After Blenheim Treasure and Trove ICSE 

 All about the Poem- After Blenheim: by Poet Robert Southey; After Blenheim is an Anti war poem in the form of a Ballad.

The poem ‘After Blenheim’ highlights the outcome of the war. There is death and destruction everywhere. The Old Kaspar a afarmer has a conversation with his Grandchildren and talks about a grand victory over the French. Old Kaspar’s grandchildren fail to understand how a horrible war can be called a famous victory. The old man has no answer to this question and is unable to convince the children upon the questions they asked: The Poem brings out the horror of war. War is fearful and brins only destruction; thousands of men are killed.

‘After Blenheim’ brings out the horrors of war in a simple but ironic way. The battle of Blenheim was fought in 1704 in the village between the English and the Austrians on the one side and the French on the other side. The battle resulted in a grand victory of the English under the Duke of Marlbrough. In this battle, thousands of men were killed. Women became widows and children became orphans. The battle called war caused much ruin and destruction.

In the poem, written mostly in a dialogue form, the grandfather, Old Kaspar, calls the battle of Blenheim as a great victory. He praises the heroism of English soldiers. His grandchildren, Wilhelmine and Peterkin, who have discovered a human skull, fail to understand how a destructive war can be called a famous victory. The innocent, searching questions of the children puzzle the old man, and evoke pity for the victims ,on hearing the story the little Wilhelmine said it was very sad to hear the war which was a bad thing to happen and there was no reason to glorify and praise the war heroes when old kaspar kept on repeting indeed it was a famous war of victory, though the children were not convinced..