“War is hell” quipped William Tecumseh Sherman, and no generation understood this better than the boys thrown into the grinder of World War I. While Wilfred Owen’s “” also makes for necessary reading, Rupert Brooke’s poem about loss and remembrance in wartime marries youthful vigor with a cautious patriotism. Meditating on his own death and what he hopes it means for others, Brooke reminds us that countries aren’t composed of flags and anthems, but the people who serve and sacrifice their lives for the greater good. His soldier is “A body of England’s, breathing English air,” composed of and composing what England is. “The Soldier” is a heartfelt memorial to all of those who met danger with courage and should stir us to press forward — even at the highest cost.
