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Willow Berg

Daley

English 2

22 November 2019

Compare and Contrast

The poems, “The War Works Hard” and “The Soldier,” use tone and imagery to create

the mood of guilty for the audience through extremely different approaches to the opinions on

war. After reading the two poems focused on the idea of war, the audience feels as if they should

be guilty for all the privilege they have over other individuals across the world. Even though the

“The War Works Hard” had a sarcastic and satirical style, and “The Soldier” has an optimistic

and heartfelt attitude, both poems can be interpreted in a way which makes the audience feel

remorse and pity.

“The War Works Hard” is a poem written by a former journalist and poet who was

kicked out of Iran due to her controversial pieces. The poem begins with a positive approach to

war, but is immediately shifted when the audience realizes the brilliant use of satire is evident. It

continues to display a seemingly positive phrase, but is immediately followed by a negative

continuation that relates to war and its aftermath. This use of sarcastic tone throughout the

entirety of the poem creates a guilty feeling in the audience due to the build up of the

increasingly more depressing effects of war. Even without the serious tone, “The War Works

Hard” is able to create a guilty and negative mood through the use of a sarcastic tone and

distraught imagery of war and how it affects everything.

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“The Soldier” is completely opposite in the tone written, but can be interpreted as a guilty

mood due to the imagery throughout. Most audiences will read the poem and feel pride and

admiration regarding war, but a deeper meaning is hidden in the imagery. “The Soldier” is a

poem in the perspective of a British soldier during WW1. Upon first glance, it is a poem about a

soldier being very nationalistic and proud of what he does for his country. After deep

consideration from the vivid imagery about victory in the poem, the audience can interpret the

war as being disastrous because of what it does to its veterans. The soldier speaking in the poem

describes how he will just give up his own life for the benefit of his country. War and extreme

nationalism causes soldiers to lose their individuality for their country, as if they are only another

body to be buried. This soldier indirectly described how he is giving himself and his identity to

Britain so they can contribute to winning the war. The imagery and tone used throughout the

poem creates a guilty and pitiful mood for the audience due to the soldier and what it causes him

to do in order for Britain to be successful in war. Your identity is something that is personal to

you and when taken, dehumanizes the afflicted.

Throughout the poems, “The War Works Hard” and “The Soldier,” they are both similar

in the mood that is felt by the audience, but different in the tone and how the war is presented.

Deeper understandings and the ability to interpret the author’s use of tone and imagery is

required in order to find the connections between these poems and their negative view on war.

Overall, these poems are very different in their intentions, but can be drawn together due to their

tones and imagery of war and its effects throughout the world.