The Soldier

First read the poem and then on your own, or in small groups, discuss each contextual point relating to Brooke’s poem The Soldier. How helpful would they be in helping someone new to the poem to get more out of it?

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.


Rupert Brooke

Rupert Brooke was a very handsome and popular young man, with lots of contacts in writing and artistic circles in the early 20th century (such as the Bloomsbury group.)
He never actually fought in the First World War, as he died in 1915, aged 27, whilst serving in the Royal Navy. He died of sepsis (a sort of blood poisoning) after being bitten by a mosquito, and is buried on the island of Skyros, in Greece.
The poem The Soldier was written in 1914, and published in 1915, right at the beginning of the First World War.
The First World War (1914 - 1918) was one of the worst wars ever, with over 20 million (mainly young men) being killed, and as many injured, often severely, and in a life changing way. It changed the world for ever. New technology, such as machine guns and gas, contributed to its impact.
Patriotism (love for one’s country) and naive idealism was typical at the beginning of the 20th century and, therefore, at the start of the war.
The Soldier is written in sonnet form - why do you think Brooke chose this form? Think about what sonnets are often associated with.
The second part of the poem creates an image of an imagined heaven. What impressions of heaven are created?
Some people say that the poem can not be a “proper” war poem, as the poet had no experience of war. What do you think?
Does knowing some of Brooke’s life history add to your understanding of the poem? Give reasons for what you say.
What impressions of pre-war England do you get when you read the poem?
Poems often have a contextual significance to other times and places. Do you think The Soldier can teach the reader about attitudes to going to fight at other times and in other places?

Write your own response to this question:

How does Rupert Brooke present the theme of conflict in The Soldier?

Apart from conflict, there are themes of love and nature in The Soldier. Can you think of any other themes that would fit in with this poem?

Jot down all the other poems in the poetry anthology that you think could be connected by theme to The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke.