Welcome to another Sunday Session. I recently wrote an Essay as part of a University Assessment and since I actually liked it, I decided to share it with you today.
Abstract
This essay explores the uses of poetry as well as the history John McCrae; author of the famous war poem In Flanders Fields. By delving into the history of John McCrae this essay will not only look at his life prior to war, as well as the situation that led him to pen In Flanders Fields, it will also explore the legacy John McCrae has left behind. By exploring the legacy of John McCrae and In Flanders Fields, this essay will look at the strength of poetry and it various uses; especially its uses as a form of art therapy. This essay will ultimately prove that a poem is the perfect form of expression.
In the modern world, digital age, the age of social media, you would be forgiven for asking or at least thinking that poetry is dead, or at least a dying art. But let me ask you this; how many Tweets or Snap Chats do you think will be celebrated in 100 years time? How many Facebook users’ childhood homes will be turned into museums? In 1915 John McCrae penned the famous poem In Flanders Fields which is still celebrated today. The home where John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada is now a museum in his honour. Not only is poetry still relevant in the modern world, the digital age, the age of social media, but it is also used as a form of therapy. How many Tik Tok videos do you think will be used as a form of therapy in the future? The uses of poetry are varied, the readers of poetry are diverse, and the reach of poetry is widespread. Why? Because poetry isn’t just an art, a form of written word or a tool for therapy, a poem is the perfect form of expression.
“In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row.” These twelve words, drafted on May 3rd, 1915, are the opening lines of a poem that has stood the test of time. A poem that inspired the wearing of poppies in remembrance of lives lost on the battlefields. It is fitting that John McCrae’s poem inspired the poppy of remembrance, as it was in remembrance of his friend Lieutenant Alex Helmer that led him to pen In Flanders Fields in the first place. During a break from treating wounded soldiers in Ypres; the day after his friend was killed in an explosion on the frontlines, John McCrae penned his most famous poem. Since its publication In Flanders Fields has been a long-lasting symbol of remembrance in many countries around the world, with a poppy usually worn during memorial services for fallen soldiers, as well as days of remembrance of past wars. An image of the poppy of remembrance; inspired by In Flanders Fields, is a well-known image in the media. The media may now be able to show images of the poppy of remembrance and images of the frontline where it was written as we are now living in the time of the twenty-four-hour news cycle and instant global communication, but that wasn’t the case back in 1915 when John McCrae spoke of poppies. In fact, it wasn’t until the Vietnam War that ran from 1955-1975 that stories and images of war were shown on television and in other media. Back when John McCrae served the only information that civilian’s received about what was going on; other than official government statements, was through letters and poems. In the writing of war poems, soldiers were able to communicate their feelings to their families back home without having to go into detail about what they were going through on a daily basis. Soldiers were able to express themselves in the form of poetry, many times relating scenes and situations that were difficult to talk about openly or in letters. They were able to connect with the civilian population and share some of their war experiences in a way that allowed readers of their poems to get a glimpse of their daily lives without having to be exposed to the full horrors of war. War poems and poetry in general became a way for soldiers to briefly escape the war and express emotions that were just too difficult to talk about.
More than a hundred years after John McCrae and his fellow soldiers were writing poetry to help them express themselves and communicate with others; poetry therapy is helping many people with various mental illnesses do the very same thing. In Australia alone, 45% of people are expected to suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime. These are just the estimates for people in Australia who will personally suffer from a mental health condition, not the number of people whose lives will be affected by mental illness. With mental illness so prevalent in today’s society there are many different therapies being utilized to help not only those suffering from mental illness but their families as well. Art therapy; more specifically, poetry therapy, is being used as a tool when working with a variety of people with different needs. Poetry therapy is being used to help troubled children and teenagers, their families, the elderly, veterans, as well as the mentally ill. With poetry being used, and benefiting many people who are dealing with mental illness, dementia, as well as those suffering a terminal illness there is little chance that we will see poetry disappeared from our lives anytime soon. It shouldn’t surprise people that poetry is such an important part of art therapy, or that art therapy is such a successful form of psychotherapy. History shows that art has been used through history by different societies as a way of expressing knowledge, gaining knowledge, and examining human emotions and experience. Poetry therapy; the reading and writing of poetry, helps to draw out the emotions that are too difficult to verbalize by employing non-verbal communication. By allowing people to express their inner emotions through poetry, poetry therapy is helping to transfer complex emotions that are often unrecognized, into emotions and experiences that can be examined and eventually understood, much in the same way that John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields in order to express his emotions over the death of his friend Alex Helmer.
In Flanders Fields may have been written about one soldier losing his life in the first world but its legacy has taken on a life of its own. The symbol of the Flanders Poppy; the poppy of remembrance, has proliferated throughout many societies, not only in remembrance of the lives lost in the first world war, but for all those lost in armed combat. The legacy of In Flanders Fields in Canada alone; John McCrae’s country of birth, has led to many books being written; adult and children’s, movies and documentaries being made, and the poem is even printer on Canadian currency. In Flanders Fields may be what John McCrae is most well known for, but he was a man of many talents. Not only was John McCrae a soldier and writer, he was also a Physician, a Teacher and a student of History. Yet even as a physician, John McCrae was a prolific writer. His co-authourship of the Textbook of Pathology is perhaps his best known work in the medical field but his name is found on around 33 different papers having made him a recognisable feature in medical textbooks. Having made such a large and varied impact through his life and his writings, it is not surprising that he has been celebrated in so many different ways; such as the documentary about his life that was released in 1998. With such a history and legacy surrounding John McCrae and In Flanders Fields, as well as other celebrated war poems and poems from the past, poetry is still prevalent in the digital age. The question may be not do we still know, read, and celebrate poems from throughout history, but is poetry as an art form or form of expression still being created and as such still relevant in the modern age?
When John McCrae penned In Flanders Fields in honour of his friend Lieutenant Alex Helmer, he would have had no idea of the legacy he was creating. He could not have know that a cemetery that was set up near where he wrote In Flanders Fields would be visited for many generations just because it was where he wrote his famous poem. Did John McCrae know that poetry would be used as a form of therapy in the future? As a physician did he know that poetry was a way of working through painful emotions using non-verbal communication? Or was In Flanders Fields a form of art to John McCrae or just another form of written word? More importantly, does it really matter? The truth is poetry is all of those things. It is an art, a form of therapy, and a form of written word. It is a gift that the world has been given that is as important now as it has ever been, because regardless of how you view poetry, it is easy to see that a poem is the perfect form of expression.
That’s it from me today. I hope you enjoyed my Essay. I will catch you all next week for another Sunday Session.
Happy Reading
~>GEM<~
gemsbooknook 