Language and style

When analysing “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, you should also focus on the language and style of the poem, as it can provide you with important analytical elements which can enhance your understanding of the text.

Playing with the language

John McCrae plays very little with language, as the poem is intended to be a memorial and deals with the serious topic of war. The poem comes across as rather unusual because the dead can speak and express their wishes. The metaphors and symbols used in the poem are not playful; rather, they add to the seriousness of the writing style.

Tense of the verbs

Most of the verbs in the poem are used in the present tense. The present tense is meant to show a present situation which is also permanent; the soldiers are dead, yet the world continues to live on: “blow” (l. 1), “fly” (l. 4), “are” (l. 7), “lie” (l. 9).

Past tense is only used to depict the lives of the soldiers before their death: “lived” (l. 8), “felt” (l. 8), “saw” (l. 8), “loved” (l. 9).

The imperative form is used in the last stanza when the speaker conveys an appeal to the living: “take up” (l. 12).

Lastly, the poem concludes with a conditional ‘if clause’ meant to show the way a possible lack of action/courage will affect the peace of the dead: 

If ye break f...