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final examination
higher level
POETRY

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William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

 a PLAYWRIGHT: history plays, tragedies, comedies

 a POET - 154 sonnets
 an ACTOR
 PART OWNER of The Globe - The most famous Elizabethan playhouse (theatre)
was the Globe Theatre (1599) built by the company in which Shakespeare had a
stake.
Fill the gaps with suitable words:

A Short Biography of the life of William Shakespeare –

a poet, a _____________________ and an actor

The early life of William Shakespeare was filled _________ mystery due to the __________ of documented facts about the early
years of the great Bard. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 - the exact ___________ has only been estimated as April
23. John Shakespeare and Mary Arden were the parents of Shakespeare. William was ___________ third of eight children,
although the two born before him had died possibly of the Bubonic plague. At least two more of his ______________ died of the
plague which Shakespeare had a life-long fear of. William Shakespeare ________________ the Grammar school at Stratford-
upon-Avon until he was about 13/14 years of age.
He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 - Anne was 6 years _______________. Shakespeare had three children. He left Stratford-
upon-Avon and his young family to go to London - no one really knows the _________________ why but there were
__________________ that he had been accused ____________ theft. He joined the London theatre scene - and history was born.
He became part ______________ of the Globe theatre, wrote plays and poems. A collection of his works did not appear until 1623
(a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors posthumously recorded his work
and __________________ 36 of William’s plays.

Sonnet 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

dun = brownish grey

damask’d = deep pink
reeks = stinks
grant = admit
treads = walks heavily
belied = misrepresented

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There are three quatrains with four lines each. In the first three stanzas the poet establishes a theme or problem and
then resolves it in the final two lines, called the couplet.

This sonnet structure is commonly called the English sonnet or the Shakespearean sonnet.

Shakespeare's sonnets are written predominantly in a meter called iambic pentameter, a rhyme scheme in which
each sonnet line consists of ten syllables.

Answer the questions:

1. How special do you think his mistress is for the poet? Refer also to the last couplet.

2. The poet's mistress is often referred to as the Dark Lady. Can you find any proof in his poem to justify
this reference?

3. Is this a typical love poem? Why?

4. If you were a poet, would you describe your beloved in a manner similar to Shakespeare's or
differently? Why?

Sonnet 130 is said to be a tribute to WS's mistress, commonly referred to as the dark lady . Why do you think she
was named the dark lady? Is there anything in the text that suggests that?
___________________________________________________________________________________________

The sonnet is clearly a parody of the conventional love sonnet, made popular by Petrarcha. What gives you the idea
it is a parody? What does Shakespeare not do in the sonnet?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

In conventional love poetry the features of the poet's lover are as beautiful and, at times, more beautiful than the
finest pearls, diamonds, rubies, and silk. What do the comparison in this sonnet tell us about his mistress? What is she
like?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

So, Shakespeare is actually making fun of himself and other poets who exaggerate in using conventional images
to point out the beauty of their beloved. Also, the sonnet is not addressed to the lady directly, it is in the third
person: he is talking to us about her over there.

Shakespeare speaks with a judgemental attitude until the last lines, which causes the reader to question his love
for his mistress.
However, how does Shakespeare conclude the sonnet in the final couplet? How is his lover described in the sonnet
and what is his love like? The overall message?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

HW – write a sonnet of your choice.

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W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet. He is considered one of the greatest twentieth century poets,
______________ the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Like so many of his _______________________,
Yeats was conscious of the spiritual barrenness of his age, and he attempted to _______________ from this
and form a new positive ideal.

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland. _________________ his father trained as a lawyer, he
abandoned the law for art soon after William was born. Yeats spent much of his early years in London, where
his father was studying art, but frequently returned to Ireland as well.
Yeats _______________ his own interest in art as a student at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin.
Following the publication of his poems, he soon ______________________ art school.

