In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.



The poem ‘In Flanders Field’ by John McCrae is written about the soldiers that fought in the war and now lie dead in their graves in Flanders Field, surrounded by blood-red poppies, as written in the first stanza. These soldiers were normal people who fought for the country, and died trying. ‘We are the dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved…’ They fought bravely for us, and we should appreciate it.

The poet has written this poem for a purpose. That purpose is not to evoke a sense of guilt in the reader, although it is inevitable, but rather to inform the reader and pass on knowledge of the events that occurred. The poet has written this poem in the hope that we give our respects to those brave soldiers, and really appreciate what they have done for us; the lengths at which they have suffered and the courage and strength it required. This poem bears a message, written in Stanza 3; ‘Take up our quarrel with the foe: to you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.’ In other words, find the courage to continue the fight, do not give in, hold your hopes high, for the soldiers have passed this legacy to you.

The poem starts off with quite a sad, peaceful, sombre mood as the poet describes the graves in Flanders Field; ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place…’ However, as the poem progresses to Stanza 2, the mood changes and the poem becomes more heartfelt, as the poet writes about what these soldiers used to be; ‘We are the dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved…’ In Stanza 3, the poem becomes sombre once again, as the poet imparts a final message, from the soldiers.

This poem has been constructed with three stanzas, each with a differing number of lines. There is one similarity between the stanzas however, and that is that (with the exception of Stanza 2) the lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme – with an ‘oh’ sound, and lines 3 and 4 rhyme – with an ‘ee’ sound. The poet has quite cleverly written this poem; using short sentences to state blatant facts, giving the facts emphasis, ‘We are the Dead.’ The poet also quite cleverly uses simple sentences containing complex meanings that intone the poem with quite a sombre mood, suitable to its context; ‘If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep…’ The poet has used many striking examples of imagery, particularly in the first paragraph, where you can see a vivid image of the scene in your mind; ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place…’ This is enough to account for the fact that the poet has not used any imagery techniques.

The poet has very cleverly considered each and every aspect of the poem; to the message that is included, to the language he has used, and the sombre mood, even the structure fits in perfectly. The poet has done this so that everything fits in perfectly with the context and his poem runs smoothly.