Themes and message

The main themes of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae are life and death, and war and duty. Set against the background of World War I, the poem explores the juxtaposition between the realities of warfare and death with natural rebirth. The poet’s message is one of encouragement, an appeal to soldiers not to get discouraged by the deaths of their fellows, but to view life and death as cyclic and the sacrifice of others as an example of duty and responsibility.

Life and death

Upon reading the poem for the first time, readers may be inclined to assume that the poem is only about death, as strong, emphatic expressions attract our attention: “We are the Dead” (l. 7), “we lie in Flanders fields” (ll. 9-10). However, at a closer look, you will realise that the poem is equally about life as it is about death. This is mainly achieved by the poet through the symbolic re...