Attitudes to War and Sacrifice Drummer Hodge (Thomas Hardy) and Missing, Presumed Killed (Pamela Holmes). Anonymous College

Thomas Hardy describes the unfortunate fate of ‘drummer hodge’, who was left to ‘rest’, ‘uncoffined - just as found’ on the battle field. Drummer hodge, who died fighting the Boer’s in South Africa, is used to reflect the alienation of lost soldiers in foreign countries who are left surrounded by ‘foreign constellations’. Consequently, Hardy’s poem adopts, ironically, a more impersonal tone than Pamela Holmes’ ‘missing, presumed killed’. The irony stems from the fact that Hardy’s poem features a character: ‘Drummer Hodge’, which would normally constitute grounds for a more personal message. However, Holmes seems to propound a much more intimate, more personal atmosphere despite the lack of any named characters. She ends her poem with the words ‘he comes to me’ - this paints the image of a personal relationship; a relationship built upon undying vows and eternal trust connoting a bond of, perhaps, marriage. Furthermore, Holmes’ use of religious lexicon at the opening of the poem: ‘There is no cross to mark/ the place he lies’, again, galvanises the reader to understand the level of relationship the individuals have with each other and perhaps with God. Holme’s speaks of his ‘dark Gethsemane’ possibly indicating a specific act of...