The soldier

• When did "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke first appear?

  January 1915
• When was "The Soldier" posthumously published?

  May 1915
• How old was Rupert Brooke when he enlisted?

  27 years old
• What was the first stationing of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve?

  Antwerp in Belgium
• What did Brooke do during the lack of fighting in Antwerp?

  Concentrated on his poetry
• When did Brooke sail with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force?

  28 February 1915
• What caused Rupert Brooke's death?

  A mosquito bite became infected
• When did Rupert Brooke die?

  23 April 1915
• Where did Brooke die?

  On a French hospital ship
• Who was with Rupert Brooke when he died?

  William Dennis Brown
• How is the moment of Brooke's death depicted in his poetry?

  It explores nobility of sacrifice
• What is the general opinion of Brooke's poetry during the war?

  Divided opinions on his naivety
• What structure does "The Soldier" loosely follow?

  Petrarchan sonnet structure
• How many lines does "The Soldier" have?

  14 lines
• What is the rhyme scheme of "The Soldier"?

  ABABCDCDEFEFG
• What meter is primarily used in "The Soldier"?

  Iambic pentameter
• How does Brooke manipulate the meter in "The Soldier"?

  By substituting trochees and spondees
• What is hypercatalexis in the context of "The Soldier"?

  Lines with 11 syllables instead of 10
• What is the function of enjambment in "The Soldier"?

  To connect ideas seamlessly
• What does the volta signify in a sonnet?

  The transition from problem to solution
• How does Brooke present his argument in "The Soldier"?

  By detailing reasons for not mourning
• What natural imagery is used in the first stanza of "The Soldier"?

  Flowers, ways, paths, air, rivers, suns
• What does the second stanza of "The Soldier" focus on?

  His spiritual legacy
• How does Brooke's poem relate to the Book of Common Prayer?

  It mirrors burial service language
• What is the effect of the polyptoton in "The Soldier"?

  It heightens the poem's patriotic power
• What does the title "The Soldier" suggest about the speaker?

  He is an archetypal figure
• What does the first line of "The Soldier" express?

  A hypothetical situation regarding death
• What does the phrase "forever England" imply?

  His remains will enrich the soil
• How does Brooke describe his human remains in "The Soldier"?

  As richer dust concealed
• What does the use of "shall be" indicate in "The Soldier"?

  Something required or promised
• What does the term "anadiplosis" refer to in "The Soldier"?

  Repeating a word from one clause to another
• How does Brooke personify England in "The Soldier"?

  As a nurturing mother
• What does the imagery of baptism suggest in "The Soldier"?

  Purification and identity recognition
• What shift occurs in the second stanza of "The Soldier"?

  From physical remains to spiritual resurrection
• What does the phrase "this heart all evil shed away" imply?

  His sacrifice will cleanse his soul
• How does Brooke describe the thoughts given back to England?

  As dreams and laughter learned of friends
• What does "hearts at peace under an English heaven" suggest?


  Peaceful resting for those who died
• What does Brooke's belief about heaven reveal about his patriotism?

  He believes even heaven is English
• What are the key themes in "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke?

  • Nobility of sacrifice
  • Legacy of the fallen
  • Idealized view of England
  • Spiritual resurrection
• What are the structural elements of "The Soldier"?

  • Petrarchan sonnet structure
  • 14 lines: octave and sestet
  • Iambic pentameter with variations
  • Rhyme scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFG