Alliteration In Mametz Wood

Sheers’ poem Mametz Wood is based on the 38th Welsh Division soldiers who were sent to fight in France when they unexpectedly died in Mametz Wood, as the Germans were prepared to kill on the other side of Mametz Wood. The Battle of Somme began. This was a singular part of World War I and killed 4000 people. This battle took place between 7-12th 1916. By using language features such as oxymoron, metaphor and plosive alliteration, Sheers can convey the impact and violence of war that these soldiers had to undergo. “For years afterwards the farmers found them – the wasted young, turning up under the plough blades as tended the land back into itself.” An oxymoron of ‘wasted young’ is placed here to show that these 38th Welsh Division soldiers’ …show more content…
Rather than Sheers describing these soldiers remains in a harsh way, he uses ‘china plate’ to show how fragile and delict they were when the ‘farmers found them. A plosive alliteration of ‘blown and broken birds egg of a skull,’ also shows the brutality a violence of mankind. The harsh sounds of ‘b’ relates to the harsh reality, violence and brutality that these soldiers went through. The 38th Welsh Division soldiers were literally blown up by the German troupe. Not only that, this plosive alliteration has undertones of Sheers’ anger towards the death of these soldiers. It is more to the fact that they were young and they walked into this battle with no knowledge that the Germans were preparing to kill. Here, Sheers exposes the harsh reality of mankind and war are capable of. It is a senselessness act that is pointless and it dehumanises many people. By using plosive alliteration, metaphors and other language features, Sheers can convey the violence of mankind, impact of war and the preciousness of life through his mournful poem Mametz