A Satirical Poem to FDR's Legacy

Earlier today I was at a meeting focused on farmland preservation and overheard an odd poem burst in a flourish from the lips of one of our elder statesmen at the end of his perceptive comments. It went by so fast that at first I did not catch that it was a poem he was reciting from deep ingrained memories of a boyhood o'er years long past. Of course it was too odd a piece to simply let pass and so we stopped our discussions to entertain a small history of this good man's recollections on a time of long ago and far away (something I imagine the old farmers of our area may have done in the court of friendships and the vernacular of communal townhall meetings).

At the conclusion of our meeting several of us afterwards held a small discussion to the remembered poem with nothing more learned than that it was a piece that held a quiet novelty which had stuck in this man's mind before finding its brief existence on a day never before lived or known by any of us until now. He mentioned it was something his father had recited to him as a boy when having his hair cut, or doing a chore together, perhaps.

And yet, how odd and curious, I thought, to stumble upon a piece of history that once resonated so deeply with so many Americans experiencing the collapse of both personal and civil estate. When all had blown away as with the winds of change and left nothing in its wake but suffering, toil, and death. At the last, that's how I have imagined it, within the deep cynicisms of the depression years when all was lost and work so very hard to find.

So then, however inaccurately, I have endeavored to encapsulate the moment through several brief Google searches to lay out a discussion nearly forgotten from a hundred years past except in the mind of an astute child listening to the words his dear father.
Enjoy,

R.E. Slater

September 17, 2014

*This poem is not meant as an accurate description of FDR's administration... we must let history be the arbiter of that conclusion. Hence, the proceeding links of other more judicious material follows after the poem itself to counterbalance the pedulum's more easy swing of public "pax and woe" upon all things governmental.

FDR's Fireside Chats

Introductory Notes to FDR Poem by Unknown Author

http://corduroyorange.com/?p=250

Guest Post by Lewis Sharrard

My dead grandfather wrote today’s post for me. I was planning on exploring the history of margarine by tracing its definitions through 150+ years of dictionary definitions, thereby demonstrating that historically, margarine has not been a vegetarian product, and moreover the “spreadable butter” butter-canola oil mix that has recently been introduced to the market ought to be classified as margarine. That research has been mostly done, and no doubt I’ll regale you on that fascinating topic soon enough.

But, while I was browsing my dictionary collection (yes, I collect dictionaries, and no doubt I’ll explain more when I’m re-introducing the history of margarine), I stumbled across a poem typed by my grandfather [on a date of] who-knows-when, folded and tucked into the pages of his old Merriam Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition. I was thrilled to read [a] new work by this brilliant man, and am even happier to be able to.

As comments at the end detail, the source of this poem is unknown, but I am glad to be able to publish this truly unearthed text as its content relates, in part, to the reforms in farming policy during the FDR administration that have led to the prevalence of agribusiness conglomerate-run factory farms that dominates our agricultural landscape today. And so, without further ado….

* * * * * * * * *

A Tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A stranger stood at the gate of Hell,

And the Devil himself had answered the bell.

He looked him over from head to toe,

And said “My friend, I’d like to know.

What you have done in the line of sin,

To entitle you to come within?”

Then Franklin D. with his usual guile,

Stepped forth and flashed his toothy smile.

“When I took over in ’33,

A nation’s faith was mine,” said he.

“I promised this and I promised that,

And I calmed them down with a fireside chat.

I spent their money on fishing trips,

And I fished from the decks of their battleships.

I gave them jobs on the WPA,

Then raised their taxes and took it away.

I raised their wages – then closed their shops,

I killed their pigs and buried their crops.

I double-crossed both young and old,

And still the folks my praises told.

I brought back beer and what do you think?

I taxed it so high they couldn’t drink.

I furnished money with good loans,

When they missed a payment I took their homes.

When I wanted to punish people, you know,

I put my wife on the radio.

I paid them to let their farms lie still,

And imported foodstuffs from Brazil.

And curtailed crops when I felt mean,

And shipped in corn from the Argentine.

When they started to worry, stew and fret,

I’d get them to chanting the alphabet.

With the AAA and the NLB, the WPA and the CCC,

With these many units I got their goats.

