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Transcript

"the call" by Jessie Pope

By manav, Kyeran, John and Jobin

themes of the poem

The rhyme scheme follows the regular pattern of ABABCCCB

Unlike most poems in the piece “The Call” there are no similes, metaphors or allusions

Use of assonance is used in line 19 when it says “Who’ll earn the Empire thanks”

No cacophony is used in the poem

The poet projects the theme of the poem, war, in a positive way as the purpose of the poem was to motivate the audience, which was young men, to be involved in the war. The term “laddie” is repeated three times in the poem as they are asking a “laddie” if there man will go to war and be victories.

In the last stanza Jessie uses the image of someone biting their thumb to convey the effect of guilt of not enlisting in the army. The image suggests that anyone who doesn’t sign up will be an outcast to everyone else when they return as the winning side (which was the idea due to the high moral)

The call, written by Jessie Pope, is a persuasive yet emotive poem written to persuade men to enlist. Jessie was a writer for the daily mail, one of the main newspapers in England at that time and it still is. It sold thousands of copies each day; placing a poem like this inside was a brilliant propaganda method used by the government.. It’s short, snappy and straight to the point – simple yet effective. It helped to persuade the men using techniques such as direct address and repeated rhetorical questions. The direct address helped the reader to picture a conversation between themselves and the author, feeling a personal connection whilst the repeated rhetorical question of ‘will you my laddie?’ constantly questioned the readers choices and would’ve found the reader questioning himself. Whilst using clever techniques within the writing it also uses themes such as patriotism and guilt to help persuade the reader. The use of patriotism is used in the third stanza through the line ‘Who’ll earn the empires thanks?’. This is used to convey the message that everyone who is fighting will be loved throughout the British Empire and honoured as soldiers which is a desirable feeling for many men. Through each of the three stanzas, there are three consecutive lines that rhyme. The first two lines ask who will be the men to enlist and fight to his country whilst the third asks who will be the one to stay at home. This focusses on the idea of cowardice asking if you’ll be the man who won’t fight for his country but would rather save himself. Overall the poem is an incredibly effective propaganda technique; whilst being short and simple, it conveys a strong message to all readers – will you be the one who doesn’t fight?

Language and structure of "The Call"

Jessie Pope

• The rhyme scheme of this poem includes regular end rhyme and is as follows: ABABCCCB.

• There are no similes, metaphors or allusions in this poem.

• An example of alliteration in “The Call” is located in line 3 when the narrator says; “follow French”.

• The literal action of this poem is the narrator describing the war in a positive way. They are asking a “laddie” whether or not he will go to war and be victorious.

• Pope uses the image of someone “biting his thumb” to convey negative effects of not enlisting in the war. The image suggests that a person who did not enlist is an outcast when the army comes back in glory.

• The speaker believes in going to war because of their efforts to persuade young men to enlist. When the narrator asks; “Who’s going out to win?” they only mention victory. This would certainly suggest the speaker see war in an optimistic way and is trying to persuade the young men to join the army.

• The language in this poem is used to establish a sense of familiarity. It is simple and casual so anyone can understand its meaning. The dialect is British which is evident when the speaker says “laddie”.

Jessie Pope was born in Leicester, England and educated at the North London collegiate school for girls. Her work was published widely in papers such as the daily express, the evening standard, the queen and the Westminster gazette. Despite her being considered as the foremost woman humorist at the time, Jessie Pope's reputation however lied on the patriotic verses she wrote during the first world war. Originally published in the Daily Mail and other papers, Pope collected her war poems into books such as Jessie Pope’s War Poems (1915), More War Poems (1915), and Simply Rhymes for Stirring Times (1916). Most famously, Wilfred Owen ironically dedicated his poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” to her, though he subsequently erased the dedication. After the war, Pope continued writing and publishing, including the novel Love on Leave (1919) and the collection of verses Hits and Misses (1920). Her writing for children includes the illustrated Animal Fun and Frolic (1930). Pope died in Devon.

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