The Falling LeavesMargaret Postgate Cole

Dame Margaret Postgate Cole (1893-198O) was an

English politician and writer who campaigned against

conscription during the First World War. She studied at Cambridge and worked as a

teacher whilst writing, before entering politics in

1941.

Her brother, Raymond Postgate, shared her views and was imprisoned briefly during the First World War as a

conscientious objector, as the court didn’t accept that his atheism and socialist views were a valid reason for not fighting. It was during her brother’s trial that Margaret

Postgate’s views of the Great War were transformed. Her support for her brother confirmed her as a pacifist

(someone who is anti-war) and led her to campaign against conscription, or forced enlistment.

World War One (1914–18) is sometimes called the Great War – ‘great’ here meaning ‘immense’ or ‘huge’, because it was unlike previous wars. Firstly, it involved everyone, not just the army and navy. Secondly, and probably most

devastatingly, it involved the first modern weapons (machine guns, bombs and gas) at a time when soldiers were still involved in hand-to-hand combat. The horror of the trenches is hard for us to grasp fully. However,

many of the young soldiers who had signed up believing they were on an heroic mission to defend their families, country and way of life felt betrayed by those who had persuaded them to enlist. The reality of war was shown in their poetry and later – for those who survived – in

their novels.

In this poem, a tree dropping its leaves leads to thoughts of the

thousands of young soldiers dying in their prime in the trenches. The

pastoral imagery at the start of the poem becomes a

contemplation of the death toll in Flanders, and vividly illustrates

how the horror of war overshadows every area of life,

even a peaceful ride in the countryside.

You should compare this poem with other

poems about the same themes: death: 'Out of

the Blue', 'Mametz Wood', 'Come On,

Come Back'; sadness and loss: 'Futility',

'Poppies'.

The Falling Leavesby Margaret Postgate Cole

 November 1915 Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

November 1915

Today, as I rode by,

I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree

In a still afternoon,

When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,

But thickly, silently,

They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;

The poem is about autumn leaves falling from the

trees. The falling leaves remind the poet of young

soldiers being killed in war. The actual falling leaves in this poem symbolise the falling soldiers who are

dying in the battlefield. The poet uses allegory which in

poetry is an extended metaphor. The leaves are

the soldiers. The narrator/poet is riding a

horse in the autumn time. She observes the leaves

turning brown and falling from the trees and her

mind is cast to the young men fighting and literally falling to their deaths at

war.

The use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ suggests the poet is the narrator. As Margaret Postgate Cole and other women poets of World War One have shown in their work, it

was not only the men who suffered as a result of the war. Women’s lives were affected too, not least because of the millions of young men who died, all borne by women, and

many loved by women. So, while male poets of this generation can tell us about the agony of trench warfare, women poets voice the despair, anguish and endurance of

women, waiting, wondering and grieving.

Usually when leaves die in nature they are swept

away by the wind, but these leaves are falling

like snowflakes from the trees on a ‘still

afternoon’ and the speaker finds it odd. This

sounds peaceful, but doesn't fit in with what's

happening.

Alliteration of the letter ‘w’ emphasises

the idea that the leaves are old and it is natural for them to fall

Emphasises the number of leaves

falling as they block out the light from the

sun.

The poem is written in one sentence, as one long stanza consisting of twelve lines. This is because it is a single thought which has consumed

her there and then, a moment of intense thought. The lines are all different lengths —this could be to suggest the random way that leaves fall. The regular rhyme scheme helps to create a peaceful atmosphere

with gentle sounds.

The date reminds us that this poem is set during

World War 1.

And wandered slowly thence

For thinking of a gallant multitude

Which now all withering lay,

Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,

But in their beauty strewed

Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

Shows she's feeling thoughtful because she is walking slowly. In the first

part of the poem, she is describing the leaves falling, and in this part of the poem she switches to describing soldiers being killed. This

creates a comparison between leaves falling for no apparent reason and

soldiers dying for no good cause.

She praises the soldiers as well as saying how many there are.

By using the word ‘withering’ she compares the dead soldiers to

dead leaves.

The harsh word ‘Slain’ which means to kill

deliberately contrasts with gentleness of first

few lines.

The word ‘pestilence’ means a fatal epidemic

disease. This suggests the soldiers died with no clear

reason.

This poem has a fairly complicated rhyming pattern

[A,B,C,A,B,C,D,E,F,D,E,F] and there is also a pattern in the number of syllables

per line: 6, 10, 6, 10.

The word ‘beauty’ suggests they were still young when

they died and ‘strewed’ suggests they have been

thrown around carelessly as though their lives were not

important.

Snowflakes melt into nothing, just like leaves fall and soldiers' lives are lost and vanish. This also

emphasises the sheer numbers. Falling leaves and dying men are both compared to snowflakes. This

highlights the sheer number of men killed, the silence of their deaths and how quickly their lives vanished. There is some alliteration to describe natural details

like wind and snow.

There were three major battles in the Flemish province of Ypres in World War One. This makes it

clear that the poet is referring to the war.

The word ‘gallant’ means to be brave, chivalrous, stately and is often used to describe people who are patriotic. The poet uses quite formal, old-fashioned vocabulary to describe a simple scene. This adds dignity and gravity to

the comparison with the soldiers' deaths.