Techniques
What technique/s is used in the line: "...and the Big Gun guffawed."
Personification.
What is the main theme of Stanza 1? (Devotion to one's...)
Devotion to one's religion.
What type of poem is the poem? (e.g. Shakespearean, Petrarchan, etc)
The Last Laugh is a cinquain.
What technique/s is used in the line: "Then smiled at nothing, childlike, being dead."
Simile.
What is the main theme of Stanza 2? (Devotion to one's...)
Why is the poem separated into three stanzas?
The poem is separated to distinguish one soldier's part from another, allowing for descriptions of individual aspects (faith, family, love).
What technique/s is used in the lines: "In vain, vain, vain!" and "Tut-tut! Tut-tut!"
Repetition and alliteration.
What is the main theme of Stanza 3? (Devotion to one's...)
Devotion to one's love.
What is the significance of capitalizing the artillery? (e.g. ...the Big Gun guffawed...)
Capitalizing the artillery personifies them, further emphasizing the theme of unfair victory.
What technique/s is used in the line: "Machine guns chuckled—Tut-tut! Tut-tut!"
Alliteration, onomatopoeia and personification.
What is the overarching theme of this poem?
What is the purpose of each line in one stanza? (e.g. line 1 = bla bla, line 2 = bla bla, etc)
Line 1 = Establish a soldier and his devotion(s)
Line 2 = Building on to the first line, gives more insight on the devotion aspect
Lines 3, 4, and 5 = Personifies artillery
What technique/s is used in this line: "My Love!"
Apostrophe (speaking to the abstract/something outside the extent of the poem).
What dynamics are present in this poem?
Triumph/loss.
Individual passion/mechanical force.
Solemnity/irony.
(accept any of the 3)
How does the structure of the entire poem relate to The Poet's Duty?