsall suggested in a 1967

PMLA essay that Housman dealt frequently with soldiers because "the uniform tended to cure isolation and unpopularity, and soldiers characteristically bask in mutual affection." Slide15

RELEVANCE TO TODAYS SOCIETYSlide16

Victorian society- warThe army insisted on minimum standards of education for soldiers promoted to the rank of corporal and higher standards for those promoted to sergeant

or above. From 1871, there were compulsory education classes for new recruits, though this was discontinued in 1888 as most recruits had received at least rudimentary education to the age of thirteen. The illiteracy rate within the army declined from 90% in 1871 to almost zero by the 1890s, though fewer than 40% of soldiers achieved (or perhaps troubled to achieve) more than the lowest standard of education required.

Restrictions on the number of soldiers who could marry were eased, and all soldiers' wives could accompany their husbands when they changed station (though not on campaign). However, there was official and practical discouragement of soldiers (and officers) who wished to marry while young.Slide17

Society now on warNon compulsoryYou don’t have to obtain a certain degree of educationWar is considered badSlide18

Additional analysisA.E Housman- same poet for “ because I Liked you better”Rhyme scheme-

ababForm spare and simple- may have direct reference to the poets personalityLink with

pics

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9FD-aVY_pc

Two stanza 3 lines each