Then let your mighty chorus witness be 7 To them, and Caesar, that we still make war. 8
Tell them, O guns, that we have heard their call, 9 That we have sworn, and will not turn aside, 10
That we will onward till we win or fall, 11 That we will keep the faith for which they died. 12
Bid them be patient, and some day, anon, 13 They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep; 14
Shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn, 15 And in content may turn them to their sleep. 16
1. The Analysis of the Poem “The Anxious Dead”
In the first line of the first stanza, John McCrae used an irony. It is said that the guns fall silent but the dead man can hear. How can a dead man hear
something even without a sound? Here John McCrae tried to explain how massive the battle is. In the second line, John McCrae tried to illustrate the condition on
the battle field. Above their heads the legions pressing on
There were many victims, and there were plenty of dead soldiers during the battle. They have no tombs because they were buried by the land of the battle.
Their graveyard, later, became the main stage of the battle ground where other soldier mobilized upon their dead body.
In the third and fourth line, we can see the feeling of the soldier that fight in the battle.
These fought their fight in time of bitter fear, and died not knowing how the day had gone.
As a human, they might feel fear, anxious when they face to face with death. John McCrae used the word “bitter fear” to emphasize that the battle might
be the worst than any battle during the First World War. The sentence “And died not knowing how the day had gone” expresses the situation that the soldier come
to fight in the battle without considering the other consequences, which is death. And this sentence also remains us that this war was considerable.
In the second stanza John McCrae talks about a new hope that will rise when the battle was stop.
O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see the coming dawn that streaks the sky afar; then let your mighty chorus witness be to them, and Caesar,
that we still make war .
The sentence “O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see” reflected a great expectation that the battle can be stop for a while to give some times for
other to see the cost of the battle and a renewal after the war. John McCrae wants people to see and witness a new hope that will rise when they stop the war. John
McCrae believes that there will be a better life to live without a war. In the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 388, the word “dawn”
means the time of day when light first appear. This word was chosen because this word is commonly used to express something good that have been waited for long
time. The light will change the darkness. The dawn is symbolized a brighter hope that will appear when the war was end, like the sun shine wiped out the darkness
of the night. In the next two lines, John McCrae shows his frustration because the battle
was still running. John McCrae used the name Caesar as a symbol for the leader
who has a huge desire in a battle to conquer and to lead as a solo leader in the world. He would never stop for battling before he can realize his dream.
The third stanza of the poem describe about the faith and the goal to achieve in the battle.
Tell them, O guns, that we have heard their call that we have sworn, and will not turn aside, that we will onward till we win or fall, that we will
keep the faith for which they died.
From the first line of this stanza, it illustrates how a man has joined the army to fight against the enemy. The same condition happened to John McCrae.
McCrae was in England on holiday when war was declared in 1914, yet he answered Canada’s call for recruit. His ancestors included soldiers and physicians,
and he carried on the tradition. As a boy in Guelph, Ontario, he won a gold medal for being the best drilled cadet in the province. John McCrae has a strong
nationality and patriotism that makes him believe to joined the army. In the tenth line, He has a promise to sacrifice his life no matter he will die
or alive in the battle. It was a very noble feeling that John McCrae tries to present to other young soldier that faith must be kept to a glory. It is look like propaganda
to burn the patriotism spirit for the soldiers. The last stanza of this poem describe about the ends of a war and the result
of a war. Bid them be patient, and some day, anon, they shall feel earth enwrapt in
silence deep; shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn, and in content may turn them to their sleep
.
In the sentence “Bid them be patient, and some day, anon”, John McCrae was describing the importance of being patient, because something will be happen
sooner or later. When it deals with a battle, a good planning to attack and defend is a crucial part to reach the victory. To achieve something; we have to do
perfectly and step by step. The next sentence “They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep” is the
statement of the future of all soldiers, where they will finally die and buried with silence on Earth; which bears a certain believe that the war will someday really
over. The following sentences “Shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn, and
in content may turn them to their sleep”, serves as a supporting statement. It gives hope that once the war is over, they will have peaceful moments at last. This
poetry ended in line sixteen where the soldiers are finally rest in peace under their tomb; knowing that what they wished, believed, fought for, and die for has come
true. Here John McCrae use the word sleep to elucidates the death of the soldiers.
2. John McCrae’s View on War as seen in “The Anxious Dead”
