The falling leaves

Evaluate the use of metaphor in an anti-war poem

Margaret Postgate Cole

• As a young woman, Cole began to question the role of religion, adopting atheist views. Her brother, Raymond Postgate, was imprisoned during WW1 as a conscientious objector, as the court didn’t accept that his atheism was a valid reason for not fighting. When he was eventually forced to sign up, he was found to be medically unfit, but because the public was so sure that any young man not in uniform must be a coward, he went on the run.

• It was during her brother’s trial that Margaret Postgate’s views of the Great War were transformed. Her support for her brother confirmed her as a pacifist and led her to campaign against conscription, or forced enlistment.

Task: Read the poem

• Can you underline the metaphors that symbolises the soldiers and the experience and outcome of war?

METAPHOR-describing one thing as another to reflect the qualities of the described object.

Example: the butterfly in the boxing ring evaded his opponent.

The Falling Leaves – Margaret Postgate Cole

November 1915

Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

This links to ‘Futility’, as Owen also uses natural

imagery – the sun.

November 1915

Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree

This person is a spectator observing the scene.The leaves could be a

metaphor for the soldiers dying. The

poem is set in November 1915,

which is during World War I.

This links to ‘Mametz Wood’, as Sheers uses

alliteration.

In a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,

Alliteration. The repeated ‘w’ is

a soft, peaceful sound. This

contrasts the chaos of war. It

also sounds like ‘why?’ – why

are the soldiers dying?

The day is peaceful. Nothing is making the leaves fall off the tree. This suggests there’s

no reason for the soldiers’ deaths.

Similes are also used in ‘Bayonet Charge’.

But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;

Noon is the middle of the day. This suggests the soldiers were being wiped

out in the prime of their lives. Snowflakes are cold, which links to death. Also,

snowflakes are unique; the soldiers each have their own lives away from the war.

This links to ‘Futility’, as the poem is split into

two parts.

Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

Literal. What the

speaker sees.

What it makes them think

about.

The poem is split into two parts. They are separated by the semi-colon. There is only one full stop

at the end. This suggests that the poem is one thought – the

speaker stays focused on it throughout.

This links to ‘Futility’, as it is a sonnet with a

turning point.

Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

The poem has a volta (turning point). This is similar to a

sonnet. However, this poem only has 12 lines. The rhyming

couplet is missing. This could be because the soldiers are dead;

there is no resolution.

Rhyme scheme: abcabc defdef.Mirrors the two parts of

the poem.

This links to ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, as

the soldiers are “noble”.

And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitude

“thence” means from there

“gallant multitude” means lots of brave soldiers.

This links to ‘Futility’, as Owen also mentions

“clay”.

Which now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

“Flemish clay” is a reference to Flanders Fields. The

snowflake simile is repeated.

“witherin

g” means

dying.

The soldiers were not killed by old age

or disease.

Their deaths were

unnatural.

Representation of soldiers

‘No wind whirled them whistling to the sky'. What does this suggest about their death?

what does gates mean when she describes the soldiers as ‘slain by no wind of age or pestilence’?

What do ‘snowflakes’ suggest about the soldiers? Consider what happens to snowflakes when they fall to the ground.

What does the phrase ‘beauty strewed’ reflect about the manner in which soldiers die?

What is Cole’s view of the soldiers?

• The word ‘ ’………….

• The phrase ‘’ ………….