Strategies&CR

Cultural/Historical Inventory
I strongly agree that culture defines a piece of writing. Culture defines who we are as people and how we choose to live our lives. In a past English class we had to research the author of a famous text. Once I understood more about the author and his life, I had a completely different outlook on the text. It is suprising how culture and history have an effect on individuals.

The Soldier
This peom discusses the longing for something that is constant and familiar in a world that is constantly changing. The soldier is saying that, although there is a war that is destroying the country they love, there will always be reminders of the country they cherished. The poem is saying that one can always be happy even though there is change.

Anthem for Doomed Youth
This poem is about young soldiers who die at war. They die as cattle because they are too young to have accomplished anything by the time they have been sent off to be practically slaughtered at war. The rifles' shots are louder than any of their prayers. There is no funeral for the young soldiers when they are killed out in the fields.

Dulce et Decorum Est
This poem is also about soldiers in war. These soldiers are walking along, barely able to take steps forward because they are so tired and sick. Some men have become so affected by the war they have gone mad. They have begun to ignore the signs of war that previously frightened them. When poisonous gas is noticed, they are awakened from their daze. A man that does not get his helmet on in time haunts the narrator's dreams. The imagery of the poor man is disheartening. The man says that it is sweet to die for one's country. This dying phrase fills the reader with hope and pride.

The Glory of Women
This poem also is about a war. The soldiers are narrating the poem, which describes the women left behind in the war. The narrator is proud of the woman he has left behind. She keeps a positive attitude and listens intently to the war stories. She obviously supports the soldiers and the war. Either deliberately or not, she ignores the negativity of the war by going through her daily routine.

They
The Bishop idolizes the young soldiers and is understanding of the future hardships. He acknowledges that they have faced difficult times during the war. The Bishop remains predominately optimistic even when the soldiers come back from the war and are fully pessimistic.

It was interesting that all of the required reading were about wars. The differences portrayed the many different ways of interpreting things on the same topic and idea.