John McCrae`s view of war in his poems ``In Flanders Fields``, ``The Warrior`` and ``The Anxious Dead``.

JOHN MCCRAE’S VIEW OF WAR IN HIS POEMS

“IN FLANDERS FIELDS”, “THE WARRIOR”

AND “THE ANXIOUS DEAD”

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Ari Dwi Nugroho Bobby Student Number: 011214143

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

2009

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JOHN MCCRAE’S VIEW OF WAR IN HIS POEMS

“IN FLANDERS FIELDS”, “THE WARRIOR”

AND “THE ANXIOUS DEAD”

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Ari Dwi Nugroho Bobby Student Number: 011214143

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 6 October 2009 The Writer

Ari Dwi Nugroho Bobby 011214143

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : Ari Dwi Nugroho Bobby

Nomor Mahasiswa : 011214143

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :

JOHN MCCRAE’S VIEW OF WAR IN HIS POEMS IN

“FLANDERS FIELDS”, “THE WARRIOR”

AND “THE ANXIOUS DEAD”

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal : 6 October 2009

Yang menyatakan

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ABSTRACT

Bobby, Ari Dwi Nugroho. 2009. John McCrae’s view of War in His Poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This study is conducted to analyze John McCrae’s view of war from his three poems. They are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. These poems are parts of John McCrae poems that he wrote during the First World War. In these poems, the poet reveals some of his view on war.

There is one main question which is going to be discussed in this study, namely (1) How does John McCrae portray his view on war through his poems are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”?

The study uses library research to gather the data. The primary source was taken from the poems. Some books, articles, the poet’s biography, reviews of the First World War history, specified in the Battle in Ypres, Belgium as the main setting, and some sources from the books and the internet were selected as the secondary sources. This study uses sociocultural-historical approach and biographical approach. The first approach was employed to gather the data about the history of the First World War as it is deal with chronological time line. The second approach was employed to collect data about the poets, because this study deals with the background and the experiences of the poets. These approaches are used to analyze John McCrae’s poems and to answer John McCrae’s view on war. Through the analysis, the study discovers the explication of the poems. As any other of John McCrae’s poems, these three poems present his experiences in war. The explication of “In Flanders Fields” shows McCrae’s biggest lost in a war. In “The Warrior”, John McCrae presents his vision became a soldier. Then, “The Anxious Dead” shows John McCrae’s expectation of a new hope after the war. Further, the study found some of John McCrae’s view of war, which is: patriotism, loyalty, sacrifice and renewal. These poems also describe John McCrae’s shifting paradigm and point of view on war.

The last, the application of the poems in English language learning. The study used the poems to teach reading. It focuses on the language program of The third semester students of English Education Program of Sanata Dharma University

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vii ABSTRAK

Bobby, Ari Dwi Nugroho. 2009. John McCrae’s view of War in His Poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Studi ini disusun untuk menganalisa pandangan John McCrae tentang perang melalui tiga puisinya. Ketiga puisi tersebut adalah are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Ketiganya merupakan bagian dari puisi-puisi John McCrae yang ditulis selama terjadinya Perang Dunia Pertama. Melalui ketiga puisi tersebut, penyair mengungkapkan pandangannya tentang perang.

Ada satu permasalahan mendasar yang akan dibahas dalam studi ini, yaitu (1) Bagaimana John McCrae menggambarkan pandangannya tentang perang melalui puisi-puisinya are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”?

Studi ini menggunakan studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data. Sumber utama dari studi ini adalah puisi-puisi tersebut. Beberapa buku, artikel, biografi penyair, tinjauan tentang sejarah Perang Dunia Pertama yang di khususkan pada Perang di Ypers, Belgia sebagai latar belakang utama, dan beberapa sumber dari buku-buku dan internet digunakan sebagai sumber lain. Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan sosial budaya dan sejarah serta pendekatan biografi. Pendekatan pertama digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data tentang sejarah Perang Dunia Pertama dalam hubungannya kronologis urutan waktu. Pendekatan kedua digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data tentang pengarang puisi, karena studi ini berhubungan dengan latar belakang dan pengalaman pengarang. Pendekatan-pendekatan ini digunakan untuk menganalisa puisi-puisi John McCare dan untuk menjawab pandangan John McCrae tentang perang

Melalui analisa, studi ini menemukan explikasi dari puisi-puisi tersebut. Sebagaimana puisi-puisi John mcCrae yang lainnya, ketiga puisi tersebut menggambarkan pengalaman-pengalamannya selama perang. Explikasi “In Flanders Fields” menunjukkan kehilangan terbesarnya selama perang. Dalam “The Warrior”, John McCrae menunjukkan pandangannya menjadi seorang prajurit. Dalam “The Anxious Dead”, menunjukkan pengharapan seorang John McCrae akan sebuah harapan yang baru setelah perang. Lebih jauh, studi ini menemukan beberapa pandangan John McCrae tentang perang, seperti: sikap patriotisme, kesetiaan, pengorbanan dan pembaharuan. Puisi-puisi ini juga memaparkan perubahan paradigma dan sudut pandang John McCrae tentang perang.

Akhirnya, studi ini sampai pada bagian penerapan puisi dalam pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Dalam studi ini, puisi-puisi tersebut digunakan untuk mengajar reading. Pelajaran tersebut ditujukan untuk mahasiswa semester tiga Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris di universitas Sanata Dharma.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for His love and guidance during my life especially the hard times in doing this thesis. He makes my life so beautiful and meaningful. He always gives me the wonderful surprises and blessings.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my sponsor, V. Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., for her great guidance, encouragement, understanding, and advice from the beginning until the end of this thesis writing.

I also express my gratitude to all lecturers at Sanata Dharma University who have taught and given me valuable and great knowledge. I also would like to thank to the secretary staffs for helping me in the administration and information.

I am sincerely grateful to my beloved parents Bapak Vincentius Marsudi (†) and Ibu Maria Ratna Herawati, for their endless love and for their prayer for my success. I also thank my lovely family, Mbak Nuning, Mas Hari, Mbak Yuyun, Mbak Ninik, Mas Aji, Mbak Linda, Iin, and my little Bonek: Prila, Vanya, and Vincy for their support and attention.

My best gratitude goes to all of my friends at Sanata Dharma University, especially Class F members, with whom I have got through the good and bad times during my study and for sharing their time. I am honored to have such great friends as them. My life will not be the same without knowing them all in my life. I address my acknowledgement to all my friends in The Gondolz Boardinghozt: Katz-Onde, Eki, Dj, Dicky, Zomad, Lendhet, Si Black, Sangga,

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Andre, Landhep, Antz, Maskimal, Drogba, Mas Anton, Texex, Nanda, Dodok, Lambhe, Puput, Kenyot and Pak Sugi. I thank them for encouraging me to keep trying and never give up. It is great to spend time with them.

