Repetition and rhythm are key in creating the sense of tension and menace in the poem. They recreate a sense of marching and impending doom. Juxtaposition is also a key technique. The rural idyll created by the poet is threatened and destroyed by the The positive excitement of stanza one is ‘scarlet soldiers’. contrasted against the violent imagery of the final stanza where violent verbs give a sense of brutality and the metaphor of their is especially threatening. ‘eyes burning’ The tone is one of fear and powerlessness, claustrophobia and betrayal. The Drum by John Scott The is most clearly marked by the intense beat of the lines that echoes that seem to be Drum’ like the beating of the eponymous drum. The dogmatic metre has a stress on every second syllable, giving emphasis and fierce energy to the delivery on the lines. The repetition of ‘round’ and at the start of lines complement this effect. The content of the poem further contributes ‘and’ to this effect of noise and the relentless delivery of the lines; loud sounds like and ‘moans’ ‘groans’ are described while the direct intervention of voice to or Scott’s proclaim ‘I hate’ call ‘human woes’ allows the poem to directly and ambiguously attack war. Scott is writing a poem to attack, and The vehemently opposes war as a concept. declaring ‘hate’ calling youth ‘thoughtless’. Drum’ The soldiers and the are lured by their excitement to their ‘grimly gay’ ‘thoughtless youth’ ‘sell but instead of and and liberty’ ‘charms’ ‘glittering arms’ receive ‘mangled limbs’ ‘Misery’. The drum itself is a symbol of war and slaughter and is not joyful to Scott. In fact, it gives him a sense of doom that is echoed throughout the poem. The drum itself is echoed in the rhythm and rhyme of the poem and the meter reflects its beat. The poet uses various imagery and the senses to expose his feelings to the reader. He sees the when the drum beats plays, representing the wars that are to come. The poem “burning towns” has a sense of foreboding, that with the sound of the drum, destruction will also come with it. and are personified to emphasise what war (and the drum) brings to Emotions ‘Misery’ ‘Ambition’ The poet expresses his personal feeling explicitly through the images illustrated in people’s lives. the poem and the techniques that he adopts.
Repetition and rhythm are key in creating the sense of tension and menace in the poem. They recreate a sense of marching and impending doom. Juxtaposition is also a key technique. The rural idyll created by the poet is threatened and destroyed by the ‘scarlet soldiers’. The positive excitement of stanza one is contrasted against the violent imagery of the final stanza where violent verbs give a sense of brutality and the metaphor of their ‘eyes burning’ is especially threatening. The tone is one of fear and powerlessness, claustrophobia and betrayal. The Drum by John Scott The Drum’ is most clearly marked by the intense beat of the lines that echoes that seem to be like the beating of the eponymous drum. The dogmatic metre has a stress on every second syllable, giving emphasis and fierce energy to the delivery on the lines. The repetition of ‘round’ and ‘and’ at the start of lines complement this effect. The content of the poem further contributes to this effect of noise and the relentless delivery of the lines; loud sounds like ‘moans’ and ‘groans’ are described while the direct intervention of Scott’s voice to proclaim ‘I hate’ or call ‘human woes’ allows the poem to directly and ambiguously attack war. Scott is writing a poem to attack, declaring ‘hate’ and calling youth ‘thoughtless’. The Drum’ vehemently opposes war as a concept. The ‘grimly gay’ soldiers and the ‘thoughtless youth’ are lured by their excitement to ‘sell their liberty’ but instead of ‘charms’ and ‘glittering arms’ receive ‘mangled limbs’ and ‘Misery’. The drum itself is a symbol of war and slaughter and is not joyful to Scott. In fact, it gives him a sense of doom that is echoed throughout the poem. The drum itself is echoed in the rhythm and rhyme of the poem and the meter reflects its beat. The poet uses various imagery and the senses to expose his feelings to the reader. He sees the “burning towns” when the drum beats plays, representing the wars that are to come. The poem has a sense of foreboding, that with the sound of the drum, destruction will also come with it. Emotions ‘Misery’ and ‘Ambition’ are personified to emphasise what war (and the drum) brings to people’s lives. The poet expresses his personal feeling explicitly through the images illustrated in the poem and the techniques that he adopts.