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Masefield John, born in 1878 and died in 1967. He was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967. He was born in Egypt. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, nineteen other novels (including Captain Margaret, Multitude and Solitude and Sard Harker), and many memorable poems, including "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever", from his anthology Saltwater Ballads. Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire. When World War I began, though old enough to be exempted from military service, Masefield joined the staff of a British hospital for French soldiers, serving briefly in 1915 as a hospital orderly, later publishing his own account of his experiences. In this assignment, I will choose the poem August, 1914. The poem August, 1914 was wrote by John Masefield. It was an anti war poem. The poem was wrote during World War I period. The name of the poem was very significant, John Masefield choose to name the poem after the first year and month of World War I. In his own personal experience, he has joined in the reserves at the front line during WWI. In this assignment, I will focus on the analysis of the literary devises that have been used in this poem and connected the theme with the novel The Wars by Findley. There are many different literary devises that have been used in this poem. John Masefield has used imagery at the first paragraph of the poem. “How still this quiet cornfield is to-night! By an intenser glow the evening falls, Bringing, not darkness, but a deeper light; Among the stooks a partridge covey calls. The windows glitter on the distant hill; Beyond the hedge the sheep-bells in the fold Stumble on sudden music and are still; The forlorn pinewoods droop above the wold.”. In this paragraph, he has created an imagery of a quiet, peaceful evening. Everything was very serene. By looking at this paragraph and combine with the full poem, we could know that all these peaceful, beautiful imageries that John Masefield have created were the sights before the war. We could seen this beautiful imageries as the last calm before the storm. Another under meaning of this paragraph could be John Masefield wanted to mention how beautiful the landscape is before the war and wanted to make a comparison with the landscape after the war. He wanted to express how the war has caused great impacts to the lands and the country. Beside this, John Masefield has also used metaphor in this poem. “Death, like a miser getting in his rent.” In this line, John Masefield has metaphor death as a miser. John Masefield has used this metaphor to shown how the war has gave to the innocent people. In his metaphor, he said death is like a miser getting in his rent which means death was the only thing that the war will caused. Moreover, John Masefield has used personification as well in this poem. “The elm-trees sadden in the hedge, a sigh.” John Masefield has personated the elm-trees in this line. He wrote the elm-trees were sad. He wanted to express the sadness of what the war has caused to the country and all the death of those soldiers. By using personification here, he has shown that the whole country were surrounded by sadness. Furthermore, John Masefield has used symbolism in this poem. “Over the grasses of the ancient way, Rutted this morning by the passing guns.” In this line, John Masefield has symbolized the soldiers that has sacrificed their lives to protect the country or the lives of innocent people as the grasses of the ancient way and he has symbolized the enemy or the war as the passing guns that rutted over the grasses of the ancient way. Above all, John Masefield has used many effective literary devices in this poem to express how he hated war and have a wanted peace heart. The theme of this poem also could have connections with the novel the Wars that we have read in class. Both of the two literary pieces’ big theme was about World War I. In the poem, John Masefield has shown his anti war attitude and the remembrance to those soldiers that have sacrificed their lives to protect the country. In this poem, “And knew, as we know, that the message meant. The breaking off of ties, the loss of friends.” This line could shown that if the war happened, people will lost their families, lovers and friends. “Then sadly rose and left the well-loved Downs, And so by ship to sea, and knew no more. The fields of home, the byres, the market towns, Nor the dear outline of the English shore.” “But knew the misery of the soaking trench, The freezing in the rigging, the despair, In the revolting second of the wrench. When the blind soul is flung upon the air,” These two lines have shown even though the soldiers were unwilling to leave the country and they knew the battle fields were cruel, but they have to go to the battle field to protect the country. John Masefield has also mentioned the remembrance to the death people and the hope in the future in the poem. We could know that from this line “ An influence from the Earth from those dead hearts. So passionate once, so deep, so truly kind, That in the living child the spirit starts, Feeling companioned still, not left behind.” On the other hand, in the novel the Wars, Findley has created a detailed character that respect lives and has spread the ideas of against wars. The main character Robert Ross, in the novel respect all the lives. There are few examples in the novel that could prove this. When he was forced to shoot one of the horses when his legs were injured during the storm and this act has totally changed his point of view to the war. “The B.S.M. waited at attention while Robert went to the bathroom. The door had no lock and it banged and banged and banged all the time Robert was in there. His mind took up its rhythm: stop, stop - forward - stop. He had never squeezed a trigger against a living creature in the whole of his life.” (Timothy Findley, 62) From this quote, it could shows that Robert is struggling with the order to kill the horse which broke the legs and he begins to lose the innocence while he was facing the war. Moreover, this event has also sets the stage for what will happen at the end. When he refuses to follow the order to kill all the horses in the big fire, he chooses to disobey the order and sets all the horses free at the end. “Finally, when the shells began to land in the barnyard, Robert couldn't stand it any longer and he said to Devlin : ' I'm going to break ranks and save these animals.” ( Timothy Findley, 177) This quote has shows Robert can not agree with Captain Leather’s decision, so he decided not to obey. Beside this, Findley has spread the ideas of against wars in the novel. He has express this by writing the experiences of the main character Robert Ross. Especially, when Robert has went to the last battle field in Belgium. The most brutal war he has ever been. “On the seventh ay since his return to the front, Robert was caught with a fresh supply of horses and mules (some thirty of each) in the stables at Battalion Signals when a barrage was commenced that was to last for fourteen hours. This time, the German guns had found their mark. There was hardly a shell that burst to the rear or in front of the line.” (176). From this line could know that the war is gonna be very harsh. From above, we could know that the both two literary pieces could shown the author’s anti wars ideas. In conclude, the poem August, 1914 that was wrote by John Masefield was a very interesting and thought provoking piece. By reading it, could see that all different kind of literary devices that have been used in the poem are so effective. They have helped the readers to better understand the content of the poem and the ideas that John Masefield wanted to tell. Also, the title name was very good and clear. It was also come along with the theme of the poem- war. John Masefield just named the poem after the starting year and month of World War I. This poem also have some connections with the novel the wars that we have read in this course. Both of the two pieces have expressed author’s attitudes to the war.