Jessie Pope: War Poetry

Jessie Pope: War Poetry Analysis

Jessie Pope's war poetry endures throughout history as an embodiment of the voice of the individual who can perceive their own significance as part of a larger movement. Pope writes on behalf of all British citizens who participated in WWI (which is all of them). In her poems she demonstrates a keen understanding of how each individual relates to the greater picture and the eventual success of the Britain in the war.

While most writing upon the topic of WWI focuses on the violence, destruction, and death of the era, Pope takes the opposite stance. In the absence of these elements, she almost demands her readers fill in the blanks. Pope writes exclusively about the resilience, activity, and solidarity of the British during the war, without once dwelling upon the challenges from a negative perspective. Her poems like "No!" and "War Girls" highlight how each British citizen has stepped up to the plate to participate in the wartime effort, regardless of how great or small their contribution. The general and the recruit in "No!" are given equal credit in Pope's estimation, despite the disparity of their skills. Similarly, she offers her own pride in how the women in "War Girls" have embraced a new era of freedom through their filling in for absent men in the economy.

In this decision to focus on the positive there is a confrontation of readers' expectations because they are consequently required to wrestle with their own perceptions of war because naturally their own subconsciouses will bring up questions of the negative. In this manner, Pope retains a sort of plausible deniability. In "Who's For The Game" she presents the attitude of propaganda, saying all the best most encouraging words, but she does so in a manner and format which manages to illustrate the borderline absurdity of such messages

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