And still I crammed it down their throats,

While the taxpayers chewed their fingernails.

When the organizers needed dough,

I signed up plants for the CIO.

I ruined their jobs and I ruined their health,

And I put the screws on the rich man’s wealth.

And some who couldn’t stand the gaff,

Would call me up and how I’d laugh!

When they got too hot on certain things,

I’d pack up and head for Warm Springs.

I ruined their country, their homes, and then,

Laid the blame on the ‘nine old men’.”

Now Franklin talked both long and loud,

And the Devil stood with his head bowed.

At last he said “Let’s make it clear,

You’ll have to move, you can’t stay here."

"For once you’ve mingled with this mob,

I’ll have to hunt myself a job.”

- Anon

FDR's Inaugural Address

History of the Roosevelts

Theodore Roosevelt - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt

* * * * * * * * *

Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt

as Governor of New York

March 2, 1930

Source: http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/writings/fdr_address.htm

Per text in his Public Papers and Addresses, 1938, I, 569

and also the New York Times, March 3, 1930

with

Explanatory Notes regarding the Roosevelt Address

http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/writings/fdr_address_notes.htm

by Hamilton Abert Long

"It is desirable, therefore, to quote here a modern writing which correctly reflects the views of the Framers and Founders as to the initial instrument’s exclusion of the fields of power from Federal control and, in addition, takes into account all amendments to the present period.

"A 1930 writing which fills this need is available; and, in addition, it is an excellent and concise discussion of the traditional American philosophy and system of government regarding especially the nature and importance of decentralization of power ("States Rights") as a mainstay of the security of the people’s liberties. The Constitution has not been amended since 1930 to increase Federal power, so this writing in effect speaks as of today with regard to the extent of Federal powers; indeed, they have since decreased by repeal of the 18th ("Prohibition") Amendment by adoption in 1933 of the 21st Amendment.

This 1930 writing is cited for the further reason that it couched in simple terms and presents only ideas which were then common knowledge and accepted truths among the American people - even among Youth with a normal high-school education for that period - as well as among the people through the generations from 1787 to 1930. The writing is cited not because it expressed anything new, or any original thinking of its author but, on the contrary, because it does not do so. Its special usefulness and value stems from the fact that it merely re-stated the traditional view as always understood and supported up to 1930 by all competent scholars and authorities - including the three Branches of the Federal government, especially the Supreme Court - as well as by leaders and the American people in general.

This widespread understanding was such in 1930 that, if the valedictorian of the graduating class of a college, or even of a high school, had then made this address as the one usual on such an occasion, the audience would justly have applauded on the ground that there was nothing in it but long-accepted truths so well known that it merely evidenced the young orator’s being soundly and reasonably well informed regarding the elementary simplicities of the traditional American philosophy and system of constitutionally limited and decentralized power and its fundamental importance to the safety of the American people’s God-given, unalienable rights."

- Hamilton Abert Long, Author

From The American Ideal of 1776, 1963

* * * * * * * * *

Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt

as Governor of New York

March 2, 1930

I have been asked to talk about the respective powers of the National and State Governments to rule and regulate, where one begins and the other ends. By some curious twist of the public mind, under the terms "Home Rule" or "States’ Rights," this problem has been considered by many to apply, primarily, to the prohibition issue.

As a matter of fact and law, the governing rights of the States are all of those which have not been surrendered to the National Government by the Constitution or its amendments. Wisely or unwisely, people know that under the Eighteenth Amendment Congress has been given the right to legislate on this particular subject, but this is not the case in the matter of a great number of other vital problems of government, such asthe conduct of public utilities, of banks, of insurance, of business, of agriculture, of education, of social welfare and of a dozen other important features. In these, Washington must not be encouraged to interfere.

The proper relations between the government of the United States and the governments of the separate States thereof depend entirely, in their legal aspects, on what powers have been voluntarily ceded to the central government by the States themselves. What these powers of government are is contained in our Federal Constitution, either by direct language, by judicial interpretation thereof during many years, or by implication so plain as to have been recognized by the people generally.

