Talk:Last Post (poem)/GA1

GA Review

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Hello, I'll be reviewing this article for GA-status -- sorry for the delay! :) Although short, I believe the article fulfills the criteria for the most part. My main concern is that it is too brief in terms of background and literary analysis, but hopefully my suggestions/questions will help stretch things out a bit. After reading the available sources, I understand that there isn't too much material to pull from at the moment, but that might change in time. See below for specific concerns:

Lead

• The poem makes explicit references to Wilfred Owen's poem from the First World War Dulce et Decorum Est, with Duffy saying that she wanted to honour the tradition of poets who were soldiers. This sentence is somewhat confusing, as it seems to imply that Duffy states in the poem that she wanted to honor, etc., etc. Perhaps this can be split into two sentences, with one sentence devoted to the poem, its references to Owen and a short summary ("Last Post imaginatively reverses time and revives the millions of soldiers who perished in the Great War"[1]), and then another sentence devoted to Duffy's wish to honor the war poets.
  • Reworded. Bencherlite^Talk

• I'm thinking there should be another section, so that background information/details on inspiration can be separated from literary analysis, rather than lumping them together under "Poem".
  • Done - "Commission". Bencherlite^Talk

Background (or similar title)

Some suggestions for what could be added in order to provide context, from a variety of sources:

• That she is the first woman Poet Laureate warrants mention (war is universal, as she states in one quote -- "whether we are women or men, soldiers or non-soldiers, we should all contribute a voice to the tragedy that is war"[2]), as does the fact that this poem is "her first published work as Poet Laureate."[3]

• Added first women, but not first poem (as it isn't - The Guardian published a poem by her on the scandal about MPs' expenses in mid-June 2009[4]). Bencherlite^Talk

• "A few months into her tenure, Carol Ann Duffy has not shied away from the tough stuff. Only last week she revealed a selection of new war poetry that she had commissioned as the conflict in Afghanistan grows; Paul Muldoon, Daljit Nagra, Sean O’Brien and many more rose to the challenge, as did Duffy herself with an unflinching off-rhymed ballad that seemed to mock and honour Kipling all at once..."[5]

• Added comment, with external link to the poems as published in the Grauniad. Bencherlite^Talk

• "The effort is Duffy's first official poem as laureate, a dicey proposition given all the negative attention that has recently surrounded the position. Her predecessor, Andrew Motion, couldn't wait to retire from the post, and his uninspired efforts helped spur The Times Online to offer that 'The gap between the public poem and the greeting card was closing rapidly.'"[6]

• Not her first PL poem, and I don't think comments about Motion fit in here. Bencherlite^Talk

Poem

• Owen's poem is again referenced when Duffy writes "Dulce — No — Decorum — No — Pro patria mori." This line is actually from Horace, something that several of the sources note; it was only made famous by Owen. Perhaps worth mentioning?

• Indeed, along with a nice touch that the line was written in the chapel of the military academy at Sandhurst just before WWI. Bencherlite^Talk

• A quote or two from the poem itself, not just the quoting of Owen, would go nicely here. Not only is it easier than explaining what happens in the poem, it would help show Duffy's frank, yet poetic, style. Wagner gives a great overview, as the article already states, so just draw this section out a bit more, expanding with style and substance in mind.

• Added another quote - bit difficult to add too much of a poem under copyright, when I'm limited to analysis by others rather than my own thoughts. Bencherlite^Talk

Reaction

• It has also been called "sombre yet supremely uplifting".[10] The poem was also noticed in the United States. Remove one of the "also"s.

• Cut. Bencherlite^Talk

Everything else looks good to me; it is largely well written, the sources are reliable and correctly formatted, the article follows the MOS, and the one image is correctly tagged. With a little rearranging and some further expansion, I think this would be a great Good Article. For now I'm going to put the review on hold with the hope that further work can be done. If you have any questions regarding this review, feel free to contact me. María (habla conmigo) 13:39, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

• Thanks; some additional changes made (including pictures of Duffy and Owen, and a reference/link to Last Post - so obvious a point that I missed it! Anything else? Bencherlite^Talk 19:18, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

• Aha, I hadn't even thought of that! Great work; I believe you've more than addressed my concerns, and since I see no other issues with the article, I'm happy to promote it to Good Article status. Congrats! María (habla conmigo) 15:13, 1 September 2009 (UTC)