Image in the public domain
When World War I ended on November 11, 1918, the world was relieved. The death and destruction of “The Great War” was over. In modern history the First World War is often overshadowed by the Second, but its legacy of war poets cannot be overlooked. From soldiers in battle to people on the home front, poetry was used to process and communicate the realities of war and loss. Listen to learn more about these poets and hear some of their works.
Story Length: 3:45
© 2012 National Public Radio, Inc. Used with the permission of NPR. All rights reserved.
AIR DATE: 11/12/2012
November 5, 2013
3:00
Author Rudyard Kipling was the most popular writer of his era. He wrote novels, short stories and poems that adults and children have enjoyed for generations. Kipling lives on through his children stories like “The Jungle Book” and his most controversial poem “The White Man’s Burden." Born in India and relocated to England, Kipling experienced colonial life firsthand. Kipling’s support of colonial expansion has caused some to brand him as an imperialist. Listen to learn more about his life and hear some of his newly discovered poetry.
Read MoreNovember 4, 2013
9:13
Alfred Tennyson, better known as Lord Tennyson, was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland for 42 years during the reign of Queen Victoria. His short lyrical poems appealed to the people of the 19th century, many of whom couldn’t read. One of this most famous poems “The Charge of the Light Brigade” describes a real event during the Crimean War. This charge, during the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, became the most well known action of the war thanks to Tennyson’s poem, even though the poem wasn’t entirely accurate. Listen to learn more about the Crimean, War, the real charge and how Tennyson’s words brought this event to life for the British people.
Read MoreNovember 1, 2013
5:45
Winston Churchill, prime minister of Great Britain during World War II, was a master orator. His speeches were painstakingly written, meticulously planned and seamlessly delivered. Churchill was given a Nobel Prize in LIterature for his powerful speeches and his other written works. Listen to learn more about the speeches that Churchill wrote and delivered, and the effect they had on shaping World War II.
Read More