When I say "nonsense indeed", I don't mean it is nonsense- although I may have thought that at first. The poem deals with nonsense, and the way I look at it, it is where Graves talks to himself figuring out that the war is nonsense, and if you think otherwise, well, then that's nonsense (if that makes sense).
So basically, I figured that R. was Robert Graves and S. was Siegfried Sassoon. I think these two are the ones talking with each other not only because they were pretty close and fought together, but because of the relationship the two have. Sassoon was against the war, and I think this poem talks about how nonsensical the war was and it is pretty anti-war-ish. The two learn from each other that the war is not what everyone says it is- it is not something to make sense of (for instance when they talk about the temple dedicated to Sense, and how the roof has come crashing down), but something that is nonsense. I interpreted the temples both as something based on faith (and thus faith has been destroyed) as well as the belief/worship in war (as that has toppled as well). I think is interesting that the poem suggested that if one tried to make sense of the war, using sanity, one would go insane- but as soon as one accepts the nonsense, you reach a certain peace. This is why I think "An Idyll" appears after the title. While the poem is certainly not "a picturesque scene", it is in the context of the war, and in the fact that unlike many other soldiers, it seems as if Sassoon and Robert Graves have reached a restfulness and tranquility- a balance to the chaos of the war. I've analyzed it deeper in the pictures below. There is this constant contrast between what the war is viewed as (or the normality of what it should be eg. worshiped) vs. the nonsense of it (that war in fact is not normal, and that there are skulls and flowers and there is not much difference between the two). So as you look through my thoughts further down, I think I look at the different elements which help create this idea.
Here are some detailed notes I took- following my thoughts and stuff. I think it's pretty readable.
So basically, I figured that R. was Robert Graves and S. was Siegfried Sassoon. I think these two are the ones talking with each other not only because they were pretty close and fought together, but because of the relationship the two have. Sassoon was against the war, and I think this poem talks about how nonsensical the war was and it is pretty anti-war-ish. The two learn from each other that the war is not what everyone says it is- it is not something to make sense of (for instance when they talk about the temple dedicated to Sense, and how the roof has come crashing down), but something that is nonsense. I interpreted the temples both as something based on faith (and thus faith has been destroyed) as well as the belief/worship in war (as that has toppled as well). I think is interesting that the poem suggested that if one tried to make sense of the war, using sanity, one would go insane- but as soon as one accepts the nonsense, you reach a certain peace. This is why I think "An Idyll" appears after the title. While the poem is certainly not "a picturesque scene", it is in the context of the war, and in the fact that unlike many other soldiers, it seems as if Sassoon and Robert Graves have reached a restfulness and tranquility- a balance to the chaos of the war. I've analyzed it deeper in the pictures below. There is this constant contrast between what the war is viewed as (or the normality of what it should be eg. worshiped) vs. the nonsense of it (that war in fact is not normal, and that there are skulls and flowers and there is not much difference between the two). So as you look through my thoughts further down, I think I look at the different elements which help create this idea.
Here are some detailed notes I took- following my thoughts and stuff. I think it's pretty readable.
love the visuals! Ms. M
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