WAR, LIFE AND POETRY. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: THE GLORIFICATION OF HEROES
Heroes became icons for the population both in Britain and Germany during the First World War. They raised people's confidence in the final triumph and represented the sublimation of the sacrifice their nation were making.
Two remarkable young figures died before they could celebrate their 30th birthdays: they were, on the one hand, the famous German pilot the Red Baron and, on the other, English poet Rupert Brooke.
Was the cost worth it? Here you have some food for thought:
In 2008 this controversial film was shot in Germany, watch it if you are interested:
And here's an inspired reading of the English poet's moving and patriotic poem
The soldier,
in which the poet serenely accepted his death.
Finally, you may listen to a lecture in which professor Andrew Barker
the poem.