The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written. Drawn up at a time when the population of this country was practically confined to a fringe along our Atlantic coast, combining into one nation for the first time scattered and feeble States, newly released from the autocratic control of the English Government, its preparation involved innumerable compromises between the different Commonwealths. Fortunately for the stability of our Nation, it was already apparent that the vastness of the territory presented geographical and climatic differences which gave to the States wide differences in the nature of their industry, their agriculture and their commerce. Already the New England States had turned toward shipping and manufacturing, while the South was devoting itself almost exclusively to the easier agriculture which a milder climate permitted. Thus, it was clear to the framers of our Constitution that the greatest possible liberty of self-government must be given to each State, and that any national administration attempting to make all laws for the whole Nation, such as was wholly practical in Great Britain, would inevitably result at some future time in a dissolution of the Union itself.

The preservation of this "Home Rule" by the States is not a cry of jealous Commonwealths seeking their own aggrandizement at the expense of sister States. It is a fundamental necessity if we are to remain a truly united country. The whole success of our democracy has not been that it is a democracy wherein the will of a bare majority of the total inhabitants is imposed upon the minority, but that it has been a democracy where through a division of government into units called States the rights and interests of the minority have been respected and have always been given a voice in the control of our affairs. This is the principle on which the little State of Rhode Island is given just as large a voice in our national Senate as the great State of New York.

The moment a mere numerical superiority by either States or voters in this country proceeds to ignore the needs and desires of the minority, and, for their own selfish purposes or advancement, hamper or oppress that minority, or debar them in any way from equal privileges and equal rights - that moment will mark the failure of our constitutional system.

For this reason a proper understanding of the fundamental powers of the States is very necessary and important. There are, I am sorry to say, danger signals flying. A lack of study and knowledge of the matter of sovereign power of the people through State government has led us to drift insensibly toward that dangerous disregard of minority needs which marks the beginning of autocracy. Let us not forget that there can be an autocracy of special classes or commercial interests which is utterly incompatible with a real democracy whose boasted motto is, "of the people, by the people and for the people." Already the more thinly populated agricultural districts of the West are bitterly complaining that rich and powerful industrial interests of the East have shaped the course of government to selfish advantage.

The doctrine of regulation and legislation by "master minds," in whose judgment and will all the people may gladly and quietly acquiesce, has been too glaringly apparent at Washington during these last ten years.Were it possible to find "master minds" so unselfish, so willing to decide unhesitatingly against their own personal interests or private prejudices, men almost god-like in their ability to hold the scales of Justice with an even hand, such a government might be to the interest of the country, but there are none such on our political horizon, and we cannot expect a complete reversal of all the teachings of history.

Now, to bring about government by oligarchy masquerading as democracy, it is fundamentally essential that practically all authority and control be centralized in our National Government. The individual sovereignty of our States must first be destroyed, except in mere minor matters of legislation. We are safe from the danger of any such departure from the principles on which this country was founded just so long as the individual home rule of the States is scrupulously preserved and fought for whenever it seems in danger.

Thus it will be seen that this "Home Rule" is a most important thing, a most vital thing, if we are to continue along the course on which we have so far progressed with such unprecedented success.

Let us see, then, what are the rights of the different States, as distinguished from the rights of the National Government. The Constitution says that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people," and Article IX, which precedes this, reads: "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

Now, what are the powers delegated to the United States by the Constitution? First of all, the National Government is entrusted with the duty of protecting any or all States from the danger of invasion or conquest by foreign powers by sea or land, and in return the States surrender the right to engage in any private wars of their own. This involves, of course, the creation of the army and navy and the right to enroll citizens of any State in time of need. Next is given the treaty-making power and the sole right of all intercourse with foreign States, the issuing of money and its protection from counterfeiting. The regulation of weights and measures so as to be uniform, the entire control and regulation of commerce with foreign nations and among the several States, the protection of patents and copyrights, the erection of minor Federal tribunals throughout the country, and the establishment of post offices are specifically enumerated. The power to collect taxes, duties and imposts, to pay the debts for the common defense and general welfare of the country is also given to the United States Congress, as the law-making body of the Nation.

