English Essay Comparing Two Poems

The war seems to have more of an effect on Vaudevue, however.She doesn’t just stop at questioning her existence. She removes her uniform, ‘lunges’ into the water and lies, ‘weeping’ before letting the ‘waters close over her head’. We have the symbolism of the water – something that soothes and cleanses. Water is used in many cultures and religions as a way of cleaning yourself.We’re instantly thrown into wondering if it’s acceptable for women to see such things, and if it isn’t, is it any better for men to see such things. In fact, Owen doesn’t even say that this man is a soldier, or even that he is dead. One is that he doesn’t even know who the soldier is – which shows us the absolute tragedy of war. The other thought is that by keeping the soldier anonymous, Owen is deliberately trying to show that he could be anyone.

The war seems to have more of an effect on Vaudevue, however.She doesn’t just stop at questioning her existence. She removes her uniform, ‘lunges’ into the water and lies, ‘weeping’ before letting the ‘waters close over her head’. We have the symbolism of the water – something that soothes and cleanses. Water is used in many cultures and religions as a way of cleaning yourself.

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In Come on, Come back Stevie Smith writes about ‘Vaudevue’, the ‘girl soldier’.

Using this persona is interesting and thought-provoking. Women often don’t fight on the front line, as this girl has, mainly because women are seen as not being able to cope with the front line and what they see. Either we all mourn his death or nobody does, because he is nameless.

It might be ‘rutted’ but the moonlight, water and meadows remain. Nature doesn’t offer consolation or solace or hope or safety; it simply reminds him of the pointlessness of life.

Nature is what consoles Vaudevue, giving her sanctuary. It’s almost as if Vaudevue is the last human on earth – apart from the enemy sentinel. The sun, a powerful and evocative image of life, has no power.

Even though it is much more brief than Come on, Come back, he epitomises the feelings of nihilism and emptiness that death can bring.

He uses half-rhyme to create a disjointed, unnatural feel that makes the poem feel strange and creates a strange disjointed harmony. This is superbly appropriate for the subject itself.

Vaudevue, even without a memory, is so affected by her ‘black’ mind that she seeks comfort and protection from the water, which envelops her and protects her from the world, just as the lake did with Syrinx when she sought to escape from Pan. War has left her in need of comfort and solace – something she finds only in death.

In contrast, in Futility, Owen is left in need of comfort and solace, though this is provoked by death which provides no comfort and solace at all.

In Come on, Come back, Vaudevue comes to the same conclusion. ” and although the question is ostensibly about her memory loss, we sense something much deeper.

Conflict has left both Vaudevue and Owen with a profound sense of pointlessness.