Last but not least, I would like to thank those whose names are not mentioned here for their support and prayer so that I could finish this thesis. May God bless them all.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ... i

PAGES OF APPROVAL ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... v

ABSTRACT ... vi

ABSTRAK... vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS... x

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ... 1

A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ... 4

D. Benefits of the Study ... 5

E. Definition of the Terms ... 5

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 8

A. Theoretical Review ... 8

1. Review of Related Theories on Literature... 8

a. Approaches in Literary Analysis ... 9

b. Intrinsic Elements of the Poem... 10

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B. Historical Review of World War I ... 12

1. A Brief History of World War I ... 12

2. The Second Battle of Ypres... 14

C.John McCrae’s Biography... 15

D. Criticism ... 18

E. Theoretical Framework ... 19

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ... 21

A. Subject Matter ... 21

B. Approach ... 22

C. Data Collection... 23

D. Procedures………. 24

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ... 25

A. John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields” ... 26

1. The Analysis of the Poem “In Flanders Fields”... 27

2. John McCrae’s View on War as seen in “In Flanders Fields”………….. 30

B. John McCrae’s “The Warrior” ... 32

1. The Analysis of the Poem “The Warrior”... 33

2. John McCrae’s View on War as seen in “The Warrior”... 36

C. John McCrae’s “The Anxious Dead” ... 37

1. The Analysis of the Poem “The Anxious Dead” ... 38

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CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 43

A. Conclusion ... 43

B. Suggestion ... 45

1. For Future Researchers ... 45

2. The implementation of literature in Language Teaching... 46

REFERENCES ... 51

APPENDICES ... 53

Appendix 1. “In Flanders Fields” ... 54

Appendix 2. “The Warrior” ... 55

Appendix 3. “The Anxious Dead” ... 56

Appendix 4. Lesson Plan for Teaching Reading ... 57

Appendix 5. Material for Teaching Reading ... 60

Appendix 6. Map of The Battle of Ypres... 62

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides some information about background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, and benefits of the study and definition of terms. In the background of the study, I explain about the necessity of analyzing the topic and the reason for choosing the topic.

Objectives of the study explain the aim of this study. The problems that will be analyzed in this thesis are stated in the problem formulation. Benefits of the study explain to whom this study will be beneficial. The last part of this chapter is the definition of some terms related to this topic.

A. Background of the Study

The First World War (1914-1918) or known as The Great War or War to End All Wars is a big history in a century of a human civilization. It is called as a Great War because more than ten countries from Europe, America, and Asia through Africa plunge themselves onto this deadly combat. France, British, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Romania, America, and Canada were joining the Allied Powers. And Germany, Austro-Hungarian, Turkey, and Bulgaria were joining the Axis Powers. These two battle groups showed the latest and massive military weapons and a large mount of soldier mobilization.

This war was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Duchess Sophie on Sunday Morning, June 28th in 1914, in Bosnia.

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No one ever guess that the sounds of a church bell that heard along the country as a sign of the Archduke dead was also the sign for many people in the battle fields. Some people predict that the battle between Hungarian Empire and the Bosnian only take time for three months. The fact is the war is spread faster through Africa and Asia Pacific and creates a four years battle of horror in the entire world. This war also dragged America to join in the middle of the war in a reason to help the British legion.

There is no doubt that The First World War caused damage, destruction, suffers loss and the death of the soldier and the civilians. More than ten million people died after the war.

Most people do not realize that however negative the effects of a war, there is also a silver lining hidden in it. As it is hard to see, people usually do not pay attention on this part. The most significant evidence is the influence that war contributed for poets at those times. War had given inspirations for few people and somehow they have their own point of views about war that led to a certain form of art work.

One of the examples from the poets who use their own experiences or personalities into their poems is John McCrae. Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae is one of the greatest war poets during the World War I. He was a Canadian soldier for Ally Forces, and a surgeon doctor in the battle in Belgium. As a part of the Canadian Army Medical Corps that was positioned in Ypres and helped all the wounded and dying soldiers that came in from Ypres, along with other close battles as well.

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When the Second Battle of Ypres began, McCrae had had never seen anything like the sights he saw there before. He had never seen so many wounded soldiers, dead bodies, and shells and bullets flying before. The death of Helmer had a profound affect on McCrae, and moved him to write the poem. He wrote the poem near Essex Farm, along a canal north of Ypres after Helme’s burial ceremony. He wrote “In Flanders Fields”, which later became his most popular poem, in a lament of his friend dead. From his poems, we can learn what war brought for his life as a soldier and as a human being.

I would like to know how John McCrae expresses his view on war as a soldier who defend his country and his faith and also as a victim of war through his works. We can say that a poem is the representative of the soul and mind of its poet. A work of literature, especially poetry, reflects the emotional and intellectual experience of the writer. Every poet has their own style and characteristic. Guth and Rico (472) in Discovering Literature Stories, Poems, Plays, say that “Poetry can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. They use a language richer in meaning than ordinary talk. As we read and study poems, we become more sensitive to the poet’s language”.

Sometimes with poetry we even can have communication. The characteristic of a poet is determined by his education, religion or belief, family and the society background. John McCrae is a unique poet. Most of his poems using war as the main theme. Therefore I would like to analyze John McCrae’s view of war which reflected in his poem.

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Experience of life and the way the poet’s point of view influence their works of art. Guth and Rico (793) say that “As we read, we are already attuned to the poet’s way of looking at the world”. Therefore, experience held an important role for the poets because through experience the poets want to share their opinion or communicate their feelings.

In order to do so, it would be helpful to see his life background. Many of John McCrae’s poems deals with war, he have ways to view it and also to express it in certain words. In fact he often uses his life experience as the theme for his poems. These experiences let him write poems about war. In his poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”, John McCrae dig out something more than just a war story, he wants to show what really happens explicitly and implicitly.

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the aim of the study, the question to be answered in this study can be formulated as follows:

1. How does John McCrae portray his view on war through his poems: “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”?

C. The Objective of the Study

The main objective of the study is to explore what is John McCrae’s view of war. The other objective is to analyze the reflection of John McCrae’s point of view toward war in his poems, as seen in; “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”

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and “The Anxious Dead”. I tries to give a clear description in analyze the poem, so that we can get the image of war as similar as what John McCrae had experienced

D. Benefits of the Study

There are benefits that we can obtain from this study for both readers and those who are interested in a literary work. This study can be used as an alternative reading material in teaching reading comprehension or poetry in school and university. It also can be a reference for the students in getting more information about the life of John McCrae and his view on war and also the reflection of it in his poems. Through his poem we can see an image of war in different point of view, because John McCrae’s life and his view on war contribute a great influence on his poems.

This also can be use as a source for the readers who have interest in a different style of poetry, such as this war poetry, to compare with other poems. Moreover, this study can be such an enjoyment and pleasure.

Through this study, I hope I can help the readers to understand more about literary work especially poem, so that the readers are able to enjoy reading poems.

E. Definition of Terms

In this study, some terms are used. In order to have a clear understanding of this study, I include the definition of terms used in this thesis.

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1. War

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1515), war (noun) is a “state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups or people within a nation or state”. In other way, war is a massive effort to deal with or end a particular unpleasant or undesirable situation.

Hillarie Belloc (1) in his book The Elements of The Great War states that “war is the attempt of two human groups each to impose its will (political or civic purpose) upon the other by forces of arms”.

In this study, war refers to The Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium, part of World War I was held on 1915. The battle, which held in the Ypres, later known as the first battle where chemical gas was used as a weapon by the Germany.

2. Death

Aiken (6) states that death is “the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.” He also states that, “this definition is closest in meaning to biological death, the irreversible breakdown of respiration in an organism and the consequent loss of the ability to use oxygen”.

This study is not trying to reveal about the deeper meaning of death, but the fact that between war and death have a close relationship, and also in this poem, the writer sometimes use the word or symbol of death, it is important to know about the meaning of death.

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3. Patriotism

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (967), patriotism (noun) is “love of your country and willingness to defend it”. In this study, patriotism refers to the willingness to answer the country calls for recruitment to join the battle as a soldier to defend their country.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter contains some theories which are relevant to the analysis of the poems. There are four main sections in this chapter that can provide us with relevant information. They are theoretical review, the biography of John McCrae, Criticism and theoretical framework.