It is interesting to note that under the power to create post offices the Constitution specifically provides for the building of post roads as a Federal enterprise, thus early recognizing that good roads were of benefit to intercommunications between the several States, and that districts too poor to afford to construct them at their own expense were entitled to some measure of Federal assistance. It is on this same principle that New York and other States are aiding rural counties, or constructing entirely at State expense improved thoroughfares suited to modern traffic. The Constitution also contains guarantees of religious freedom, of equality before the law of all possible acts of injustice to the individual citizens; and Congress is empowered to pass laws enforcing these guarantees of the Constitution, which is declared to be the supreme law of the land.

On such a small foundation have we erected the whole enormous fabric of Federal Government which costs us now $3,500,000,000 every year, and if we do not halt this steady process of building commissions and regulatory bodies and special legislation like huge inverted pyramids over every one of the simple Constitutional provisions, we shall soon be spending many billions of dollars more.

A few additional powers have been granted to the Federal Government by subsequent amendments. Slavery has been prohibited. All citizens, including women, have been given the franchise; the right to levy taxes on income, as well as the famous Eighteenth Amendment regarding intoxicating liquors, practically complete these later changes.

So much for what may be called the "legal side of national versus State sovereignty." But what are the underlying principles on which this Government is founded? There is, first and foremost, the new thought that every citizen is entitled to live his own life in his own way so long as his conduct does not injure any of his fellowmen. This was to be a new "Land of Promise" where a man could worship God in the way he saw fit, where he could rise by industry, thrift and intelligence to the highest places in the Commonwealth, where he could be secure from tyranny and injustice - a free agent, the maker or the destroyer of his own destiny.

But the minute a man or any collection of men sought to achieve power or wealth by crowding others off the path of progress, by using their strength, individually or collectively, to force the weak to the wall - that moment the whole power of Government, backed, as is every edict of the Government, by the entire army and navy of the United States, was pledged to make progress through tyranny or oppression impossible.

On this sure foundation of the protection of the weak against the strong; stone by stone, our entire edifice of Government has been erected. As the individual is protected from possible oppression by his neighbors, so the smallest political unit, the town, is, in theory at least, allowed to manage its own affairs, secure from undue interference by the larger unit of the county which, in turn, is protected from mischievous meddling by the State.

This is what we call the doctrine of "Home Rule," and the whole spirit and intent of the Constitution is to carry this great principle into the relations between the National Government and the Governments of the States.

Let us remember that from the very beginning differences in climate, soil, conditions, habits and modes of living in States separated by thousands of miles rendered it necessary to give the fullest individual latitude to the individual States. Let us further remember that the mining States of the Rockies, the fertile savannas of the South, the prairies of the West, and the rocky soil of the New England States created many problems and introduced many factors in each locality, which have no existence in others. It must be obvious that almost every new or old problem of government must be solved, if it is to be solved to the satisfaction of the people of the whole country, by each State in its own way.

There are many glaring examples where exclusive Federal control is manifestly against the scheme and intent of our Constitution.

It is, to me, unfortunate that under a clause in our Constitution, itself primarily intended for an entirely different purpose, our Federal Courts have been made a refuge by those who seek to evade the mandates of the State Judiciary.

I think if we understand what I have tried to make clear tonight as to the fundamental principles on which our Government is built, and what the underlying idea of the relations between individuals and States and States and the National Government should be, we can all of us reason for ourselves what should be the proper course in regard to Federal legislation on any questions of the day.

- F.D.R.
*Italics in speech added by Hamilton Abert Long

* * * * * * * * *

THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY chronicles the lives of Theodore,
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and
influential family in American politics.

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

Ken Burns America - http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/films/the-roosevelts

THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics. It is the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative. This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore’s birth in 1858 to Eleanor’s death in 1962. Over the course of those years, Theodore would become the 26th President of the United States and his beloved niece, Eleanor, would marry his fifth cousin, Franklin, who became the 32nd President of the United States. Together, these three individuals not only redefined the relationship Americans had with their government and with each other, but also redefined the role of the United States within the wider world. The series encompasses the history the Roosevelts helped to shape: the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler, and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad. It is also an intimate human story about love, betrayal, family loyalty, personal courage and the conquest of fear.

A film by Ken Burns. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Produced by Paul Barnes, Pam Tubridy Baucom and Ken Burns.

THE ROOSEVELTS will air in the fall of 2014.

R.E. Slater - To the Newlyweds (a poem)

To The Newlyweds
by R.E. Slater

Life, doesn’t it go by in a blink?