After returning to London in the late 1880s, Yeats met writers Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. He also
became ___________________ with Maud Gonne, a supporter of Irish independence. This revolutionary woman served as a ______________ for
Yeats for years. He even proposed marriage to her several times, but she turned him ________________.
Around this time, Yeats founded the Rhymers' Club poetry group. He also joined an organization that explored topics ___________________ to
the occult and mysticism. While he was fascinated _________ otherworldly elements, Yeats's interest in Ireland, especially its folktales entered his
works.
In _______________ to his poetry, Yeats devoted significant energy to writing plays. He developed _______________ for the Irish stage, helping
found the Irish National Theatre Society. Following his marriage, Yeats began a new creative period through experimental writing.
The celebrated writer then became a political _________________ in the new Irish Free State, also serving as a senator. A year after he received
the Nobel Prize in Literature. According to the official Nobel Prize website, Yeats was ________________ "for his always inspired poetry, which
in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation."

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
And live alone in the bee-loud glade. 4

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings. 8

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core. 12

T: The Lake Isle of Innisfree: Lough Gill (Irish: Loch Gile) is a freshwater lake, about 8 km long and 2 km wide. The picturesque lake, surrounded
by wooded hills, is popular with birdwatchers and is overlooked by a castle. The lake contains about 20 small islands, including the famous Isle of
Innisfree.
1: arise: rise, get up and leave
2: clay: glina
2: wattles: twigs laid on a roof to support the thatch (=straw) (a thatch roof)
4: glade: clear open space in a forest
7: glimmer: ray (žarek)
8: linnet: a brown song bird, flying around in the evening (repaljščica)
10:lapping: pljuskanje

THINKING ABOUT THE POEM: http://www.studyrankers.com/2014/11/lake-isle-of-innisfree-class-9-ncert-solutions.htm

1) What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
3 things he wants to do there (stanza 1)
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what he hears and sees there (stanza 2)
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what he hears in his heart’s core even when he’s far away (stanza 3)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet
contrast it with where he now stands?
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3) Do you think Innisfree is only a place or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place or his boyhood days?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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4) Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he hears and sees at Innisfree? What pictures do these words create in
your mind?
bee-loud glade
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evenings full of the linnet’s wings
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
lake water lapping with low sounds
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5) What do the following words mean to you?

... peace comes dropping slow...
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
... dropping from the veils of the morning...
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
... where the cricket sings...
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. In your opinion what is the poem about?

2. What does the poet want to escape from?
3. What kind of journey does the speaker make?
4. What does Innisfree symbolise?
5. What is your place of escape?

The poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”

explores the speaker’s longing for the
peace and tranquillity of his boyhood
haunt, Innisfree, while residing in an
urban setting (line 11).

The speaker in this poem yearns to return

to the island of Innisfree because of the
peace and quiet it affords. He can escape
the noise of the city. On this small island,
he can return to nature by growing beans
and having bee hives, by enjoying the "purple glow" of noon, the sounds of birds' wings, and, of course,
the bees. He can even build a cabin and stay on the island.

“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” suggests that a life of simplicity in nature will bring peace to the troubled
speaker. However, the poem is the speaker’s recollection of Innisfree, and therefore the journey is an
emotional and spiritual escape rather than an actual one.

Describe your idyllic place of escape.

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Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6LMr-rXEc

What is the 3 word secret to living your best life according to Maya Angelou?
____________________________________________________________________________
Mark a few statements that struck you most and are worth remembering.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYmrjhjaRU4

Now watch one of her most famous clips to learn something about her life.
What is the message of the video?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MAYA ANGELOU – the phenomenal woman:

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson (1928-2014), Maya as she was called by her brother is truly the ‘phenomenal
woman’ she once claimed to be. A singer, a nightclub dancer, a prostitute, to a world famous author and a poetess.
Her journey from the beginning till the end has been like a rage of a storm and no wonder she has risen like no one
else.
 Times of struggle
As a child, Maya was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. This trauma led to her being mute for five long
years. She started her career early as a night club dancer and prostitute but later joined a radio company as an
editor and that was the way she came to the world of words and letters and music. She was an incredible singer and
started her music career with her friend. She has had bad marriages, assaults and a whole lot of emotional pains but
that did not affect her as a person. She has risen above it all and shined like never before.
 Celebration of Womanhood
Maya Angelou throughout her life has celebrated WOMANHOOD. After so much pain in life the most important
thing that makes her unique, makes her what she is, is her enigmatic personality and belief that no matter how
much someone hurts a woman, her soul is done no harm. Her soul is as pure as it was sent by the almighty. Angelou
established from her poem “phenomenal woman” that beauty is just not skin deep. It is in the mystery, it is in the
eyes, and the way she strides is where her beauty lies.
 As a civil right activist
Angelou has been an activist against gender and race discrimination all her life and has also campaigned for the
President Barack Obama and has also inspired him to a great extent and he even named his sister after her.
 Celebrating Life
From her various works like ‘I know why the caged bird sings’, ‘gather together in my name’, ‘the heart of a woman’
have celebrated not only womanhood but also life. She teaches us from her works, quotes and her life that the true
essence of life comes only by living it to the fullest and living it with pride and consciousness of what the world is
about. We know as she says “I am a woman, phenomenally, a PHENOMENAL WOMAN, THAT’S ME”

