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Thomas HardyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
There are many examples of death imagery and symbols related to death throughout the text, including “coffins” (Line 2), “Judgment-day” (4), “mounds” (Line 8), and “red war yet redder” (14). The dead, who lie in their coffins unable to rest in peace, narrate the poem. The idea of Judgment Day, Hell, and the blowing of the trumpets all act as reminders of the inevitable fate of the living. The not-so-subtle imagery of death sets a bleak and dire tone for the poem, and emphasizes the gravity of war and the situation these nations face. Hardy’s inclusion of so many references to death underscores the terrifying reality of death and acts as a reminder to the living about how precious life is; however, the poem is under no illusion that such an idea will ever matter to nations at war.
The references and inclusion of the allusions to literature and history makes a very strong statement about the insidiousness of war. The final stanza demonstrates the ways in which the effects of war can be felt throughout all of history, fictional or real, ancient or modern: “And Camelot, and starlit Stonehenge” (Line 36).
By Thomas Hardy
Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave
Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave
Thomas Hardy
At an Inn
At an Inn
Thomas Hardy
Far From The Madding Crowd
Far From The Madding Crowd
Thomas Hardy
Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure
Thomas Hardy
Neutral Tones
Neutral Tones
Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy
The Convergence of the Twain
The Convergence of the Twain: Lines on the loss of the "Titanic"
Thomas Hardy
The Darkling Thrush
The Darkling Thrush
Thomas Hardy
The Man He Killed
The Man He Killed
Thomas Hardy
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Thomas Hardy
The Return of the Native
The Return of the Native
Thomas Hardy
The Withered Arm and Other Stories
The Withered Arm and Other Stories
Thomas Hardy
The Woodlanders
The Woodlanders
Thomas Hardy
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