    It starts off new and grows old too quickly,

    and soon your family has grown up…

Daughters and sons meet new friends,

    play, go to school, begin to date,

Then one day meet that real serious boy or girl –

    and you know as a parent that’s the one you’ve been praying for.

Soon, an engagement, a marriage,

    perhaps small children to tend,

    by parents who never, never quit loving their children,

No matter the ups-and-downs, the go-arounds, the in-betweens,

    such is the life of a parent blessed,

    worn with care, broken of heart,

    ceaseless in prayer for a beloved son or daughter.

So then, __            (insert names)_________,
May your marriage be blessed as a ...

Zenith Yielding eXuberance in

    Vicissitudes Ushering Tenacity’s Spiritedness,

    Resolve, and Quieted Patience,

Ordaining Nurture, Mirth, and Laughter,

    in a Jealousy Imbuing Humility, Goodness, Felicity,

    Divining a Charity Boundlessly Abundant.

Let it be an Alphabet Blessed in Charity’s Devotion,

    Embracing Fullness, Grace, and good Humor,

    Instilling Joy, Kindness, and Love

Measuring the Other’s Psalm of Quickened Resilience,

    as Sonnets to Unvanquished Verse eXuding

    Youthful Zeals forever, and ever, and always.

Amen and Amen.

- R.E. Slater

July 26, 29, 2014
*In homage to a beloved pastor, Louis Paul Lehman,  whose
silver-tongued oratory reached for the heavens in stylistic flourish

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

A Wedding Prayer

by R.E. Slater

Let us pray,

“Bless this marriage O' Lord. May it be a union of peace and forgiveness, charity and love, respect, and hope, and mercy. May you, O' God, be their head and heart, their body and soul, forming a oneness united from two. May this newly-wed husband and wife honor you in all that they say and do. And may you give to them the strength to persevere against sin and temptation, brokenness and harm. May Thy tender care and protection guide them through such ills and may Jesus be their joy, their guidance, their health and grace. May this beloved couple each be a profound blessing to you and to those whom they meet, minister to, and serve, even as they have been profound blessings to their parents, family, and friends. Thank you for these blessings and for this day of celebration. Amen”

- R.E. Slater

June 30, 2014

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

R.E. Slater - Twenty-Three (a poem)

Tennessee & Harley  [photo by EEB Slater]

Twenty-Three

by R.E. Slater

Twenty-three is an age

            where all things are possible –

            when youth’s vigor is strong and clear –

            when love is never met by a why or a what –

But by a who and a wish to find a mindedness

            patient and true –

            vast and deep –

            completing and complete –

Even so, is youth’s infinities numbered in its

            sonnets and verse –

            resplendence in love –

            grace and good hope –

May peace, love, and happiness be ever yours –

- R.E. Slater
July 26, 2014
*To my daughter on her first bridal shower

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved

Thomas Hardy - Drummer Hodge

Thomas Hardy, poet

Drummer Hodge

by Thomas Hardy (c.1840-1928)

They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest

Uncoffined -- just as found:
His landmark is a kopje-crest
That breaks the veldt around:
And foreign constellations west
Each night above his mound.

Young Hodge the drummer never knew --
Fresh from his Wessex home --
The meaning of the broad Karoo,
The Bush, the dusty loam,
And why uprose to nightly view
Strange stars amid the gloam.

Yet portion of that unknown plain
Will Hodge for ever be;
His homely Northern breast and brain
Grow to some Southern tree,
And strange-eyed constellations reign
His stars eternally.

- Thomas Hardy

Quotes

* * * * * * * * * *

Poem Analysis: Welford

http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/analysis-of-drummer-hodge-by-thomas-hardy-6103/

by John Welford

“Drummer Hodge” by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was first published in “Literature” on 23rd November 1899 with the title “The Dead Drummer”. It later appeared as one of the “War Poems” in Hardy’s 1901 collection “Poems of the Past and the Present” with its new title.