She remains unforgotten especially due to her unbelievable quotes:

“What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it,
change the way you think about it. Don't complain.”

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to
achieve that beauty.”

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
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Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeFfhH83_RE
How does the poem make you feel?
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_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Do you feel this way about yourself? if not, would you like to? Why (not)?
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In what way is the poem inspirational?
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__

Read a story of a girl’s reaction to the poem:

For homework, we had to look through a stack of poetry books, find a poem that we wanted to read at home, and draw a picture
of what we felt after reading. I immediately dreaded the assignment. My first introduction to poetry had failed to elicit any
emotional response from me. How was I supposed to draw nothing? Is that just what poetry was to me?
After the pile of books had been thoroughly checked, I selected The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou.
I knew nothing about Maya Angelou, but her picture on the cover captivated me. She looked like she could be one of my
favourite aunts.
As the school day closed and I waited for my mother to finish her work day, I flipped through the book until I found a poem that
stood out. I eventually landed on “Phenomenal Woman” and read 60 lines of a woman loving herself wholly.
I didn’t get it. At least, not at first.
“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. / I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size / But when I start to tell
them, / They think I’m telling lies. / I say, / … I’m a woman, / Phenomenally.”
I knew the “pretty women” that Angelou referenced at the top of the poem. I went to school with versions of them: petite, light
skin, perfectly long, curly hair, personalities that made them mysterious even at such a young age. Taller, a little chubbier, and far
more intense (thanks, anxiety!), I read the verses repeatedly, silently wondering if I could someday learn how to walk into a
room with those other pretty women?
“I walk into a room / Just as cool as you please / And to a man, / The fellows stand or / Fall down on their knees / …It’s the fire in
my eyes, / And the flash of my teeth, / The swing in my waist, / And the joy in my feet.”
When I got home, I pulled out my paper, pencil, and crayons with no idea of how to proceed. I could have just chosen another
poem, but I was too invested in “Phenomenal Woman.” It felt like Auntie Maya was trying to tell me a secret.
I was self-conscious about so, so many things. How was she able to captivate so many people with her body when mine was a
source of such confusion and insecurity?
So I soaked in her words one more time, how she commanded a room with the stride of her step and the curl of her lip. When my
mother came to check on me, I showed her the poem and asked her what my teacher had asked me: “How does this make you
feel?”
“Proud,” she said simply. “Of you and of Maya.”
“Why?”
“Because loving yourself that much is hard,” she explained.
That’s when I understood.

Was your reaction to the poem similar? How? __________________________________________________

Poem analysis:
Put down a brief message of each separate stanza:

Stanza 1: _________________________________________________________________________________________
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Stanza 2: _________________________________________________________________________________________
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Stanza 3: _________________________________________________________________________________________
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Stanza 4: _________________________________________________________________________________________
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Stanza 1: “Phenomenal Woman” begins with an attack on stereotypes. She proudly declares that neither
she has a perfect figure, nor she has a cute face. Her success without essential feminine traits surprises
pretty women and they often want to know the secret of her success. She describes her secret saying that
it comes from her confidence, the way she stretches her arms, the way she walks, the rhythm of her hips
and also the way she smiles. Her entire body is an expression of womanliness. She concludes the first
stanza with declaring herself as a ‘phenomenal woman’. This phrase is a double-edged sword. The word
‘phenomenal’ signifies her admirable physical structure as well as her towering personality.