Theoretical review covers the theories that are relevant to the study. The biography of the poet talks about the life of the poet and the relation with the art-works. Criticism contains experts’ critics and commentary on the poems of John McCrae. Theoretical framework presents how the relevant theories are applied to the analysis.

A. Theoretical Review

This part presents some theories that are relevant to the study including approaches in analyzing the poems, intrinsic elements of the poems, and also the short history of World War I and Second Battle of Ypres.

1. Review of Related Theories on Literature

This study deals with literature, therefore, I believe that it is important to have some theoretical ground of poetry as part of literature. These theories are relevant to this study.

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a. Approaches in Literary Analysis

According to Rohberger and Woods (6), there are five kinds of approaches in analyzing a literary works. They are Formalist approach, Biographical approach, Sociocultural-Historical approach, Mythopoeic approach, and Psychological approach.

The first approach is the “Formalist Approach.” This approach analyzes the work of art only. In other words, this approach does not need any reference from other resources, like the author’s life, the social condition at the time the author’s live, etc. In short, the approach is mainly focusing on the work only.

The second approach is the “Biographical Approach.” This approach proposes the idea that the only way to understand literature is by asserting the necessity and appreciation of ideas and personality of the author.

The third approach is “Historical Approach”. Sociocultural-Historical Approach is an approach that examines the work of art in reference to the civilization. Then the attitude and the actions of specific group of people become the subject matter.

The fourth approach is “Mythopoeic Approach”. This approach tries to discover certain universality and recurrent patterns of human thoughts in the works of art which are believed to have expression in the works.

The fifth approach is “Psychological Approach.” Critics that involve the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns of human psychology in the works of art.

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This study will apply the Sociocultural-Historical and Biographical Approaches. Sociocultural-Historical Approach is used because it is appropriate approach to apply in analyzing the poems using the history time line and moments that happened that time, in this study specified in the Second Battle of Ypres as part of the First World War.

Rohrberger and Woods (8) mention that Biographical approach is the necessity for an appreciation of the ideas and personality of the author to an understanding of the literary object. This approach insists that a work of art is a reflection of a personality that in the esthetic experience of the reader shares the author’s consciousness and that at least part of the reader’s response is to the author’s personality.

According to Mario Klarer (90-91), biographical approach gives a direct link between the literary text and the author’s background, which means that inside the author’s works there is a connection between the author’s life and the text in the literary works that he or she creates.

The biographical approach is also useful to analyze the author’s background of creating his or her works which might also be important to catch the meaning of the literary works. However, it is important not to go too deeply because the main discussion is not on the author but on the works.

b. Intrinsic Elements of the Poem

Guth and Rico (472) say that poetry can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. Sometimes with poetry we even can have communication. Poems demand our attention. They use a language richer in meaning than ordinary talk.

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As we read and study poems, we become more sensitive to the poet’s language. Poem has some meanings that are usually different from the literal meaning of the words. Abcarian and Klotz (1099) says, “Words have dictionary or denotative meaning as well as associative or connotative meanings; they also have histories and relationship with other words”.

Poems must first be read for their literal meaning. Then after we grasped the literal meaning of a poem, we can proceed to its figurative language. Parini (9) says that “The implicit, often hidden reality that the poem is trying to suggest”. According to Guth and Rico (482), “To give the poem a close reading, take as much as you can be open to whatever the poem has to offer”

It is important to understand the use of figurative language in this study. In order to have one relevant information for the discussion, I believe it is necessary to present a brief discussion on figurative language. Barnet, Bermon, and Bruto (768) state, “Words have their literal meaning, but they can also be used so that something other than literal meaning is implied”.

In analyzing the poems I used the intrinsic elements of the poems that are included in the figurative language. Since John McCrae uses a lot of symbols in his poems, therefore, here I limited the intrinsic elements into personification, and symbol. The following is explication of some intrinsic elements of the poems discussed in this thesis.

According to Kennedy and Gioia (676), “Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an animal, or an abstract term is endowed with human characteristics”. Personification allows an author to dramatize the nonhuman

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world in tangibly human terms. “Personification is a metaphor or simile that treats something non-human as if it were human”

Symbol can be defined as a person, place, or thing in a narrative that suggest meanings beyond its literal sense. Symbol is related to allegory, but it works more complexly. In an allegory an object has a single additional significance. By contrast, a symbol usually contains multiple meanings and association. According to Guth and Rico (561), “A symbol is something that you can see but that taken on a meaning beyond itself”.

B. Historical Review of World War I

Most of John McCrae’s poems are talk about war as the main theme. In analyzing his poems it is important to have enough knowledge about World War I in general and The Second Battle of Ypres in specific, where John McCrae made his poem “In Flanders Fields”. This section presents a brief story about World War I, and The Second Battle of Ypres.

1. A Brief History of World War I

In early 1914, the continental of Europe was the focal point of the entire world, a distinction it had enjoyed for centuries. Most of the world’s great industrial, military, and naval powers were European states. Europe’s trade was massive and worldwide in scope. Its intellectual and cultural achievements were still the envy of most other country.

All of this would chance dramatically as the result of a conflict that broke out on the continental in the summer of 1914. It proved to be of unprecedented

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ferocity and lasted more than four years. The generation suffered through it called it the Great War. We remember it as World War I.

World War I, erupted in Balkan, commenced between 28th of July 1914 until 11th of November 1918. On June 28, 1914 the Austria-Hungary Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, along with his wife, Duchess Sophie, was assassinated in Sarajevo Bosnia by the Serbian nationalists, Gravilo Princip. Endorsed by the Germany, Austria-Hungary decided to punish Serbia. Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia on 28th of July 1914. Russia, which supported Serbia, attacked by German. In order to arrive in Paris as soon as possible, the German army struck Belgium, a small nation. Belgium fought back.

German won the war yet French, Britain and Russia kept fighting. German, Austria-Hungary were called the Axis Powers while the nations which opposed it were called the Alliance. During the war, other nations stated their involvement. Being interested in conquering Austria, Italy joined the Alliance in 1915 and the USA entered the war within the Alliance in 1917.

German almost won the war regardless how powerful the Alliance was. On late 1914, German conquered Luxemburg, most part of Belgium and some part of north French. German also trounced over Eastern Front while Russian attempts were a total failure. Around 1918, German armies were dead-tired. Their rations were insufficient and social drift within their country add up the tense. In the meantime, the USA armies were just arrived to aid the Alliance. In summer 1918, German signed an armistice in November 11.

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administered its colonies and some part of its European land as in Poland, Silesia and West Prussia. Alsace and part of Lorraine were administered to French. French was also given the power to rule Saar for 15 years. This treaty also put Rhineland under the Alliance power for 15 years. German armies were shrunken to no more than 100,000 soldiers and air forces were prohibited. German also paid a large sum to the Alliance for the war damage.

There were roughly 8,6 millions people died during World War I. The Alliance lost 5,1 millions people while the Axis Powers lost 3,5 millions. The war caused massive destruction to all nations involved. It also put an end to German, Russia, Ottoman and Austria-Hungaria Empires. World War I known as the war that ends all wars until World War II commenced.

2. The Second Battle of Ypres

The Second Battle of Ypres began on mid-April 1915, in an old town of Ypres, Belgium. Ypres has a strategic position for German army to concentrate against the Russian on the Eastern Front. Unfortunately, the Allied army also saw Ypres as a right place to gather the troop’s power of France, British and Canadian to attack German army.

