Yellow Palm and Colb Analysis

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Compare the ideas and attitudes shown to war in ‘The Yellow Palm’ and ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ Both poems present different ideas and attitudes towards war. They are set at different times and places. ‘The Yellow Palm’ by Robert Minhinnick is set in a busy street in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The city first came to the attention of the world after the First Gulf War of 1990 and the poem has references to Saddam Hussain, the country’s dictator, who people wanted out of power. On the other hand, The Charge of the Light Brigade tells the story of a brigade consisting of 600 soldiers who rode on horseback into the “valley of death” who were obeying a command to charge the enemy forces that had been seizing their guns. The Yellow Palm is a poem condemning war by giving the reader a short story in each stanza, giving a concise tale of how the Iraqi war has affected people.Each verse begins with an image linked to a tragic moment of war.It starts with the line ‘As I made my way down Palestine Street’ and this is repeated at the first line of every verse. By concentrating on one street, the author shows how much effect conflict had on even just a small area of the country. It also links the stanzas together which emphasises the idea of this long street which is full of all sorts of things, but are all connected somehow together. Alternatively, Alfred Tennyson is portraying a positive attitude towards war. This poem doesn't end in a sad or dismal way. It instead ends with the line ‘Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!’ highlighting that these soldiers should be remembered and remain worthy of honour and tribute instead of being looked back on poorly. He admires their bravery. Both poems use imagery to present different ideas about war. ‘The Yellow Palm’ opens with the image of a traditional Iraqi funeral with the colourful image of the lilac stems
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