Question

"If I should die, think only this of me :/That there's some corner of a foreign field /That is forever England." These lines are from :

• A. William Shakespeare
• B. William Wordsworth
• C. Rudyard Kipling
• D. Rupert Brooke

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Rupert Brooke

Poetry Analysis and Author Identification

Context of the Lines:

• The lines "If I should die, think only this of me :/That there's some corner of a foreign field /That is forever England." are deeply patriotic and evoke a sense of enduring national identity even in death.
• These verses specifically originate from a poem reflecting on the poet's potential demise during wartime.

Author and His Works:

• The author of these lines is Rupert Brooke.
• Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written at the outbreak of World War I.
• His most famous collection of war poems includes '1914', which contains the sonnet from which these lines are taken.
• The specific sonnet is titled "The Soldier".

Key Themes in "The Soldier":

• Patriotism and Sacrifice: The poem expresses a noble and selfless view of dying for one's country.
• National Legacy: It suggests that even in death on foreign soil, a part of the soldier, and by extension their nation, remains and is honored.
• Idealism of War: Written early in WWI, Brooke's poems often presented a romanticized and idealistic view of warfare, contrasting with the grim realities that emerged later.

Rupert Brooke's Significance:

• He became an iconic figure of early WWI poetry, often seen as embodying the spirit of youthful sacrifice.
• His death from sepsis in 1915, en route to the Gallipoli campaign, further cemented his heroic image.
• His works are frequently studied in English Literature syllabi, particularly in sections covering war poetry and early 20th-century British literature.