A. Write an essay analyzing the literature written by women in WWI.

During this period women adopted different attitudes towards the conflict and this can be seen
in the literature they wrote.

On the one hand, some women saw the war as an opportunity to break from domestic life and
be economically independent taking jobs they had never been allowed to take. This can be
clearly observed in Iris Barry’s memoir We Enjoyed War, where she states “that having work of
this kind made them feel very important, patriotic, and highly meritorious …”. Another
example is Jessica Pope’s poem War Girls where she writes (referring to woman) “No longer
caged and penned up”.

On the other hand, there were women who felt guilty for staying at home while their brothers,
fathers and lovers suffered and were killed in the battle field. They also felt that their problems
and causes were insignificant compared to those of men. These are the main topics of the
poem written by Rose Macaulay The Picnic. One of its verses states “We are shut about by
guarding walls” so that unlike men, women were safe when “The great guns beat.”

In addition, Jessica Pope’s poem The Call is a good example of another extended attitude,
which was exalted patriotism. With this type of literature some women tried to urge men to
volunteer for war, making them feel guilty if they didn’t.

In conclusion, although there was a variety of perspectives in women literature in WWI we

could say that there was one that most of them shared, that was the feeling of freedom and
independence.