It is one of several poems inspired by the Anglo-Boer War in what is now South Africa, fought between the British Army and settlers of Dutch origin from October 1899 to May 1902. Thomas Hardy was opposed to the war from the outset, regarding it as an imperialistic outrage that would take the lives of innocent men for the sake of enriching powerful people whose sole concern was the control of land and mineral resources. Hardy had cycled the 50 miles to Southampton to watch the troops embark and wrote several poems on that occasion, plus others at a later date as reports appeared in the newspapers. “Drummer Hodge” is one of the latter.

Although the poem mentions “Young Hodge the Drummer”, there is no evidence that there was such a person of that name. The name “Hodge” was used as a nickname by “townies” for a yokel or country bumpkin, and Hardy had used the convention before in his 1891 novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”. His purpose here, as in the novel, was to give character and individuality to someone who might otherwise be passed over as a nobody. That said, Hardy may well have had somebody specific in mind, given that he added a note when the poem first appeared to the effect that: “one of the drummers killed was a native of a village near Casterbridge (i.e. Dorchester)”. As Hardy himself came from such a village it is possible that he knew the family in question, or, if not, he would have been fully aware of the effect on such a family of a loss such as that described in “Drummer Hodge”.

It also needs to be borne in mind that many soldiers who went to South Africa as drummers were very young, maybe only fourteen or fifteen years of age. Many accompanied their soldier fathers or older brothers because they wished to share the adventure of war that seemed preferable to working on a farm or in a factory. They were not trained to fight, their role being to lead the fighting men into battle by beating drums to set their marching rhythm and “stiffen the sinews”. They also used drums to send signals and their other roles included taking messages and carrying ammunition. Being in the front line, and unable to defend themselves, they were extremely vulnerable and many were killed. Fortunately, the role of drummer was made obsolete in the era of “total war” that began in 1914 with World War I.

The poem, in three six-line stanzas with an ABABAB rhyme scheme, expresses Hardy’s horror at the disrespect shown to the dead body of a young drummer, his corpse having been thrown into an unmarked grave somewhere on the African plain and forgotten about, as though his existence had no value other than as “cannon fodder”.

The first stanza sets the scene in stark, unvarnished terms: “They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest / Uncoffined – just as found”. He is to be left under a “mound” that is marked only by “a kopje-crest”. Hardy makes use of this Afrikaans word (for a small rocky hillock), and “veldt” in the next line, to emphasise how foreign this environment would be for a boy from a Dorset village. This is confirmed by the mention of “foreign constellations” that “west” (i.e. set in the west) “each night above his mound”. The grave, being in the southern hemisphere, might as well be on a different planet given that there is not a single point of contact between this place and the land that Drummer Hodge knew, day or night.

This theme continues in the second stanza, but the focus turns to the perspective of Drummer Hodge himself, and the fact that, when alive, this environment would have been another world to him and so will continue that way for ever, now that he is dead. The line “Fresh from his Wessex home” (Wessex being Hardy’s name for Dorset and the neighbouring counties) allows the contrast to be made between the boy’s familiar English landscape and: “… the broad Karoo, the Bush, the dusty loam”. Again, by using unfamiliar words such as “Karoo”, Hardy points to the differences not only of geography but also of language and culture.

As with the first stanza, Hardy ends with a reference to “strange stars”, thus maintaining the theme of night following day, time after time for eternity.

The third stanza introduces a new idea with the couplet: “Yet portion of that unknown plain / Will Hodge for ever be”. His decomposing body will become part of that strange world and “Grow to some Southern tree”. This concept, of a soldier’s body becoming part of a foreign land, is one that sounds familiar to readers of war poetry, as it was used, for a somewhat different purpose, byRupert Brooke in his World War I poem “The Soldier”:

“If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed … ”

Brooke’s aim was to make a patriotic point that the sacrifice of the soldier’s life had the benefit of making a foreign place more English, and therefore better. Most readers today would take the line that Hardy’s attitude is the more honest one, namely that the hasty burial of a young soldier far from home is a matter for sorrow and lament rather than national pride. Incidentally, it is known that Rupert Brooke’s poetry was influenced by that of Thomas Hardy, and it may well be that Brooke had read Hardy’s “Drummer Hodge” before writing “The Soldier”.

As with the first two stanzas, the third ends with the stars: “And strange-eyed constellations reign / His stars eternally”. The impression given at the end of the poem is therefore of the stars looking down (“strange-eyed”) as protectors of the young boy’s body, and of Drummer Hodge’s ownership of those stars. He has been abandoned in a lonely grave in a strange land, but he will always have these Southern stars for company.

