In World War I, or the Great War, over 10 million combatants died and over 20 million had been wounded. New weapons such as planes, tanks, machine guns, and chemical weaponry took their toll. The Great War caused the toppling of empires, the birth of new nations, and the subsequent redrawing of maps, all of which still affect the world today. In the midst of the carnage, soldiers wrote poetry that reflects the range of emotions they experienced and the physical horrors they witnessed. Since many were in the trenches that snaked through Europe they were collectively called the Trench Poets. This class will read and discuss a number of these poems in both groups and as a whole in terms of their imagery, figurative language, tones, and themes. We will include works by Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, and Alan Seeger, and supplement our explorations with historical facts and photography.

Dave Beckley taught English and Language Arts for 33 years at both high school and college levels. He earned a Master of English from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Clemson University.