Had an urgency to accomplish the mission to attack Russian on the Eastern Front, the German army ambush the coalition of France, British and Canadian army with the poisonous gas. This battle, later, known as the first war using the deadly gas.

In the afternoon of April 22, the Germany started to bombardment the Allied with the gas attack. Basically there are three main types of gas used by the

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German army, chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas. The first is chlorine. A greenish, yellow heavier than air gas which in its pure form is an oxidizing agent.

This means that it will react in the presence of water to cause a chemical burning effect on organic matter. This gas will make the victim vomiting, difficulty in breathing, a burning sensation in the lungs, eyes, nasal and mouth passages and death.

The second is Phosgene. Phosgene is a colorless, odorless, and heavier than air gas formed by heating carbon tetrachloride. It is highly poisonous in that it will preferentially replace oxygen in the cells and quickly causes an oxygen debt within the body, unconsciousness and death.

Third is Mustard gas. Mustard gas a caustic gas with a distinctive mustard smell, it causes blistering and huge sores on any exposed tissue, internal or external. Probably the most used gas, with phosgene, in the war.

Losses during the Second Battle of Ypres are estimated at 69,000 Allied troops (59,000 British, 10,000 French), against 35,000 German, the difference in numbers explained by the use of poisonous gas bomb. The Germans’ innovative use of gas set the trend for the rest of the war.

C. John McCrae’s Biography

John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario Canada, on November 30, 1872. He was the second son of Lieutenant David McCrae and Janet Simpson Eckford. As a boy, John took a deep interest in the military. At age 14, he joined the Hatfield Cadet Corps. When he turned 17, he joined in the Militia field battery

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commanded by his father.

John began writing poetry while attending Guelph Collegiate Institute. He graduated at age 16, and was the first Guelph Student to win a scholarship to the University of Toronto. After studying there for three years, John was forced to take a year off due to severe asthma.

During his absence from the university, John was Assistant Resident Master at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph. He graduated in 1894, with a Bachelor’s Arts degree. He then attended the University of Toronto Medical School. While becoming educated, John continued his military career. He became a gunner with the Number 2 Battery in Guelph in 1890; Quartermaster Sergeant in 1891; Second Lieutenant in 1893 and Lieutenant in 1896.

The South African War started in 1899. John McCrae felt it his duty to serve in South Africa. John and his company sailed to South Africa in December 1899. They spent one year there. John was still convinced of the need to fight for his country but was shocked by the unsophisticated equipment and unprofessional treatment of the sick, injured and dying men, though he still believed that a man must fight evil wherever he encountered it.

Canada declared war on Germany August 14, 1914. John hurried to sign up. He was appointed brigade-surgeon to the First Brigade of Canadian Forces Artillery. In 1915, John was in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium. This area is traditionally known as Flanders. Some of the heaviest fighting of the war took place during the Second Battle of Ypres. On April 22, 1915 the Germans used deadly chlorine gas against the Allies.

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Granfield and Wilson (9) said that as a doctor, John McCrae was dedicated to saving lives of the injured soldiers; he was equally committed to the war effort. “It is a terrible state of affair,” John McCrae wrote, “and I am going to war because every bachelor, especially if he has experience of war, ought to go. I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience”.

In the trenches, John McCrae tended hundreds of soldiers and was surrounded by dead and dying men. And it had been affected John McCrae personality. He spent more time alone and looked older than he actually was. “I am very tired of it,” he wrote to his friend. It had been an ordeal that he had hardly thought possible. McCrae later wrote to his mother: "Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done."

In the early morning battle, an armor burst killed his close friend, Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, Ontario. He was buried in a small cemetery outside John’s covering station. In the absence of the chaplain, John performed the service. A rough, wooden cross marked Helmer’s grave.

Hundreds of crosses marked graves in the field. Already poppies were beginning to bloom between them. The next morning, May 22, while under heavy fire, John wrote In Flanders Fields. It was the last poem he ever wrote.

By mid-winter, the wet climate had affected John’s health. He was ordered to a warmer location to no purpose. The night he arrived, he took to his bed. John died at 1:30 am on January 28 if complications from pneumonia and meningitis. He was buried in Wimereux Cemetery, north of Boulogne, France, with full

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military honors. In attendance were his many friends, military dignitaries, nursing sisters and colleagues. His horse, Bonfire led the procession with John’s riding boots reversed in the stirrups.

Following his death in 1918 the book In Flanders Fields and Other Poems was published. McCrae House, the home where he was born in Guelph, Ontario, is now a museum and includes a garden of remembrance with a memorial cenotaph.

D. Criticism

John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields” is, without a doubt, the best-known Canadian poem. Written in the trenches in 1915 during the Battle of Ypres when Canadian troops distinguished themselves as a “national” unit for the first time, the poem was published soon after in the British magazine Punch.

David Kelly, in his article Poetry for Students, Gale, 1999, says that

John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” fits perfectly into the category of phenomenal success. It is one of those achievements that could never have been anticipated. McCrae was, by all accounts, a decent and responsible man, a good and steady friend, a valuable citizen, doctor, and soldier, but the poetry he produced can generally be considered as a hobbyist’s dabbling. Like most great inventors, his one outstanding success was a singular conflux of inspiration and its time (http:/www.galegroup.com/poets/bio/htm).

“In Flanders Fields” addresses a particular place mired within a particular conflict, but death is death and courage is courage, so the subject of the poem doesn’t have to be foreign to readers who take the trouble to meet it halfway in trying to understand it.

Unlike other war poems, whose warn against war and dismiss its horrors, John McCrae’s poems: “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious

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Dead” offer a covenant between the dead and the living: future generations should not “break faith with us who die” and should value the peace that was won at such an enormous cost

Granfield and Wilson (3), in their book “In Flanders Fields” The Story of the Poem by John McCrae say that:

“In Flanders Fields” is one of the most popular poems ever written on the subject of war. Its underlying message of respect for the fallen and the longing for peace has touched the hearts of million of people around the world.

From the perspective of the soldiers, “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead” recognized their sacrifice and their suffering in the trenches. From the public’s point of view, the poem was understood in a poetic language that made the experience of the war accessible to the general reader, it speaks little of the horrors and attaches symbolism to experiences that would be too painful to convey if expressed in realistic terms.

The poems: “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead” are great poem to encourage people. Those poems can trigger the patriotism spirit and teach us to sacrifice without breaking our faith. From this poem, we can learn to be patient and work hard to achieve a new hope. The writer would like to analyze these poems to dig out what is John McCrae view on war from his point of view as a soldier and a victim of war.

E. Theoretical Framework

This part presents the theoretical frameworks of the study. It is intended to clarify how the theories related to the study are applied. This study applies some

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theoretical review on the intrinsic elements of poems in order to help us understand the use and the function of figurative language in John McCrae’s poems.

This study also applies Biographical approach to analyze John McCrae’s background of life. By using this approach, this study tries to reveal how John McCrae’s life experiences are reflected in his poems: “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”.

To obtain more specific background deal with John McCrae’s life at that time, we need Sociocultural-Historical approach. It also helps us to understand the exact situation during John McCrae’s life and also the war itself.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology in analyzing the poem. There are three subtitles in this chapter, which are discussed. The first is the subject matter, second is the approaches, and third is the procedures of the discussion of John McCrae.

