THE SOLDIER

This is the concluding sonnet of Rupert Brooke’s collection. It was written in 1914 and so it is
a recruiting poem because it is used for propaganda to make people think that war is a good
thing and also a pre-war poem because there isn’t sign of war in it.

the speaker is the soldier and he talks about the fact that when he dies he will want to be
remembered, probably from his family

The main themes are the themes of war and patriotism. In fact the whole sonnet is
pervaded by a strong sense of patriotism. This is especially evident from the repetition of the
word English(twice times) and England (four times).

This sonnet might seem positive because reading it there are no references to war and
because dying for the homeland is seen as a positive thing when in reality it isn’t

It is made up of 14 lines divided into two stanzas of eight lines (octet) and six lines (sestet).

In verses 4 and 5, the poet compares himself to dust in a foreign land that 'England bore'.
Dust is here a metaphor used by the poet to compare himself to the natural world, as he may
soon become a corpse.

In line 6, England gave the poet 'flowers to love' and 'ways to go'. England can’t give
anything, so this is a personification, as a generous mother requiring her son's sacrifice.

The last part of the sonnet talks about the fact that when a soldier dies for his country, he still
comes home: heaven, in fact, will be full of English memories, 'its sights and sounds'.

I think that this poem is interesting because if someone reads it who doesn’t know how the
War really went, think that the war is a positive thing, that to die for war is beautiful, so it is
perfect for propaganda