The Vietnam War 1955-1975

The Vietnam War was fought on Vietnamese soil. The curious thing about this war is the fact that it was never declared. The American soldiers were not fighting a war for America. They were "advising" the South Vietnamese government in their war against the communist North Vietnam.
Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

During the 1960's, which were all about free love, peace and understanding - helped along by a curiosity and willingness to experiment with drugs and the structure of society - a resistance against America's role in the conflict between North and South Vietnam grew to such proportions that the president Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for at second term in the White House. During LBJ's precidency the American involvement increased and by 1968 the number of soldiers had risen to 550,000. On average 1000 American soldiers were killed a month.

Lyndon B. Johnson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson

Bob Dylan (1941 - )

He became known as a folksinger who protested against the Vietnam War. Some of his songs became synonymous with the anti war movement which was concentrated around colleges and campuses during the 60's and 70's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan

John Brown - lyrics:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/John-Brown-lyrics-Bob-Dylan/03E8AAEDC1AD214B4825696A00051ED3
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbLldlwYXRY

Masters of War - lyrics:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Masters-Of-War-lyrics-Bob-Dylan/A17B1E57D80048D0482569690027973B
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orlE6bVKzE0

With God on Our Side - lyrics
http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/god-our-side
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgAvnvXF9U

World War I 1914-1918

The First World War is also known as The Great War and the generation of men who fought in the great war is known as the Lost Generation, simply because so many died or were cripled physically/mentally/emotionally for life.
For more information on World War I:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

A number of British poets participated in the war, and they wrote poetry about their experiences.
the over all impression of their poetry is a sense of disillusionment, bitterness and despair.

On this website you can find short biographies of some of the finest poets who fought in the First World War:
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/biogs99.htm

Rupert Brooke(1887-1915)
The Soldier:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15695

Wilfred Owen(1893-1918) 
Dulce Et Decorum Est:
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html

Futility:
http://europeanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/blowenfutility.htm


Sigfried Sassoon 1886-1967
Suicide in the Trenches:
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8499073-Suicide_In_The_Trenches-by-Siegfried_Sassoon

The Hero:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hero/

Walt Whitman 1819-1892

Who was Walt Whitman and what did he stand for?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman

http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Kunst_og_kultur/Litteratur/Engelsksproget_litteratur/Amerikansk_litteratur_1824-80/Walter_Whitman

Whitman was part of a movement in American literature called Transcendentalism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism

One of the founders of Transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson viewed transcendentalism as  “an original relation to the universe”....

The Wound-Dresser:
http://www.bartleby.com/42/818.html 
Here you will find a short commentary on the poem:
http://americanpeople2.blogspot.dk/2010/11/wound-dresser-by-walt-whitman.html

Oh Captain! My Captain:
http://www.bartleby.com/142/193.html

Here you can learn about the context of the poem:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/lyrical/poems/my_captain.html 

love letters in the Civil War

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/cwlove/testerman.html

Alfred, Lord Tennyson: The Charge Of The Light Brigade

Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson

The Charge Of The Light Brigade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCOL6ewpPw

The Charge Of The Light Brigade

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written 1854
Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Analysis of the poem: http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/section9.rhtml

How to analyse poetry

Here is some help in the difficult art of analysing poetry.

These slides will introduce literary terms used in poetry analysis. It also gives tips on how to analyse a poem

The Language of Poetry:
http://www.slideshare.net/Briandoolan/the-language-of-poetry

Also look at this site:

http://suite101.com/article/how-to-analyse-poetry-a121137


This page should be a help for your essay:
http://suite101.com/article/how-to-analyze-a-poem-for-a-paper-in-a-college-english-class-a295573

Remember this is meant as an inspiration/help for your analysis.

Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Crane

Realism and Naturalism in American Literature:
This page explains what these two trends in American Literature are about.
This should be helpful in order to understand An Episode of War.
http://faculty.bucks.edu/docarmos/RealismNaturalism.html

"War is Kind"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D7aZmaNGls

an example of an analysis of the poem "War is Kind":
http://www.peejeshare.com/essays/analysis-stephen-cranes-war-kind-8821

The poem "War is Kind":

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.

Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky

And the affrighted steed ran on alone,

Do not weep.

War is kind.
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom --
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.

Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,

Raged at his breast, gulped and died,

Do not weep.

War is kind.
Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button

On the bright splendid shroud of your son,

Do not weep.

War is kind.

The American Civil War

information about the Civil War:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

A timeline for the Civil War:
http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/

The Battle of Williamsburg: The Library of Congress


Who was the president during the Civil War?
take a look at this page:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln

Introduction

Man's experience with war has always been expressed through literature - poetry, novels, letters etc.

We will take a look at different wars and the impact they had on the writers and poets of their day.