A. Subject Matter

This study focuses on poetry. The primary data of this study are the three poems written by John McCrae which are, “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”.

His entire poem was written during the First World War and mostly talked about war. Those poems are categorized as patriotic poems. I am interested in his opinion concerning war, because John McCrae sees war as a victim of a war and also a soldier. John McCrae relates his idea on war to the reality of the human life. Finally, I want to know what John McCrae is trying to say throughout his poems.

The first poem of my study is entitled “In Flanders Fields”. This poem is compiled in book of “In Flanders Fields”. It has three stanzas, and each stanza has the different lines. The first lines consist of five lines. The second stanza has four lines. And the third stanza has six lines. This poem deals with his sorrow because of the dead of his friend. It also portrayed the general effect of the war which one of them is the dead of a human life. In this poem, he also tries to encourage the

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soldier to end the war with a victory.

The second poem of my study is “The Warrior”. This poem consists of two stanzas. The first stanza consists of eight lines. And the second stanza consists of six lines. John McCrae uses some of the greatest name of a ship or fortress as an imagery to encourage the soldier. This poem was described John McCrae experience and his trip to a battle in South Africa. He illustrates what was really happen in a war and he also give us an information what can we see in a war.

The third poem is “The Anxious Dead”. This poem has four stanzas, and each stanza has four lines. In this poem John McCrae talked about what happened in the middle of an endless war. This poem also talked about the sacrifice and hope.

This study deals with literature and literary works. I use many books concerning with literature especially poetry and books about history of the First World War. The secondary data of this study includes the biography of John McCrae, some literary theories and history of the First World War. This data were also supported by another books in order to get sufficient data concerning war. The theory of teaching speaking is also taken to support the implementation of this study in teaching language.

B. Approaches

From the five approaches suggested by Rohrberger and Woods, this study

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will only use two main approaches, Sociocultural-Historical and Biographical approaches, to analyze those three poems. Since this study deals with the history of First World War, and the background of the poet, I used the Sociocultural -Historical and Biographical approach. By applying the Sociocultural --Historical approach, I tried to give an image of what exactly happened in the Battle of Ypres as part of the World War I.

The reason why I used the biographical approach because I tried to reveal the intention of the poet in using certain theme in most of his poems. From the biography it is easier to know about what they have experienced and the influences in their literary works. Usually, the experiences in their life are reflected in their works. In order to know the reflection of the experiences, it is appropriate to use the biographical approach to analyze the three poems in this study.

I believe that John McCrae’s life background and his experiences joined the war have significant influence on his works. The reasons are the experience of John McCrae’s life had a big influence on his works.

C. Data Collection

The data are collected from some reference books and from some information in the Internet. The poems that are analyzed in this study were taken from the Internet. Some library studies are conducted by reading some theories and reviews. In analyzing the three poems, information about the poets’ biography

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and criticism on their works from the Internet and reviews from other writers are also needed to complete the analysis in this study.

D.Procedures

This thesis is a library or desk study. The procedures in this study concern the steps that I took in doing the analysis so that I was able to obtain solutions to the problem formulation of this study. Therefore, several steps were taken in this study. The first step was, I read the poems several times. The aim was to grasp the whole idea of poem in a form of summary. A poem cannot be read only once since we all know that it has deeper meaning than just the ordinary meaning.

The second step was to find the literary meaning of the difficult words in the poems since reading a poem has also to do with understanding the meaning of each word. Therefore, dictionary was provided to consult some difficult words. In doing this activity I used the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

The third step, in order to understand the poems, after I found the difficult words, I explicated them. This step consists of some activities dealing with the analysis of the poems. I read the theories of literature in order to analyze the poem.

Here I used Sociocultural -Historical and Biographical approaches. I analyze the poems by referring to the biography of John McCrae. The biography refers to the life of John McCrae when he wrote the poems. And by the Sociocultural -Historical approach, I try to measure the condition and situation during the war and the implication for John McCrae’s point of view of war.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter deals with the discussion on the questions formulated in Problem Formulation in Chapter I. It consists of analysis of John McCrae’s poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”. The analysis discusses about the meaning of his poems.

This chapter also provides the analysis on the reflection of John McCrae view on war as depicted in his poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead”. In this part I try to reveal John McCrae’s view on war using the analysis of his poems and also the biography and the Sociocultural-Historical Approach.

Nearly a hundred years ago, more than half of a country in Europe was fight in a catastrophic battle known as the First World War or later known as The Greatest War. This battle destroys many countries in Europe, kills millions of people and vanishes to Austro-Hungarian, Germany, Russian and The Ottoman Empires from the history

Although this war bring suffer for human being, but this war also bring something that we not realized. This war inherits something that we know as a hope. Hope for some people to give his life for a better life in the future. And one of the men who have that vision is John McCrae. He was a soldier, a doctor and a poet.

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War or the First World War. His poems mostly talk about war has a big influence for those people to join the military army during the First World War. Together with other war poets, he explores his own experience through the war to encourage the young people to join the army. He used two points of view his poem, as a soldier and as a victim of a war.

His famous poem, “In Flanders Fields”, is a good example to show how he lost his best friend in the battle. The other poems “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead” are some of the poems which were described about his experience in a war. If we see deeper into these three poems, we can find that these poems are not merely talk about war, but also the other side that most people do not know, such as: suffer, grieve, lost, encouragement, patriotism and loyalty.

A. John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”

His poem consists of three stanzas. The first stanza consists of five lines. The second stanza consists of four lines. And the third stanza consists of six lines. This poem was describing the Second Battle of Ypres which took place in Flanders, Belgium. John McCrae wrote this poem as a testimonial for his best friend Alexis Helmer.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow (1) Between the crosses, row on row, (2) That mark our place; and in the sky (3)

The larks, still bravely singing, fly (4) Scarce heard amid the guns below. (5)

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We are the Dead. Short days ago (6) We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, (7) Loved and were loved, and now we lie, (8)

In Flanders fields. (9)

Take up our quarrel with the foe: (10) To you from failing hands we throw (11)

The torch; be yours to hold it high. (12) If ye break faith with us who die (13) We shall not sleep, though poppies grow (14)

In Flanders fields. (15)

1. The Analysis of the Poem “In Flanders Fields”

From the title, John McCrae tries to give us a question, what was really happened in Flanders field. Flanders is a terrain near Ypres which is beneficial to attack from the hillside. Flanders also becomes the witness of the most vicious cycle of war, when the Germany first used the deadly gas attack in the battle.

The first stanza of this poem consists of five lines. Although this poem consist of lines, but this poem cannot be analyzed each lines. To obtain a good analysis, the writer analyzed this poem from each sentence . The first sentence:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses row and row that mark our place.

This sentence is the opening of the main point of this poem. John McCrae tries to portray the circumstances of the place. On the soil of Flanders, the poppies are growing side by side with the crosses. The poppy is a red colored petals flower which is wildly blooms over the top soil. This flower is symbolizing blood, as it has the same color. By using the color of the poppies, John McCrae tries to

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describe the fierce of the battle. There were a lot of soldiers who died in the battle. Blood-spattered and covered the battle ground.

The word crosses in the sentence the crosses that mark our place; refer to the tombstone of the dead soldier during the battle. John McCrae used the word ‘our’ to referring the dead soldier and the word ‘place’ for the graveyard.

The second sentence of the first stanza, the poet gives the clear image of the situation of the battle.

And in the sky the Larks still bravely singing, fly scarce heard amid the guns below.

