Poet Robert Service ("Shooting of Dan McGrew") made his way to the Western Front as a Red Cross ambulance driver. During his service he continued to write poems, which were later gathered in the volume, titled Rhymes of a Red Cross Man. From which this work, I've selected "The Stretcher-Bearer". Robert Service dedicated the collection to his brother, Lt. Albert Service, who was killed in Flanders in August 1916.
Odd the poet's disdain for the use of the letter "H".
ReplyDeleteService omitted the letter “H” because he uses another literary device called dialect or phonetics to capture a specific dialect of working-class Englishmen. This engages the reader by allowing the poet to add depth to his writing.
DeleteThere are a couple of essential literary devices in the poem The Stretcher Bearer by Robert Service, such as imagery and metaphor. Relating to imagery, Service tries to bring the reader into the sound, sights, and odors of war. Imagery helps evoke emotion from the reader about the horrors Service witnessed. The second literary device that Service uses is a metaphor, which helps to relate emotions and ideas to the reader. Service uses symbolic meanings, such as “My stretcher is one scarlet stain.” These symbolic meanings help reflect the true nature of war, such as burden, chaos, and sacrifice. Consequently, these literary devices, imagery, and metaphors help the reader understand the psychological and physical experiences that the stretcher bearer has to endure.
ReplyDelete