Anwar Chowdhury

The bishop tells a few returning soldiers â€Å"When the boys come back, they will not be the same; for they fought in a just cause: they lead the last attack on Anti-Christ. † The freshly-returned-home soldiers respond in what can almost be described as an angry tone ‘Vale's none of us the same! † The boys then continue on saying the various predicaments that they ran into throughout the terrors of the war and the nightmarish situations that presented homeless to the lads through various battles.The boys continue on saying â€Å"George lost both legs, bill is stone blind! † The Bishop, in an ironic response to the boys explanation of why they re changed the way they are, quickly remarks â€Å"The ways of God are strange! † With how this poem started off, the bishop claiming these boys will be different, the reader can only assume he would sympathize with the boys after hearing their struggles. Instead, the bishop simply exclaims â€Å"The ways of Go d are strange! This is irony.Another device used is the rhyme scheme which is seen throughout the poem. â€Å"New right to breed an honorable race, they have challenged death and dared him face to face. † The rhyme scheme strengthens the overwhelming emotion that Swanson is trying to heavily convey onto the readers. Both of these devices are used in great ways that very clearly bring forward the theme of â€Å"How war takes a toll on someone. † Caisson's poetry starts off with an excerpt of speech from a church bishop.