Flanders Fields

A detailed Summary of Flanders Fields

In Flanders FieldsIn Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved, and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.

John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" as a Canadian Cultural Artifact

The poem, "In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian John McCrae remains one of the most important and memorable pieces of war poems ever written. John McCrae came from a respectable family and became a soldier/ doctor/ author/ teacher. Though he wrote textbooks on medicine and numerous poems he will be forever remembered as being the voice of the many who had fallen during WWI. "In Flanders Field," stirred the hearts of soldiers and their family's everywhere- not just Canada. In a simple language and with flowing verse it vividly evoked the situation and emotions of the front line troops. John McCrae's poem later inspired the poppy to become th

Smithson, Dan. In Flanders Fields. Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, 1984.

Later it would be used as a recruiting tool during the War and in 1917 the first Victory Loan Bonds were floated in Canada using lines from "In Flanders Fields" to advertise them and proved to be extremely popular. Sadly, many see "In Flanders Fields" as an anachronism; a poem no longer relevant to today; it is only dusted off for lip- service to dead heroes, or to be learned as an exercise by school children. Many however, read the poem today with as great of an admiration as it was read years ago.

John McCrae represented much of the spirit that kept the men fighting. His sense of duty to Canada and to the Empire never weakened. On January 28, 1918, exhausted by years of overwork, John McCrae died from pneumonia. His funeral was held at the military cemetery at Wimereux and was attended by military personnel of all ranks. John McCrae was mourned by a multitude of people who had been inspired by "In Flanders Fields" and now with his own death the poem was even more poignant. He was remembered by his friends not only for what he had accomplished, but for what he might have done. McCrae's friend and colleague at McGill, Professor Stephen Leacock praised him for:

e symbol of Remembrance and sacrifice.

The poem "In Flanders Fields" commemorates the death of thousands of soldiers who died in Flanders during the grueling battles there. Over 57000 Allied troops were wounded and over 10000 were killed at Ypres. The poem quickly became the poem of the British army when the soldiers learned it with their hearts, which is quite different from simply committing it to memory. It circulated first as a folksong from mouth to mouth. The lyrics enshrined the inner thoughts and hearts of all soldiers. John McCrae was their voice and everyone who heard it was deeply touched. Almost immediately "In Flanders Fields" gained worldwide recognition because it struck a chord with all those who were directly or in directly involved in the war effort. For soldiers it was an anthem of encouragement as well as a reminder to all of our debt to the dead. For those at home it was viewed as an expression of the cause for which their country was fighting for. The popularity of the poem only continued to grow after the war. It was translated into several languages because its theme is one that could be understood by people of almost all nationalities.

"In Flanders Fields" was an important Canadian contribution to one of the most distinctive literary forms of the twentieth century, the literature of war. His poem unified Canada when Canada needed a thread to string the young country together. Even the French Can

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Category: English