Same with the previous sentence, this sentence also portray the circumstance of the Flanders. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (753), lark is a small brown bird with a pleasant song. John McCrae used Lark as symbol of the Canadian troops which are joined the battle, because their outfit has the same color. The other similarity is they were both singing bravely although they lost in number and weapon compared with their enemy. Nothing left but courage and the brave, but they still fight till the last man stand. The sentence “the larks fly scarce amid of the guns below” refers to the Canadian Army which has to fight with insufficient weapon and protection beneath their trenches in the middle of guns shower and the blazing of bombs.

The second stanza consists of four lines. These four lines can be separated into three main sentences. This stanza tells us about the lament of a war.

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.

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The first sentence is “We are the dead”. The word ‘we’ refers to the soldier. The second sentence is “short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved’. This sentence is describing the life of the soldier before they departed. They can watch the dawn, watch the sunset, love and to be loved. But soon after the battle, all of these experiences were perished altogether with their life. And this is what we called sacrifice or payment of patriotism. The third sentence “And now we lie in Flanders fields” is emphasized the second sentence, that now we were nothing but the dead. The word ‘lie’ means that we already dead, and now we are lying beneath the cemetery.

The third stanza of this poem consists of six lines. This stanza can be separated into four sentences. In this stanza, John McCrae tries to encourage the soldier to keep their faith and their patriotism spirit as a successor in the battle field.

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 first sentence is “Take up our quarrel with the foe to you”. This sentence states that because this war is not finished yet, so it is urgent to continue the battle against the enemy. John McCrae used the polite term to describe something. He used the word quarrel instead of fight or battle, and the word foe for enemy.

The second sentence “From failing hands we throw the torch” is describing the support to continue the unfinished task. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1427), the word ‘torch’ refers to a long piece of

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wood that has material at one end that is set on fire and that people carry to give light. In this poem, the word torch refers to the spirit or will. The third sentence is “be yours to hold it high”. This sentence emphasizes the previous sentence that the torch or the spirit had to be kept and seize in order to encourage the soldier.

The fourth sentence “If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow” can be interpreted as if the soldiers can not finished the task given, then we, as the former soldiers who had died, would never rest in peace. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1564), the word ‘ye’ means you, used when talking to more than one person. Break faith in this sentence is a promise to continue the fight against the enemy. The word ‘sleep’ in this sentence is not literally to take a rest with eyes closed, but it has deeper meaning which is pleasant death. This sentence underlines the main duty of the battle which is gain the victory.

From the whole discussion of the whole sentence, this poem can be categorized as a patriotism poem. In this poem we are encourage to keep our faith and fight against the enemy. This poem also teaches us to sacrifice, even though it cost our life.

2. John McCrae’s View on War as seen in “In Flanders Fields”

This poem is one of the most famous poems during the Great War. John McCrae wrote this poem when he was battling in Flanders, Belgium in 1915. He was forty-one when he joined the recruitment for Canadian to the Battle in Ypres. For nearly two weeks, he had attended to the horrible injuries suffered by soldiers

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in the continuing battle. While shells exploded around them, McCrae and his staff cared for hundreds of wounded men each day. He describes this condition in a letter as “Hell all the times”.

On the second miserable day of May, one death particularly touched John McCrae. A close friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed early that morning when an enemy shell exploded at his feet. Reports concerning the hours after Helmer’s burial differ.

One states that John McCrae sat on the back of an ambulance, writing sight of the new grave. Another says that John McCrae wrote off and on while bandaging the wounded. What he was writing, however, proved more important than where he wrote it. Helmer’s death inspired John McCrae to write “In Flanders Fields”, a poem that to this day relays the images of war, loss, love, and renewal.

The battle in Flanders became the main point of John McCrae shifting paradigm in portray the war. John McCrae was a brave soldier who has the immense patriotism spirit. He already experienced many battle during the Great War. He stated in a letter that every man ought to go to the war.

John McCrae started his military career as the Canadian army at eighteen as a gunner in the Queen’s Own Rifles division. And later on, he sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to South Africa when the Boer War was blazing. There he saw firsthand the cost of battle, though still he believed that a man must fight evil wherever he encountered it.

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After he saw the casualties in the battle in Flanders and his lost for his friend, he felt that he no longer excited on war. “I am tired of it”, he wrote to a friend. But with his poem “In Flanders Fields”, he never give up upon his faith that a renewal or a new hope will come up to compensate all of suffer during war.

From this poem, we can see John McCrae deepest sorrow when he lost his best friend. And his feeling is a portrayal of the human feeling when they lost their family, their love, and their right. Yet he still stands to fight and never betray his faith and his promise as a soldier.

B. John McCrae’s “The Warrior”

In “The Warrior”, John McCrae’s tries to share his experience joined the war during the World War I as the first battlefield soldier in South Africa, and as a soldier battlefield surgeon in Belgium.

The poem consists of two stanzas and fourteen lines. The first stanza consists of eight lines, and the second stanza consists of six lines. This poem is talk about a cadet who has to stand and fight in a battle. This is also a portrayal of a war that may lead a soldier face to face with death. In this poem, John McCrae used the name of ships and fortress to symbolize the power and the spirit for the battle.

THE WARRIOR

He wrought in poverty, the dull grey days (1) But with the night his little lamp-lit room (2) Was bright with battle flame, or through a haze (3) Of smoke that stung his eyes he heard the boom (4) Of Bluecher's guns; he shared Almeida's scars (5)

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And from the close-packed deck, about to die (6) Looked up and saw the "Birkenhead"'s tall spars (7)

Weave wavering lines across the Southern sky (8) Or in the stifling 'tween decks, row on row (9)

At Aboukir, saw how the dead men lay (10) Charged with the fiercest in Busaco's strife (11) Brave dreams are his -- the flick'ring lamp burns low (12)

Yet couraged for the battles of the day (13) He goes to stand full face to face with life (14)

1. The Analysis of the Poem “The Warrior”

In this poem, John McCrae used “He” as his narrator in his poem. “He” in this poem is a brave freshman soldier who already joined the army and he saw and learns from the battle before that nothing but death that is after him. This poem shows us the way to sacrifice on the way to obtain something worth in our life.

The first line of this poem is talk about the life of the soldier. He was poor and his life is full of something that he might that it is a waste.

He wrought in poverty, the dull grey days

The word “Dull grey days” is used to emphasize about unpleasant situation in his life. ”Dull” is the synonym of boring, something that not interesting or exciting. The word “grey” is a color that symbolizes something not interesting. “Dull grey days” here means that most of his life is very unpleasant and not interesting at all.

In the second line through the fourth line, we can see that there were sudden changes when the night falls.

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But with the night his little lamp-lit room was bright with battle flame, or through a haze of smoke that stung his eyes he heard the boom.

In the night his life is not boring anymore; his life is getting exciting because of the smoke, haze and flame. We learn that the soldier is very exciting when the battle comes, he enjoy every moment when the flame torch the night.

This condition was actually as same as the condition that young John McCrae has. When war was declared in 1914, he answered Canada’s call for recruits. He felt that every man who capable must join the calls for recruitment because it shows the loyalty of the country and as part of patriotism. John McCrae believed that a man must fight the evil wherever he encountered it. No wonder in his life, John McCrae had been experienced many battle.

And when he get older, he still shows his characteristic and his believe on something that he knew was right. At age of forty-one, John McCrae, once again join the army as a Brigade-Surgeon, because he was too old and unpractised to command the artillery brigade as he wished.

