In Flanders Fields

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1915

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form/Meter

“In Flanders Fields” is a lyric poem in the form of a rondeau, a fifteen-line poem that is built around the repetition of two rhyming sounds. In McCrae’s poem, the two rhymes are featured in the words “blow, row, below, ago, glow, foe, throw, glow” (Lines 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14 respectively) and “sky, fly, lie, high, die” (Lines 3, 4, 8, 12, 13 respectively). The strict limitation of only two rhymes brings a sense of order to the structure of the poem, creating something solid and predictable in form while still alluding to the chaos and violence of warfare thematically. The poem’s rigid form also mirrors the order of the graveyard depicted in the fields, with the “crosses, row on row” (Line 2) bringing manmade order to the natural landscape of the fields through the creation of a cemetery for the veterans.

There is also an important refrain in the poem in the phrase “In Flanders fields,” which appears in each one of the poem’s three stanzas: “In Flanders fields, the poppies blow” (First stanza, Line 1); “now we lie / In Flanders fields” (Second stanza, Lines 8-9); and “We shall not sleep, though poppies grow / In Flanders fields” (Third stanza, Lines 14-15). Significantly, two of these instances occur at the poem’s opening and close, with the poem beginning and ending with the phrase “in Flanders fields.” By starting and ending the poem with the same phrase, the speakers come full circle, drawing attention to the fields’ central importance as both symbol (See: Symbols & Motifs) and setting (see entry below) and mirroring the cyclical nature of life, death, and nature.

Setting

While the site of Flanders Fields is an important symbol in the poem (See: Symbols & Motifs), it also serves as the poem’s physical setting. The fields represent a real-life place: Flanders Fields alludes to a cemetery in Belgium that contains some of the veterans of World War I. The poem’s setting also alludes to the Second Battle of Ypres, which inspired the poem’s composition, thereby giving the poem’s setting a specific and significant historical meaning (See: Background). Within the poem, the setting serves as a reminder of the sacrifices that the fallen soldiers have made in the service of their cause, as the fields are now filled with the soldiers’ graves marked by “crosses, row on row” (Line 2). The rows of graves speak to both the high human cost of warfare and to the memorializing of the veterans, for whom the fields are both a final resting place and an enduring physical embodiment of their cause.

First-Person Plural Narration

While most lyric poetry typically features a singular first-person speaker, “In Flanders Fields” uses first-person plural narration instead. The plural narration is introduced in Line 3 of the poem, when the speakers refer to the crosses in Flanders Fields as marking “our place,” i.e. the individual graves of the fallen. In Line 6, the speakers proclaim, “We are the Dead,” and continue to describe their experiences and wishes using the plural “we” in both the second and third stanzas of the poem.

The use of first-person plural narration is hugely significant in terms of the poem’s perspective and themes. In presenting the narration as the voices of the fallen soldiers speaking as a group, McCrae attempts to represent their views about their sacrifices from beyond the grave. The fallen soldiers’ narration creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy in the poem, personalizing both the event of the Second Battle of Ypres and the sacrifices that they made. Furthermore, in representing the soldiers as proud of their sacrifices, McCrae suggests that those who die in battle would have no regrets about dying for their cause, even if still conscious of their sacrifice in some form after death. The first-person plural also enables the soldiers to make a direct appeal to the living, claiming, “If ye break faith with us who die / We shall not sleep” (Lines 13-14 emphasis added). This direct appeal heightens the pathos, or emotional appeal, of the poem while also giving the soldiers’ parting plea a sense of personal urgency.

Symbolism

Although “In Flanders Fields” is a war poem, it does not depict any violence directly. Instead, the poem relies heavily on symbolism to allude to the war. The poem uses natural symbolism—such as the poppies, the larks, and the fields themselves—to embody the peace of the natural world, while using the symbolism of the soldiers’ graves and the “guns” heard in Line 5 to allude to the ongoing violence of the war and the destructive contrast it brings to a peaceful society. In the poem’s final stanza, the speakers use the symbol of the “torch” (Line 12) to represent the cause (or “quarrel,” as it is called in Line 10) for which they have fought and died, and for which they hope their audience will continue to fight. By relying heavily on symbolism to represent the war, McCrae romanticizes the soldiers’ sacrifice by avoiding any explicit depictions of violence and/or suffering, suggesting that war is ultimately something noble and worthwhile and letting the imagery and emotional weight of the poem carry the impact.