The poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae deals with the remembrance of, and gratitude to soldiers who have died fighting for their country. McCrae takes on the persona of a fallen soldier; an unnamed member of “the Dead” who have died in battle. While the poem itself is not entirely positive in tone, the use of symbolism within the poem reveals optimistic ideas of hope, love, and redemption. The first two lines of the poem are “In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row,” introducing the reader to the symbolic emblem of the poppy -- now well-known as a symbol of remembrance for the fallen. The poppies growing amongst the dead soldiers represents the coinciding of life along with death -- perhaps the sacrifice of