It is to Hardy’s credit that he stops short of sentimentality in this poem, even though some readers might argue that the final stanza veers a little way in that direction. Hardy does not need to labour the point that this is a needless waste of a young life for a cause that the drummer had no knowledge of and of which the poet thoroughly disapproves.

Thomas Hardy is not often thought of a “war poet”, that accolade being reserved for such as Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon and Isaac Rosenberg, who fought in World War I and some whom failed to survive it. However, a number of these poets acknowledged their debt to the influence of Thomas Hardy’s Boer War poems, “Drummer Hodge” being one of them. What Hardy’s poem and those of the poets listed (among others) have in common is their concern for the common soldier as a person who is suffering and dying, as opposed to being a symbol of some greater good for which their life is being nobly sacrificed. That distinction is what marks “Drummer Hodge” out as being infinitely superior to Brooke’s “The Soldier” and other poems of that ilk that failed to appreciate the humanity of their subject. Hardy may have taken a pessimistic view of life in many of his poems and novels, but always at their heart was sympathy and empathy for ordinary people and their triumphs and tragedies. “Drummer Hodge” is a good example of this approach.

* * * * * * * * * *

Poem Analysis: BCSE

by BBC: BCSE Bitesize

Context

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was born in Dorset and was encouraged to develop a love for both education and stories by his mother, Jemima. He trained to be an architect and then moved to London to pursue his studies and career. After five years in the capital, he returned to Dorset and began writing more seriously.

His first writing career was as a novelist rather than a poet. Hardy published Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure that are now very well thought of but were criticised at the time. Such was the level of criticism for Jude the Obscure, Hardy decided to move away from writing books and turned to poetry.

The death of his wife Emma in 1912 had a huge impact on Hardy and he wrote many poems about her and his feelings for her. Even though he remarried (to his secretary, Florence Dugdale) it is said he never got over the loss of Emma.

Themes that recur in Hardy's writings are injustice, love, break ups, disappointment, fate and the unfair treatment of women. He was basically a traditionalist when it came to the form of poetry but one interesting thing he often did was include colloquial language. This type of language is usually heard rather than read; spoken language that is usually not standard English.

Subject matter

Dummer Hodge was originally published in 1899 under the title ‘The Dead Drummer’, only a few weeks after the start of the Second Boer War. The Boer Wars were fought between the British and the Dutch settlers of the Boer republics in what is now South Africa. There were a number of wars throughout the 19th century that were aimed at consolidating British rule throughout the Empire.

Hardy was against the Boer War. Like many liberals of the time, he thought the Boers were simply defending their homes. Why did the British feel the need to keep their territory so strongly? Perhaps the diamond and gold mines of the area had something to do with it.

Drummer Hodge describes the burial of a British soldier during the Second Boer War, in South Africa. He is buried without ceremony, a coffin, or a gravestone. His humble roots are contrasted with the exotic South African landscape, and the poet repeatedly refers to the unfamiliar stars that will watch over Drummer Hodge’s grave. Finally he introduces the idea that Hodge’s body becomes part of the landscape, so that he has some permanent home there. Despite his short life, the Drummer has become part of something that is far more permanent.

Form and structure

The poem is formed of three stanzas, each of six lines, with a very regular metre and rhyme scheme. The lines alternate between 8 and 6 syllables, with the rhyme scheme of ABABAB for each verse. This is a very common metre for traditional English hymns to follow. It seems appropriate, therefore, for this poem, about the burial of a young soldier.

Language and Imagery

There are a number of Boer words used in the poem. Boer is a term that describes the first Dutch settlers of the area that is now South Africa. Their language is called ‘Afrikaans’.

Imagery

The concept of the drummer is a key image. Drummers were young lads who beat the drum to keep time as soldiers marched. There is a sense of innocence and youth here, which gives his death more pathos.

The image of the constellations is repeated at the end of each stanza. In the first two stanzas they are "foreign" and "strange", but in the final verse, although they are "strange-eyed", they are linked closely with Hodge himself. His own"stars" are also there. The use of celestial imagery elevates the dead soldier, making him seem more important and more valued, in contrast to the careless way in which he was buried.