In the fifth line through the eleventh line, we can see names that wrote by John McCrae.

Of Bluecher's guns he shared Almeida's scars. And from the close- packed deck, about to die Looked up and saw the "Birkenhead"'s tall spars weave wavering lines across the Southern sky. Or in the stifling 'tween decks, row on row At Aboukir, saw how the dead men lay. Charged with the fiercest in Busaco's strife

In the fifth line we see Bluecher and Almeida. Bluecher was one of the greatest Germany battle ships. It was also the biggest and the most harmful ships

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in that time. With big placement and the massive armament, it was called as a sea monster by their enemy.

John McCrae also uses the word “Birkenhead spars”. Birkenhead or HMS Birkenhead is the name of the British Naval troopship. It was one of the first iron-hulled, steam ships built for the Royal Navy. This ship only carried the soldier and the cavalry troops into the battle area. On 26 February 1852, while transporting troops primarily of the 73rd Regiment of Foot to Algoa Bay, she was wrecked at Gansbaai near Cape Town South Africa. The story of the sinking of the Birkenhead was described as courage to face hopeless circumstances.

Almeida is a Portuguese defend fortress to protect Lisbon from the attack of French. The fortress was also the only way to enter the Portuguese and captured Lisbon. Almeida was defended by more than 100 guns, 40 of which were of 18-pounder or heavier caliber to stop the French enter Portuguese. In fact, the fortress could not stand to defend from the frontal attack of the French army.

In the second stanza (line 10 and 11), John McCrae also use names in his poem, like Aboukir and Busaco. Aboukir, like the Birkenhead, is a name of British naval ship. HMS Aboukir is one of ships form the British Naval Battle group. During the first month of the First World War, Aboukir encounter with Germany submarine or U-Boat. A torpedo from the U-Boat strikes the Aboukir. Because of the damage, HMS Aboukir was sinking in ten minutes.

Busaco is a battle in the Peninsular War on 1810 in the central Portuguese. Busaco was a battle between British and Portuguese against French army of

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Napoleon. This battle was describe as” carnage” because in this battle, the soldier were fight face to face using their bayonet more often than using their guns.

In the last three lines of the second stanza describe about the journey of a soldier.

Brave dreams are his the flick'ring lamp burns low. Yet couraged for the battles of the day he goes to stand full face to face with life.

John McCrae wanted to say that to be a good soldier, people have to stand bravely although he knows that the end of their story is about to die First thing that we can learn being a good soldier is to fight against our biggest fear which is death. From these sentences, John McCrae tries to encourage the soldier to gain the spirit in the battle.

Form this poem, we can learn that become a soldier needs a brave patriotism spirit and the eagerness to sacrifice. John McCrae describe his own experience to drag the soldier to be a brave soldier who has a bravery to fight and also a firm believe about his choice to be a soldier and also an expectation that heir battle is dedicated for a new hope.

2. John McCrae’s View on War as seen in “The Warrior”

In this poem, John McCrae used his experience when he joined the battle in South Africa in 1900. He sailed from Canada to South Africa where the battle was blazing. A year after the battle in South Africa, he returned to Canada and he wrote his journey in the two stanzas poem.

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The warrior in his poem’s title is the manifest of his life as a soldier. He thinks that his faith as a soldier because his ancestor’s bloodline was a soldier. He joined the army when he was young. He starts his first battle as a gunner at eighteen. From his first battle, he saw many things that he never seen before, like the modest tactic and artillery and the dying soldier. However he never betrays is faith and never turns around to deceive his promise to the country.

In his poem, John McCrae describes his life as a bundle faith, patriotism, courage and sacrifice. He also describes his life as a soldier in this poem. We can see that his life is a struggle to survive to life and to fight face to face with death. This poem explicitly told us about his dream that also lit his life to win the war or to die with honor.

C. John McCrae’s “The Anxious Dead”

The poem “The Anxious Dead” consists of four stanzas and each stanza consists of four lines (quatrains). This poem tells us about a soldier deepest feeling when he encounter with a terrifying battle. This poem also describes the soldier’s biggest expectation which is the renewal and the visualization of a new hope at the end of the war.

THE ANXIOUS DEAD

O guns, fall silent till the dead men hear (1) Above their heads the legions pressing on (2) (These fought their fight in time of bitter fear, (3) And died not knowing how the day had gone.) (4)

O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see (5) The coming dawn that streaks the sky afar; (6)

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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.)

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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

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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.

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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”

“The Anxious Dead” is showing John McCrae’s view concerning the hope and the renewal behind the war. From this four stanzas poem, we can learn his expectation to stop the war. He used the word “pause” as a symbol of hope that the wars have to stop for a moment to give people time to see or contemplate what the importance of the war is and what are they hoping after the war.

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Or some people who lead the war, a victory is the obligation answer to gain. For some soldier, especially John McCrae, the necessity to defend his country and his believed to fight evil is the motivation in the battle. The patriotism spirit also encourages the soldier to lead them to choose their faith in the war. John McCrae and his faith consider that his life belong to the battle rather than in his comfort home.

Soon after he realized that war had given disaster and taken everything, he conclude that the only way to fixed it is to stop the war. He had saw enough beneath the war, and he is getting tired of it, because he knows that almost every soldier feel like he feel when they lost his friend, when they lost their family or they lost what they love.

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

This chapter presents the result of this study. It is divided into two main sections. The first section of this chapter contains the conclusion of the analysis done in Chapter IV. It presents the result of how war portrayed in the three poems and how war reflected John McCrae’s life. In this chapter the study also presents suggestion for future researcher and the second is the implementation of poetry in teaching English.

A. Conclusion

After analyzing “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior” and “The Anxious Dead” using the socio-historical and biographical approaches and information from the criticism and the poets’ biographies, the study comes to the conclusion.

John McCrae is described as a good citizen and he also has a good personality. It is reflected on his will to join the military during the war as a field soldier and then became a doctor who take cares of soldiers in the trenches in Flanders. Besides being a doctor and a soldier, John McCrae was also a good writer.

In his three poems, John McCrae shows the exceptional of his view on war. During his experiences in the war, he stated that war is like two sides of a coin. War has two faces, and each face shows the contradiction. From John McCrae personal view, the good side of a war is to raises the nationality, loyalty

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and patriotism of people to fight against the evil. A war is a manner to generate a whole new world living order and an expectation for a renewal in the future. To achieve the future, countries have to get victory in a battle. And to gain the victory need sacrifices.

From John McCrae’s point of view, sacrifice is described as a misery, suffer and pain. John McCrae put himself as a victim of a war. John McCrae’s shifting paradigm happened when he lost his loyal friend during the war and when he saw a lot of soldier wounded or died because of war. Just like the other common civilians, John McCrae also feels depressed when he take care a lot of dying soldier who sacrificed their life in the war. He knows that many people lost their people they love the most. Yet, he also put his promise not to walk away form his battle and dead in honor to defend his country.

Based on these three poems, I can conclude that personality influences toward someone’s point of view and decision. Personality is not the only aspects that influence it, but also our social background and what we have experienced in our life. Experiences are able to substitute our view of something or expand our view. Same as what had happened on John McCrae’s view on war.

