Do you hear the choir of children singing, Singing which sent the people beaming?

But now sadly, smiling are they no more As the drumming undeniably roared war Do you see the conflicted man right there, Conflicted between family and warfare? But hesitate can he no further For he is obliged to join the latter Do you hear the womans weary pleading, Pleading in vain for him to be staying? But not even his children, oh so dearest Can stop his foolish venture into darkness Do you see those frightened young men, Frightened to have no chance to live again? But amidst the sulfur clouds and rifles shrill The human heart is hungry and craving still Do you hear the angels muted cry? Do you see the soldiers bid goodbye? But into the jaws of death you fall so deep Together with your comrades forever asleep

Form: Ballad Literary Devices: Personification and Repetition

REFLECTION I did not have a particular source of inspiration for my poem. Basically, I thought of how the different groups of people (families, children, soldiers) would react and what they would feel. From there on, I just moved on to how the man and his family were unwilling to part with one another, and how the soldiers were unsure whether or not they will survive the war. I also wanted the poem to have a movie-like feel to it, with the transition from the peaceful singing to the sudden drumming. As I have mentioned, the poem tells the story of a man, his family and the other soldiers in the war. And finally, it ends with you, the reader, dying with the other soldiers as well. My poem is written in the dramatic form of a ballad and I hope to evoke a sense of loss, pain and pity in my reader. The man is forced to leave his family behind after being recruited to join the army, causing everyone to feel distressed. This gives the reader an idea of how a soldier and his family would feel with regards to the war. There is also a scene at the battlefield where numerous inexperienced soldiers fight for their lives, not knowing whether they would make it out alive. It is not worthy of a cause for these young soldiers to put their lives at risk for such violence. This helps bring across my message that war should not be considered as a glorifying event. I have also personified war as a cross between a human and a beast, feeding on other humans as a means to survive. This shows how heartless and selfish human beings can be; we succumb to our greed and carry out the unforgivable act of killing other also belonging to the human race. (307 words)