"The soldier" and "Colonization in Reverse" comparative and contrasting essay

The poetry is an art in which the author can express his or her feelings, opinions and desires towards something or someone. Many times, the contents of these poems are based on experiences that the authors have passed trough. The two poems The soldier, written by Rupert Brooke, and Colonization in reverse, from the inspiration of Louisse Bennet, have some characteristics that contrast the internal ideas of these two poems. In the other hand, there are certain aspects that are very similar and that can be compared in order to establish what the authors wanted to share with the readers.

There is a specific topic that both poems reflect: nationalism. Nationalism is the sense of union to the country where you were born and to its people, culture, customs, and etcetera.
In the poem of The soldier, the author Rupert Brooke speaks about the greatness of his nation England. He mentions thing like beautiful landscapes, the prevalence of this country as a nation of honor and glory, and about the English people that lives tremendously happy just for being part of the British nation. Considering the date in which this poem was published (1914), it can be assumed that the poem was created in order to motivate the soldiers that were enlisted in the army during the Great War. Even Rupert Brooke himself enlisted in the British army and fought for his country during this international conflict. Now, in the poem of Colonization in Reverse, Louisse Bennet reflects nationalism in a similar way than in The soldier. This poem was published in 1966, just four years after the Jamaican independence was achieved after years of British domination under the imperialist regimen. The intention of the author in this poem is to show, not just Jamaican and British people, but to all the world population, that being part of a country´s people denominated as savages or uncivilized by the powerful nations in the old continent does not means that it is true. Bennet is giving a message of equality of razes and, with the Jamaican independence as an example, proves that any country of the world can become a big and powerful nation among other big potencies. This poem can also be interpreted as the classic fight between the lower and the higher economic classes.In both of these lyric texts there are nationalism raising intentions, one shows the feelings of a proud soldier that fights for the glory of his nation, and the other reflects the idealism of equality and freedom among all the razes.

The usage of language, also known as tone, is another very important aspect to consider when analyzing any text. The language can also be used by the authors in order to reflect an idea. In the poem, The soldier, there is a formal tone applied by Rupert Brooke. Considering the nationalism present in its words, this tone gives an essence of superiority and makes creates the idea of a more impeccable British person. This is also done in order to show the world how does a British person is fully devoted to their country and that will sacrifice him or herself in order to preserve their country´s prestige as one of the greatest nations of the world (maybe the best). Colonization in reverse contrasts a lot from the last British poem. Since the begging of this poem, a more informal tone is perceived. It can also look like as a common conversation between two normal habitants of Jamaica. This tone reflects an image of a humble society that has passed through difficult times of conquest and colonization and now they are an independent nation as any other European country. Again, nationalism arises from this text because the Jamaican people can feel pride of their language, that others may consider as inferior or broken, but that know is part of their unique identity as a nation.

After analyzing both these poems, we can conclude that each poem reflects the idea of a country´s society. One speaks about the greatness of its nation and the other criticizes these ideas of superiority. But both authors of these poems had the same intention when writhing this texts: to exalt their culture nationalism feeling.

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