Stanza 2:
In the second stanza, Maya says that despite her not-so-feminine beauty, men used to fall for her, swarm
around her like bees. Since she has a body of her own; her glistening smile, movement of the waist,
lightness of her feet make her a champion. Since she knows she is phenomenal, she celebrates what she
is and what she has.

Stanza 3:
In the third stanza, she says she remains an enigma to men. Men leave no stone unturned to unravel her
mystery but they fail miserably. She indicates to them that her mystery is not obscure but clearly
expressed in her body language from the curve to her back, to her smile and rhythm of her bosom. This
unresolved mystery, Maya feels, makes her so desired amongst the men. She says she is a supreme
woman, “Phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman/ That’s me.

Stanza 4:
In the last stanza, she expects her readers to understand how and why she always walks with her head
held high. She tells that she does not need to do anything loud to snatch attention. Rather it is the sound
of her heels, the curve in her hair, the palm of her hand making her a ‘phenomenal woman’.

Search through a list of Maya Angelou’s quotes and put down your favourite one.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Why was this quote your choice and how do you understand it?
______________________________________________________________________________________
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 Robert Frost (1874-1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2stTH-rtq8

Robert Frost is one of those poets who are difficult to ________ into the
established categories, groups, or movements.

He was born in San Francisco, but he spent most of his life in New England,
________ the East of the United States. He attended Harvard University, but he did not take a ______________. For a time he
was a farmer, then he went to England and while living there for a few years, he established his _____________ as a poet and
had his first collection of poems published in 1913.

He spent most of his time as resident or visiting lecturer at colleges all over the United States. He is generally acknowledged as
the ______________ American poet of his day, having received 4 Pulitzer ____________ and being a special guest at President
John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.

Robert Frost was exceptionally ______________ to his surrounding, to the smallest details of landscape and farm routine, to the
character of people living in New England. He recorded the joys and the pains, the beauty and the ugliness of life.

One of his most famous poems is definitely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-_Z9LiXBx8

stopping by woods on a snowy evening

Whose woods these are I think I know. ________________________________________
His house is in the village though; ________________________________________
He will not see me stopping here ________________________________________
To watch his woods fill up with snow. ________________________________________

My little horse must think it queer weird ________________________________________

To stop without a farmhouse near ________________________________________
Between the woods and frozen lake ________________________________________
The darkest evening of the year. ________________________________________

He gives his harness bells a shake vprega ________________________________________

To ask if there is some mistake. ________________________________________
The only other sound’s the sweep ________________________________________
Of easy wind and downy flake. puhast ________________________________________

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, ________________________________________

But I have promises to keep, ________________________________________
And miles to go before I sleep, ________________________________________
And miles to go before I sleep. ________________________________________

Which is your reaction to the poem? _________________________________________________________________

Who is the narrator of the poem? ___________________________________________________________
Why shouldn’t he stop by the woods? ___________________________________________________________
Who is the owner of the woods? ___________________________________________________________
What is the meaning of "I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep...”
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the four stanzas of the poem next to it.
The Road Not Taken
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hwUrBgZeUA

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, moved in a different direction

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; small trees and plants growing beneath larger trees

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim, demand or right
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; amount of use (obraba)
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black. walked on
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence: from this time
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

1. What is the speaker in the poem doing?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the speaker encounter?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What decision does the speaker have to make in the poem?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. State the season. How do you know?
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5. Describe the conflict the speaker feels.
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6. Explain why the reader doubts he’ll ever come back to travel the first road.
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7. Analyse the last stanza. What does the speaker mean by ― “Somewhere ages and ages hence”?
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8. Formulate an idea of what you think the road may represent. Explain why you think that.
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9. Propose a reason for the ― “sigh” the speaker has at the end of the poem. What are some of the reasons he may be
sighing? Explain your answer.
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10. Propose a meaning for the line ― “that has made all the difference”. What are some of other meanings of that line?
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11. Which interpretation do you prefer? Why?
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The poem ― »The Road Not Taken« is about making choices. As a matter of fact, the entire poem can be read as
a metaphor about a choice the speaker makes – it is a comparison between two things. Metaphorically speaking,
what are those two things?
When a poet uses a metaphor throughout an entire poem, it’s called an extended metaphor.