From John McRae poems, I can learn that we must fight and sacrifice to achieve our purpose. Those poems also teach us to develop our patriotism spirit to generate our loyalty for our country. John McCrae in his biography believed that his purpose was to destroy evil when encounter is a noble purpose. That is why he answered the call of the Canadian army and joined the battle and never turns aside from his promise as a soldier and his faith as a man. John McCrae also taught me

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that we always have a chance and hope to obtain the better future. He knows that at the end of a battle, peace will raise for the entire world. The darkness will be changed by light of a new sun which means a new hope.

I believe that our life is a battle, and we have to fight to make a better life. We have to fight against our problem and struggle for our aim. Do not give up or lost your faith because hope is always rise like a sun shine.

B. Suggestion

1. For Future Researchers

Hopefully this writing will help those who would like to make an analysis on literary works, especially on poems. There are many aspects that can be analyzed from poems and one of them is on the meaning of the poems. To find out about the meaning of a poem is not easy, there are a lot of things to be considered. It is important to remember that the poets also determine its meaning.

Always remember that reading is important and the more information that you can get from it, the more you will get the advantages. Interpreting the meaning of a literary work, especially poetry can be complicated. There are some symbols that might become the key words to interpret the poem. When the interpretation deals the unconscious mind, it is important to think deeper and try to open your mind to any possible information or opinion, especially on the poets. Since this study only discusses from one poet point of view on war, it is possible for other researchers to add and adapt this study so this study can be

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, (7) Loved and were loved, and now we lie, (8) In Flanders fields. (9)

Take up our quarrel with the foe (10) To you from failing hands we throw (11) The torch; be yours to hold it high. (12) If ye break faith with us who die (13)

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow (14) In Flanders fields. (15)

Leading Questions

1. Who is the speaker of this poem?

2. How the poet describes the situation around the main character in the poem? 3. Look at line 12! What does the meaning of the word “torch”?

4. What does the poet expectation in his poem?

5. In your opinion, what does the word “poppy” refer to? 6. What is the meaning of the poem?

Appendix 5

MATERIALS OF TEACHING READING Pre-Reading Questions

Instruction

Answer the following questions: 1. Have you ever read a poem? 2. What kind of poem did you read? 3. What is your opinion about war?

During –Reading Instruction

Read the text carefully!

IN FLANDERS FIELDS In Flanders fields the poppies blow (1)

Between the crosses, row on row, (2) That mark our place; and in the sky (3)

The larks, still bravely singing, fly (4) Scarce heard amid the guns below. (5)

We are the Dead. Short days ago (6) We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, (7) Loved and were loved, and now we lie, (8)

In Flanders fields. (9)

Take up our quarrel with the foe (10) To you from failing hands we throw (11)

The torch; be yours to hold it high. (12) If ye break faith with us who die (13) We shall not sleep, though poppies grow (14)

Instruction

Discuss the following questions with your friend 1. Who is the speaker of this poem?

2. How does the poet describe the situation around the main character in the poem?

3. Look at line 12! What is the meaning of the word “torch”? 4. What is the poet expectation in his poem?

5. In your opinion, what does the word “poppy” refer to? 6. What is the meaning of the poem?

After-Reading Instruction

Present your group answers in front of the class, and then discuss it with your classroom

Appendix 6

Map of The Battle of Ypers

Taken from: www.online-literature.com/hardy/flanders/map/ (Accessed on July19th, 2009 at 11:32:51 p.m.)

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Bobby, Ari Dwi Nugroho. 2009. John McCrae’s view of War in His Poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This study is conducted to analyze John McCrae’s view of war from his three poems. They are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. These poems are parts of John McCrae poems that he wrote during the First World War. In these poems, the poet reveals some of his view on war.

There is one main question which is going to be discussed in this study, namely (1) How does John McCrae portray his view on war through his poems are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”?

The study uses library research to gather the data. The primary source was taken from the poems. Some books, articles, the poet’s biography, reviews of the First World War history, specified in the Battle in Ypres, Belgium as the main setting, and some sources from the books and the internet were selected as the secondary sources. This study uses sociocultural-historical approach and biographical approach. The first approach was employed to gather the data about the history of the First World War as it is deal with chronological time line. The second approach was employed to collect data about the poets, because this study deals with the background and the experiences of the poets. These approaches are used to analyze John McCrae’s poems and to answer John McCrae’s view on war. Through the analysis, the study discovers the explication of the poems. As any other of John McCrae’s poems, these three poems present his experiences in war. The explication of “In Flanders Fields” shows McCrae’s biggest lost in a war. In “The Warrior”, John McCrae presents his vision became a soldier. Then, “The Anxious Dead” shows John McCrae’s expectation of a new hope after the war. Further, the study found some of John McCrae’s view of war, which is: patriotism, loyalty, sacrifice and renewal. These poems also describe John McCrae’s shifting paradigm and point of view on war.

The last, the application of the poems in English language learning. The study used the poems to teach reading. It focuses on the language program of The third semester students of English Education Program of Sanata Dharma University

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ABSTRAK

Bobby, Ari Dwi Nugroho. 2009. John McCrae’s view of War in His Poems “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Studi ini disusun untuk menganalisa pandangan John McCrae tentang perang melalui tiga puisinya. Ketiga puisi tersebut adalah are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”. Ketiganya merupakan bagian dari puisi-puisi John McCrae yang ditulis selama terjadinya Perang Dunia Pertama. Melalui ketiga puisi tersebut, penyair mengungkapkan pandangannya tentang perang.

Ada satu permasalahan mendasar yang akan dibahas dalam studi ini, yaitu (1) Bagaimana John McCrae menggambarkan pandangannya tentang perang melalui puisi-puisinya are “In Flanders Fields”, “The Warrior”, and “The Anxious Dead”?

Studi ini menggunakan studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data. Sumber utama dari studi ini adalah puisi-puisi tersebut. Beberapa buku, artikel, biografi penyair, tinjauan tentang sejarah Perang Dunia Pertama yang di khususkan pada Perang di Ypers, Belgia sebagai latar belakang utama, dan beberapa sumber dari buku-buku dan internet digunakan sebagai sumber lain. Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan sosial budaya dan sejarah serta pendekatan biografi. Pendekatan pertama digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data tentang sejarah Perang Dunia Pertama dalam hubungannya kronologis urutan waktu. Pendekatan kedua digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data tentang pengarang puisi, karena studi ini berhubungan dengan latar belakang dan pengalaman pengarang. Pendekatan-pendekatan ini digunakan untuk menganalisa puisi-puisi John McCare dan untuk menjawab pandangan John McCrae tentang perang

Melalui analisa, studi ini menemukan explikasi dari puisi-puisi tersebut. Sebagaimana puisi-puisi John mcCrae yang lainnya, ketiga puisi tersebut menggambarkan pengalaman-pengalamannya selama perang. Explikasi “In Flanders Fields” menunjukkan kehilangan terbesarnya selama perang. Dalam “The Warrior”, John McCrae menunjukkan pandangannya menjadi seorang prajurit. Dalam “The Anxious Dead”, menunjukkan pengharapan seorang John McCrae akan sebuah harapan yang baru setelah perang. Lebih jauh, studi ini menemukan beberapa pandangan John McCrae tentang perang, seperti: sikap patriotisme, kesetiaan, pengorbanan dan pembaharuan. Puisi-puisi ini juga memaparkan perubahan paradigma dan sudut pandang John McCrae tentang perang.

Akhirnya, studi ini sampai pada bagian penerapan puisi dalam pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Dalam studi ini, puisi-puisi tersebut digunakan untuk mengajar reading. Pelajaran tersebut ditujukan untuk mahasiswa semester tiga Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris di universitas Sanata Dharma.