Angry and Ignorant: Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College Essay

Ignorance is bliss. The line from Thomas Grays poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, published in 1747, has lasted throughout the ages due to its omnipresent applicableness. This is especially seen in the publics view on war forrader World fight II. Before pictures and news reports from the World Wars were publicized, the United States home front did not see a problem with going to war. All they had hear from the war was propagandizesuccess. However, some the great unwashed, like poets Carl Sandburg and Nan Braymer, knew the true barbarousness of war. In Buttons and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam, Sandburg and Braymer both use aggressive expression and imagery to portray different approximations Buttons creates a theme that people are often ignorant to things that are unpleasant, and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam creates a theme that loss of control can lead to anger. The aggressive diction in Buttons reflects the attitude towards war during World War I. In this time, pictures and information about the brutality of war were just getting out to the public, but most did not pay attention. Sandburg says the buttons, which represented the soldiers, were shoved around the map, showing that people were ignorant to the trials of war. If the people at home knew what the soldiers were going through for them, they would be more considerate to the buttons. Even the way the map was slammed up onto the board outside the newspaper stand was not showing it the recognition and respect it deserves. Because the people did not understand the unpleasant happenings of World War I, they did not show proper respect to the map and the buttons. Likewise, Braymer uses aggressive diction in Five Day Requiem for Vietnam to express the anger that the fighting soldie... ... devices of imagery and aggressive diction, Sandburg and Braymer both create different themes. Sandburg uses the devices to convey that people are often ignorant to that which is unpleasant to hear, and Br aymer conveys the theme that loss of control can lead to anger. Even though the poems were written about World War I and Vietnam, the themes created are still seen in human nature today. There is always a problem that people choose to ignore instead of functional to improve, and there will always be people lashing out due to manipulation. This reveals how, even with societal developments, human nature will never very change. Works CitedCarl Sandburg Poems - Buttons. Carl Sandburg Poems - Buttons. Andyy Barr Productions, 1998. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.Voices Education Project. Nan Braymer Five Day Requiem for Vietnam. Marilyn Turkovich, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.