1. Contrast what you think of as a road with what the speaker of the poem experiences as a road. What do you imagine a ―
“road” to be like in your experiences? What is the speaker’s road like?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you think the road in this poem is an appropriate metaphor for life? Explain your answer.
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 3. Analyse the use of the word ― »diverged«. What other words could the speaker have used?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Interpret why the speaker might have used the word ― »diverged«. Explain your answer.
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5. Analyse the use of the word ― »fair«. What other words could the speaker have used? How do you think Frost wanted
us to interpret the word? Explain your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

In his essay "Education by Poetry" Frost writes about metaphors. He states, "Poetry begins in trivial
metaphors, pretty metaphors, 'grace' metaphors, and goes on to the profoundest thinking that we have.
Poetry provides the one permissible way of saying one thing and meaning another.

Try your hand at creating an extended metaphor. You’ll write a paragraph in which you explain your
metaphor.
Use a chart to help you come up with an original metaphor for life. Jot down your ideas about why you
think your metaphor is accurate in the ― “because” column. This is an example:

Event... Is ... Because ...

School Party Lots of excitement
Fun to be with friends
Presents from teachers (homework!)

Put the paragraph together, following the pattern of paragraph 2 and 3 of writing an essay:
TOPIC SENTENCE (explain, state your metaphor) ___________________________________________
FIRST BIG IDEA + explanation, example ___________________________________________
SECOND BIG IDEA + explanation, example ___________________________________________
THIRD BIG IDEA + explanation, example ___________________________________________
Don’t forget to connect ideas using LINKING WORDS! ___________________________________________

EXAMPLE:
School is a party. First off, there is always something surprising happening. For example, my friend Sandy is always in the middle
of a crisis – usually involving her latest boyfriend. Since I’m with my friends every day, it feels like a party. At lunch we spend
more time talking and laughing than eating. The funniest lunch ended up with us laughing so hard that I got water up my nose.
Finally, at school, just like at parties, we get presents from our teachers. The presents we get at school are homework! It’s true
for me: I love going to school, and I love going to parties. For me, school is a party.

YOUR METAPHOR:
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John McCrae (1872-1918)

https://www.google.si/search?q=in+flanders+fields+utube&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=YeP-WZvZOYTWapLIrvAM

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Listen to the poem recited by a Canadian singer Leonard Cohen and fill the gaps in the poem:

a lark – škrjanec
scarce = hardly
amid = among
take up – prijeti (za orožje)
foe = enemy
failing = ill, worse and worse

Who is speaking? __________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the message to the reader (stanza 3)? _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How is the poet trying to make the reader feel? _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Find and draw some images in the poem next to the poem above that have an impact on you and that you think
the poet is trying to make you see.

When you’ve sketched 3 or 4, write the effect of the poet’s imagery on you as the reader next to your drawings.

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Stanza 1: look at the word “BRAVELY” – what could you say about this word? Which effect does it create?
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_
Stanza 2: look at the word “LOVED”
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Stanza 3: find a word you think produces an enormous effect and explain it
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John McCrae’s biography

Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canadian poet, soldier, and physician John McCrae earned his undergraduate and
medical degrees at the University of Toronto, where he received the Gold Medal. As a physician, he worked at hospitals in
Toronto and Montreal.
He served in the Boer War in South Africa as an artillery officer in the Canadian Contingent from 1899 to 1900, was promoted to
the rank of major in 1904, and reenlisted in the First Canadian Contingent soon after the start of World War I. McCrae became a
member of the Royal College of Surgeons and was the first Canadian to be appointed consulting surgeon to the British Army.

McCrae’s well-known poem “In Flanders Fields” memorializes the April 1915 battle in Belgium’s Ypres. For 17 days, McCrae

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tended those injured in the battle. The poem, written after the death of a close friend, was first published in Punch magazine and
led to the adoption of the poppy as the Flower of Remembrance for the British and Commonwealth war dead.

McCrae wrote several medical textbooks during his life, and his poetry was posthumously gathered into the collection In
Flanders Fields and Other Poems (1919).

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