The Send-off and Joining the Colours Essay Example
The Send-off and Joining the Colours Essay Example

The Send-off and Joining the Colours Essay Example

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  • Pages: 6 (1445 words)
  • Published: August 1, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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In regards to the departure of the soldiers, Owen and Tynan offer contrasting presentations and s
ignificantly different moods can be observed in their respective poems. The poem 'Joining the Colours' sets the tone from its title, as Tynan's use of the verb 'joining' suggests that the soldiers believed they were merely becoming part of a team, treating war as a mere game. On the other hand, the title 'The Send-off' presents a sharp contrast, implying that the soldiers were forcefully dispatched to war without any say in the matter. It's worth noting that a 'Send-off' can also refer to a funeral, thus introducing Owen's underlying message that the soldiers are destined to perish.

In the first stanza, Owen strengthens the message of doom by describing the soldiers' expressions as 'grimly gay'. This oxymoron, combined with alliteration, effectivel

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y captures their conflicting emotions. Despite being expected to display patriotic fervor, they find it challenging. It is worth noting that Owen wrote this poem in 1917, a time when civilians were already aware of the horrors of trench warfare and the inevitable fate that awaited them. Consequently, men were secretly conscripted and the public remained oblivious as to where these soldiers were sent.

In contrast, Tynan's poem focuses on the beginning of the war in 1914. The soldiers at this time were completely oblivious to their impending doom and were described as being "too careless-gay for courage" in 'Joining the Colours'. Tynan uses the phrase 'so gay' to evoke a genuine sense of emotion from the soldiers, who are still considered 'the mothers' sons' and are too young to comprehend that they are heading towards their own demise. Furthermore, Tyna

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emphasizes their conformity by stating that they are all 'in step', metaphorically depicting these young boys as conformists.

The text condemns pre-World War One society for creating conformist clones. The phrase 'siding shed' in 'The Send-off' emphasizes the secretive nature of the men's departure. The use of 'shed' invokes imagery of a cattle shed, suggesting that the government sees these men as expendable animals. Unlike 'Joining the Colours,' there is no grand celebration; only a nonchalant departure accompanied by a few unenthusiastic porters. This was done intentionally by the government to hide the extent of men being involved in the war.

Owen intentionally selected the terms 'white, wreath, and spray' to depict the flowers offered by local women, as they carry connotations of death. 'White' represents the color of lifeless bodies, 'wreath' resembles the floral arrangements presented at funerals, and 'spray' alludes to the burst of bullets that would lead to their demise. Conversely, Tynan, being a woman herself, empathizes with the 'poor girls' who won't experience any more kisses. Owen strongly criticizes the local women for presenting flowers as if in celebration, despite knowing the soldiers' probable fate. Additionally, Owen strongly disapproves of individuals on the home front, including women and older men, whom he believed should have voiced their opposition against the war.

Like Owen Tynan, Tynan also employs alliteration in the phrase 'glory and the grave' to emphasize the interconnectedness of these two outcomes. Unlike Owen, however, Tynan displays compassion for the girlfriends of soldiers who are uninformed about the realities of war and will also endure the pain of losing their loved ones. The final line of the third stanza, 'love cannot save', serves

as a poignant reminder that despite their heartfelt goodbyes, the soldiers' love will not protect them in the midst of battle.

Tynan's soldiers leave amid the joyful tune of 'tin whistles, mouth organs', seemingly celebrating their departure. However, she indicates that they also depart amidst 'any noise', implying a need for loud sounds to drown out their fear. These soldiers, being young and naive, are only afraid of the unknown rather than understanding the true horrors of war. This stands in contrast to the older soldiers in 'The Send-off', who are aware that they are heading towards death but attempt to maintain a brave facade for the sake of others. Both poets employ irony as a means to effectively convey their message.

Tynan employs tragic irony in the phrase 'as to a wedding day' to underscore her subtle message that the young boys are fated to perish, suggesting that they will never witness their own wedding day. In 'The Send-off', Owen juxtaposes the men with covert crimes through the expression 'like wrongs hushed up', creating irony as the soldiers themselves are not the culprits; rather, it is the government. Furthermore, there is an irony in the second stanza, where the 'dull porters' and the 'casual tramp' who bid farewell to the soldiers were exempt from conscription, making their situation more favorable.

In both Owen's and Tynan's poems, the soldiers are sent off without any recognition of their individuality. Owen implies the lack of compassion from the government by using the pronoun 'they', while Tynan describes the soldiers as 'smoothed-cheeked and golden', illustrating how they are cherished by their mothers and girlfriends. This description also highlights their vulnerability due

to their youthful appearance without facial hair. Both poems contain imagery of darkness and death.

The second stanza of 'Joining the Colours' by Tynan employs the metaphorical phrase 'into the dark' to convey the idea of death. In contrast, Owen's approach is more direct, explicitly mentioning the word 'dead' in the line 'as men's are, dead'. Additionally, Owen utilizes caesura by inserting a comma in the middle of this phrase, effectively conveying a sense of finality. Furthermore, in the opening line of 'The Send-off', Owen employs the phrase 'down the close, darkening lanes' to immediately establish the poem's atmosphere and evoke feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment.

The image of 'darkening lanes' implies that as the lanes gradually darken, the soldiers' death is approaching. Tynan and Owen both utilize personification to emphasize that war is more dominant than the soldiers themselves, similar to an ogre. Tynan personifies the street by stating 'the drab street stares', suggesting it is uninteresting and that the soldiers leave in search of a vibrant and thrilling life. This irony is evident as the only color they will witness is the red of their own blood.

Tynan's metaphor in the second line of the text portrays the young men as 'food for shells and guns', illustrating how the war will consume them, symbolizing the war as a hungry monster. On the other hand, Owen effectively uses personification by describing 'signals nodded, and a lamp winked', suggesting his belief in a government conspiracy to secretly conscript men for the war without public knowledge. Owen strongly criticizes the government for prolonging the war and leading to great losses through trench warfare strategies.

Both poems use devices like repetition

and exclamatory phrases in their final verses to emphasize the few men who may return. In 'Joining the Colours', Tynan uses the exclamatory phrases 'High heart! High courage!' to highlight the ironic excitement of the soldiers. The word 'mist' is repeated in the penultimate line as a symbol of their unknown destination. The poem concludes with the verb 'pass', which carries significance as it implies the soldiers' passing away.

In the final stanza of 'The Send-off', Owen raises the question of whether the soldiers will return to the sound of 'beating of great bells in wild train-loads?' By using a rhetorical question, he implies that he already knows the answer, which is that 'too few' will come back. By repeating the word 'few', he emphasizes the small number of men who will survive. He also uses the verb 'creep' to suggest that they will return slowly, sorrowfully, and with a sense of shame, wondering why they had lived while so many of their friends had died.

Owen concludes with the line 'up half-known roads', indicating that the surviving soldiers may be suffering from shell shock, causing them to be unable to recognize their hometown, or they may be so deeply affected by the traumas of war that everything seems unfamiliar. Both poems have a regular rhyme scheme that creates a marching rhythm. 'Joining the Colours' has a more positive overall mood, while maintaining the regularity of the rhyme scheme emphasizes the inevitability of their doomed fate and signifies that there is no way to alter this outcome.

Both poems have short stanzas, representing the soldiers' short lives. 'The Send-off' gains authority from Owen's personal experience in World War

One. In contrast, 'Joining the Colours' offers a unique female perspective, creating a more joyful tone due to Tynan's limited understanding of war. The Irish soldiers in 'Joining the Colours' possess innocent naivety, as they had less knowledge of the war.

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