An essay (or part of it) on the two poems "The Drum" by John Scott and "The Send-off" by Wilfred Owen.

The two poems, whilst having essentially the same theme, were written over a large time span. This gulf in time, nevertheless, does not affect the themes that the poems both express. Whilst being two different poems written by differing poets in differing situations they both present ideas about slaughter and sacrifice.
“The Drum” is a fast and furious poem, full of vigour that clearly establishes itself via the drum-like quality of the lines that appear to symbolize the very essence of a drum and thus war. The repetition of words such as “and” and “round” emphasize the energy seen in the lines. Other words such as “moans”, “tears” and “groans” also add to the semantic field of noise epitomised by the very title of the poem.
The use of Scott’s own somewhat objective voice “I hate” gives the poem both direction and force. The pronoun “I” gives the poem a very personal feel that assures the reader of the importance of the subject, both to society and Scott himself. The “hate” that Scott expresses is towards the “drum’s discordant sound” and is repeated twice to stress the point. The paired couplets used throughout the poem, most significantly in the first two lines “sound” and “round”, make the image seem tangible and, due to the poems pace this is sustained throughout the poem.
On a plain level “The Send off” appears to be completely the opposite in terms of rhythm. Lines such as “their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray” are deliberately slow in order to create a sense of the slaughter and gore of war. The poem also specifically contrasts against the fever of “the Drum” with “too few for drums and yells” creating a more demure and sullen atmosphere.
The soldiers are “silent” and “creep back… to village wells” contrasting to the very vivid image of “mangled limbs”. This passion that is absent in “The Send Off” suggests its inferiority however the complex nature of the poem on a multi-dimensional level. The concepts of slaughter and sacrifice are delivered in differing ways but still provide power. The sombreness explored in “The Send-Off” via the “dull porters” and “wrongs hushed-up” is as much an indication of the horror of war as the ferocious “burning towns” in “The Drum”.
“The Drum” describes the mutilated ‘glory’ off war as opposed to “The Send-Off” that describes the after effects of war on the soldiers and their return to ‘normality’. This contextual difference provides us with a clue to how slaughter and sacrifice are presented. “The Drum” talks off the “thoughtless youth” and “widows tears”, the results of war, in a somewhat ironically glorifying way. Clearly, being a pacifist, Scott would not wish to glorify the acts of war and therefore we can only assume that his personifying account of war is done in order to imply an ironic state of mind.