The End and the Beginning August 31, 2009
Posted by philipcjones in Uncategorized.trackback
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/141.html
This poem was actually a really interesting one that touches on the effects of the aftermath of war for the people and landscape of the region. The interesting part of this poem is the passing of time that is covered by the author. He begins with people immediately after the war correcting their homes, then goes on through future generations showing that as time passes people will know less and less of how things used to be. The very last stanza shows gives the final message that after years have passed, few will remember that a war was once waged on the spot that you sit.
This poem makes you really think about the places you go and the events that took place years before you ever arrived there. Its really easy for events to be forgotten unless others pass that information down to you.
That poem really does make you think about the places you go. It makes you wonder what was happening centuries ago in your own backyard. I’m sure all of us at one point have passed by a historic battleground without a clue of what happened there. Maybe if they read this poem to students before they start teaching them history it would make things more interesting.