English Commentary: Beach Burial
Death, the transient nature of life, the sadness of the youth losing their lives and the despondence of war,
are all ideas and themes explored in Kenneth Slessor’s war poem, “Beach Burial”. Beach Burial is not a
typical war poem; there is no celebration of heroics, no declamations of patriotic or nationalism.
The poem instead serves as somber tribute to soldiers of all nations whether foe or friend who have been
united by the common enemy; death.
The poem conveys Slessor’s attitudes towards war – the insignificance and unnecessary sacrifice through the use of language, symbolism, imagery, and rhyme. Beach Burial depicts the aftermath of the
Battle of El Alamein, where 1234 Australian deaths were sustained. As a war correspondent, Slessor
wrote sympathetically about the death of young people. The poem draws the reader to the harsh and
tragic reality of the war. Slessor marginialises the flamboyance and heroism normally present in war texts.
The title, Beach Burial, is a paradox in itself. The beach is normally associated as a place of life and
pleasure. But instead, the beach in the poem is portrayed as a place for the dead.
The poem primarily describes the malevolent waste of life. Slessor employs a subdued tone evoked by
long slow, soft sounds (softly, humbly, convoys, sway, wander, under, rolls, foam pluck, shallows,
burrows etc.) lulling the reader into a false sense of calmness. Slessor’s use of dynamics and sound
creates a melancholy atmosphere, which further augments the somber and solemn mood. Slessor
illustrates how one can become incapable to finding the words to express feelings and emotions during
wartime, when language becomes inadequate to describe the loss and pain. Words such as driven,
signature, perplexity, pity, bewildered slow the tempo of the poem and force the reader to focus on the
gravity of the situation.
The 5th and final stanza of "Beach Burial", “Whether as enemies they fought, Or fought with us, or neither;
the sand joins them together, Enlisted on the other front.”, Conveys the fact that no matter which side of
soldier is on, all participants end up united by one common thing, death. This adds to the image of the
soldiers being humbled as they no longer have their pride and individuality. The idea of individuality and
identity is also explored. Slessor suggests that in war, soldiers become part of the war machine and lose
their identity. “Someone, dead sailors, nakedness” are some of the blunt words which Slessor uses to
exemplify the anonymity of the soldiers, alive or dead.
Kenneth Slessor’s poem helps us to accept a different point of view of the war perspective in Australia.
Beach Burial isn’t a typical a war poem, which celebrates the call to arms and the patriotic ideas
surrounding it, but is one which serves as a tribute to all soldiers, allied or Axis who have given their lives
for an, as the poet suggests, unworthy cause.