This is complemented by the metaphor of his being a "portion" of the land ever after. His "breast and brain", that is all of him – his heart and his mind, become the source of "some Southern tree". This sense of belonging is contrasted with the fact that his "home" was "Wessex". The sense of value and belonging together contrast with the lack of care shown for him by his fellow soldiers, which is ironic considering the reverence with which the names of the war dead are usually treated.

Sound

The use of Boer vocabulary introduces some unfamiliar combinations of sounds – the "kopje-crest" for example, combining consonants that are not usually found together. Similarly the "broad Karoo", where the assonance emphasises the strange name, sounds almost nonsensical. These words emphasise the exotic location, particularly when contrasted with the "homely" soldier.

Attitudes, themes and ideas

There is a certain amount of anger in this poem, in the contrast between the way that Hodge is treated by his own fellows, and the acceptance and value that he finds within the "unknown plain". His "homely" (that is, lowly) origins are emphasised, as is his youth: Hodge is unimportant so they throw his body into a grave "uncoffined".

The unimportance of Hodge in life forms the basis of the strange contrast in the poem. Despite his lack of importance in life, in death Hodge becomes part of something that will outlast the war, and all the soldiers who buried him: the land. He will never be a hero but the reference to "his stars" seems to suggest that Hodge even has a divine element. His treatment in death forms another contrast, with the traditional way war dead are glorified and remembered.

By concentrating on, and elevating, a single unimportant soldier in the war, Hardy is able to say something about the value of all life, and to make a powerful anti-war statement.

Sample task

In the Literary Heritage poetry comparison it’s important to think about the theme in relation to both poems, their language and imagery. You also need to include an element of personal reflection and response to the poems.

Compare the ways in which Thomas Hardy portrays the idea of remembrance of the dead in these two poems: Drummer Hodge and Transformations.

In both Drummer Hodge and Transformations Hardy explores the ways in which the bodies of the dead can become part of the landscape. In both the transformation seems initially to be literal and physical, but becomes metaphorical, so that Hardy begins to suggest a way in which the dead experience an afterlife. In Transformations a variety of different people become part of a yew tree, or other local plants; in Drummer Hodge a soldier killed far from home goes from being out of place in his "foreign" location into being a ‘portion of that unknown plain’.

The people in the two poems are very different in terms of how they are remembered by those who are still living. Drummer Hodge is buried unceremoniously "uncoffined – just as found", disregarded by his fellow soldiers, and left alone in a foreign land. In Transformations there is a sense of community continuity, as Hardy refers to "a man my grandsire knew", and various other individuals. The narrator in this poem is clearly remembering people that he knew, and perhaps people that he wants to imagine a happy transformation after death for, such as the "fair girl" he had tried to woo.

However, the degree to which other people remember them, or care about their death, does not make a difference in how they are transformed to become part of the land, suggesting that this is an inevitable process, and that the world will provide for an ongoing role for the dead, no matter whether other people remember them or not. This idea of it being ongoing is emphasised in Drummer Hodge by the use of words such as "for ever" and "eternally". Despite the strangeness of the ‘broad Karoo’ in contrast to the ‘homely’ Hodge, and the use of "Southern" and "Northern" to express the fact that he has died in South Africa, having come from his native Britain, the land still finds a way to remember him. Unlike his fellow soldiers who "throw" him in to his grave, the land seems to take care of him and welcome him in.

In both poems Hardy makes use of natural imagery to emphasise the continuing cycle of life. In Drummer Hodge the imagery includes a "Southern tree" but also the "strange-eyed constellations"; this use of celestial imagery suggests an elevation of the dead, into something grand and wonderful. Although Hodge does not have an actual gravestone to be remembered by, his grave is marked by a"kopje-crest", a hill, so that the landscape makes a natural way to remember him. In Transformations the imagery is entirely plant-based, so people become yew trees, grass or a rose. This imagery means that the dead are no longer"underground", and have a chance to experience the "sun and rain" again.

In both poems the imagery and the language suggests an idea that people are part of the landscape, and can be remembered, or have an ongoing life, through their transformation into living plants, or the land in which they are buried.

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Drummer Hodge Community Play