Falling
Leaves
Margaret Postgate
Cole
Intro…
• Is this really a poem about Falling Leaves?
Margaret Postgate Cole
• Dame Margaret Cole was born in Cambridge in
1893 and died in 1980.
• She wrote about politics and history and became
a pacifist.
• She campaigned against military conscription
when her brother (whose claims to be recognised
as a conscientious objector had been rejected)
was jailed for refusing military orders.
• In the 1930s she gave up her pacifist views
however, in response to the Third Reich in
Germany and Franco’s dictatorship in Spain.
Background Information:
• 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.
Background Information:
• 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.
Background Information:
• 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.
Sounds
spontaneous and
shows how fast and
directly they fell
Today, as I rode by,
I saw the brown leaves dropping from their
tree
Sounds peaceful but doesn’t fit
In a still afternoon,
in with what’s happening
When no wind whirled them whistling to the
sky,
Alliteration emphasises the
idea that the leaves are old and
it is natural for them to fall
Simile – emphasises the
number of leaves falling –
they block out the light
from the sun
But thickly, silently,
They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;
And wandered slowly thence
Shows she’s
For thinking of a gallant multitude
feeling
thoughtful
Which now all withering lay,
She compares them
to dead leaves
She praises the soldiers as
well as saying how many
there are
Harsh word contrasts
with the gentleness of
the first few lines
This suggests they
were still young
when they died
Not a natural
death, with no
clear reason –
linked to line 4
Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,
But in their beauty strewed
Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
Snowflakes melt into
nothing, just like leaves
fall and soldiers’ lives
are lost and vanish.
This also emphasises
the sheer numbers
There were three major
battles in the Flemish
province of Ypres in
WW1. This makes it clear
that the poet is referring
to the war
Thrown
around
carelessly
as though
their lives
were not
important
Form and Structure
• Form – The poem is made up of one stanza which contains
only one complex sentence. This represents 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.
• Structure – The poem hinges around the semi-colon in line 6
– before this the poet is describing the leaves falling, and
afterwards 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.
Language
• Formal Language – 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.
• Natural Imagery – 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.
Interpreting the text:
• Imagery
What extended metaphor is used
in the poem?
• Structure
Track the punctuation of the poem.
What do you notice? Is this significant?
• Sounds
Track the sounds of words in this poem.
What do you notice?
Reflection...
* What is the significance of the words 'slain'
and 'strewed'?
* What impression do we get of the poet's
attitude towards war?
• * Why is the comparison made to snowflakes?
Explain your ideas
Questions
1. How does the poet create an atmosphere of sadness
in the poem?
2. What details connect the leaves falling and the
soldiers dying?
3. How does the poet show a sense of regret?
4. How does the poet feel about the soldiers that have
died?
5. What is the poet's attitude towards war and how
does she portray this is the poem?