Analysis Of The Poem The Spearman Essay - 2057 Words

The Art of Storytelling The Trojan War and, more specifically, the Iliad have been engrained into western culture over the last several millennia. There have been multiple retellings and adaptations to Homer’s work, and each re-creator has put his or her own voice into their recreation. England’s John Masefield put his spin on Homer’s epic with his poem â€Å"The Spearman† in 1946 which occurs immediately after the World War Two. In this poem, Masefield depicts the events of the Trojan War through the eyes of a Greek soldier. Masefield follows the general plot established by the Iliad; however, Masefield deviates from the epic in a number of ways which could be due to the message the poet is trying to convey about war and connection with people, and the occurrence of the First and Second World Wars during Masefield’s lifetime could be a major influence in the poets reasoning for some of these changes. Age-Old Stories Retold John Masefield’s â€Å"The Spearman† is unique recreation of the Trojan War, in which the story is told from a perspective that is more relatable to the audience. The story is told from the eyes of a Greek spearman; however, it should be noted that the narrator never explicitly declares himself a Greek. Only by deductive reasoning can it be inferred that the main character is a Greek (known as Achaean in the Iliad) soldier. For example, the narrator claims that he â€Å"was in Aulis† before setting sail (Masefield, 1946, 4), and in the Iliad we see from Odysseus that