Happy Veterans Day from Poetry Nation!

Every November 11, the United States honors the brave men and women who have fought to preserve our freedoms by celebrating Veterans Day. Originally known as Armistice Day up until after World War Two, Veterans Day serves as a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives for our country and as a time of giving thanks to those veterans who returned home. People choose to show their appreciation for veterans on this day in a variety of different ways: parades, fireworks displays, speeches, memorials, and yes, of course, poetry! Poets throughout history have used their work to commemorate the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. So how well do you know your veterans verse? Match the following quotes from famous poems about war and soldiers to the poem title and poet and see for yourself!

Quotes

 1.)     “When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondr’d.

Honour the charge they made!

 

2.)     “The moon gives you light,

And the bugles and the drum give you music;

And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,

My heart gives you love.”

               

3.)     “In Flanders fields the poppies flow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly.”

 

4.)     “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother.”

 

 

Poets and Poems

 A.)    “Dirge for Two Veterans,” Walt Whitman

 B.)     “St. Crispin’s Day Speech” from Henry V, William Shakespeare

 C.) “In Flanders Fields,” John McCrae

 D.) “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Want to try writing your own piece in honor of Veterans Day? You can submit your poems to our poetry contest and show your work to the world!

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Answer Key: 1D, 2A, 3C, 4B