Remembrance Day November 11

My daughter colored these two pictures and then I cried on them. We were talking about her school. They had the children make a wreath and then they layed them at a cross during school assembly and the were able to talk about family members that were in the war. I am so glad they are teaching the little ones this early. I am glad it is not politically incorrect to do so. My grandfather went into the war an underaged red headed kid and came out a grey haired old man. I have had uncles serve in wars, and an Aunt, and my mother in law had her brothers serve in the war. It is something we cannot forget. My heart goes out to those soldiers that are currently fighting in wars. They are doing a job and I support them all the way.

John McCrae: In Flanders Fields (1915)

Canadian poet John McCrae was a medical officer in both the Boer War and World War I. A year into the latter war he published in Punch magazine, on December 8, 1915, the sole work by which he would be remembered. This poem commemorates the deaths of thousands of young men who died in Flanders during the grueling battles there. It created a great sensation, and was used widely as a recruiting tool, inspiring other young men to join the Army. Legend has it that he was inspired by seeing the blood-red poppies blooming in the fields where many friends had died. In 1918 McCrae died at the age of 46, in the way most men died during that war, not from a bullet or bomb, but from disease: pneumonia, in his case.Compare the mood in the first two stanzas with that in the third. Can you explain why people during the war interpreted it primarily as a pro-war poem although it was often read later as an anti-war poem? Who is the speaker in this poem? What does the speaker want his listeners to do?

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lest we forget.


Please take a minute and visit this site and play the video. It is heartfelt and honest.
http://members.shaw.ca/travner/