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Mametz Wood by Owen Sheers analysis (Grade 9)
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Indepth notes for the WJEC English Literature (9-1) specification.
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Mametz Wood by Owen Sheers (P.20)Narrative The poem describes how farmers in France find the bodies of soldiers who were killed in World War I when they
are ploughing their fields.
Contexts The Battle of Mametz Wood was one of the bloodiest battles of World War I, killing almost 4000 soldiers, a great
deal of whom were a part of the Welsh Division. The bravery and sacrifice of these men was never fully
acknowledged.
Themes Recovery – Through Commemorative – By approaching Anti-War – Sheers expresses the
nature, the poem the battle long in the aftermath, sentiment that the battle was a “waste” of
highlights the recovery Sheers highlights the injustice of the youth and focuses the poem on how
from war and how this history, offering redemption through years afterwards their sacrifices pale in
continued for “years the commemoration in this poem. the scheme of things.
afterwards”.
Literary Metaphor – Through the use of metaphors, the human body is Onomatopoeia – The “chit” and “china
Devices described in a fragile manner. This can be seen in “the chit of plate” of the soldiers’ bones are
bone”, “the relic of a finger”, “the broken bird’s egg of a onomatopoeic in that they almost replicate
skull” and “the chine plate of a shoulder blade”. Through the sound of a distant machine gun, whereas
comparing these remains to fragile items, Shears is making the the alliteration in “broken bird’s egg” has a
soldiers’ lives seem more fragile, more precious. Furthermore, the more hard-hitting effect, possibly replicating
items that he compared them to, are relics and fossils found in the a bomb. While the poem is set “years
ground. The fact that what remains of these brave men remain in afterwards” Sheers brings the battle to life
the ground, to be discovered by farmers just like ordinary relics is through techniques such as this, which helps
striking as it dehumanises these men and highlights the injustice to make the distressing imagery more so.
of the battle.
Tautology – The use of Personification - “A wound working a foreign body to the surface of the
tautology in “walk, not skin” describes how anything that is repressed and forgotten will eventually
run” resembles a parent’s reappear. The personification throughout the fourth stanza reinforces this idea that
warning to a child. This the earth is reverting to how it should be, but in a way makes it feel quite
effect reminds the reader of considerate, reminding people of the sacrifice these men made. This way, Sheers
how young the soldiers were is not claiming to be the redemption through writing this poem, but attributes that
as well as how little respect to the earth. The word ‘foreign’ is significant also in the sense that these were
the commanders gave them. Welsh boys fighting in a foreign country, and that the fire that wounded them
came from foreign guns.
Key “All mimicked now in flint, breaking “Nesting machine guns” links the two lexical fields – one deeply
Language blue in white” – this blue and white makes embedded in war, the other nature-related. The references to war
readers think not only are their remains as express Owen’s pessimism through appearing ironic, with the
fragile as china, the identity of the men as juxtaposition of death machines being described as “nesting”.
human beings has been transformed by Furthermore, the skulls of the soldiers are described as “broken
death and the inevitable passage of time bird’s egg”. While this depiction is often used to depict new life,
into mere archaeological remains. Owen jarringly uses it to describe quite the opposite.
The “broken mosaic” is a vivid word picture that brings to The “unearthing” of the bones is said to have
mind not an artistic creation but the shattered human bones freed the soldiers and they can not bear tell of their
of men who died violently. The image should be softened experiences, “the notes they had sung had only
by the idea that the men are ‘arm in arm’, like comrades now… slipped from their absent tongues”
united and supporting each other in death, but this idea Sheers’ poem is acting a medium for which we
instead sounds macabre. “Paused mid-dance macabre” finally hear the song of the soldiers, unified in
reinforce that this was not a peaceful way to go. death.
Form and Mametz Wood is written in three-line stanzas. The length of the lines changes. In some cases, (for instance lines 4
Meter and 12) the longer lines very clearly break up the neat form of the poem. These suggest the uneven ploughed field
or the chits of bone rising out of the ground.
Structure The prosaic nature of how it is written with no evident rhythm or rhyming scheme sets a calm, collected pace to
the way it is read.
The structure reflects the changing focus of the poem – from the land highlighted in stanzas one and four, the
bones highlighted in stanzas two and three, and the men who died fighting in the following two stanzas. The final
stanza then combines these three elements into a single image: the “unearthed” skulls singing in celebration.
Compares The Manhunt by Simon Armitage A Wife in London by Thomas Hardy
with…
Quotations to remember
For years afterwards the farmers found them – A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the wasted young… the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull
All mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white … the earth stands sentinel,
… they were told to walk, not run, reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
… nesting machine guns. like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
a broken mosaic linked arm in arm As if the notes they had sung
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre. have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
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