Why I chose this poem:I chose Dawn in the Trenches because in the title and in the first lines of the poem it paints a mental image of the beginning of another horrible day of war. The poet compares the war from the perspective of a seemingly insignificant mouse. Another reason why I chose this poem is that after reading the poet's biography, I realized that he had lived in South Africa for almost two years. Biography of Isaac RosenbergIsaac Rosenberg was born on November 25, 1890. He was Jewish and was born in Bristol. When he was seven, his family moved to a poor neighborhood in London's East End. He attended St. Paul's School in Wellclose Square until, when he was 10, his family moved to Stepney, to experience Hebrew school. He left school four years later to become an apprentice engraver. His hobbies were poetry and visual art and he managed to attend the Slade School of Modern Art. He suffered from health problems and thought his chronic bronchitis might get worse, so he emigrated to South Africa, where his sister Mina lived. He needed work to help his mother; he then returned to England and joined the army. He was part of the 12th Suffolk Folk Regiment, a regiment for men under 5'3" tall. He rejected an offer to become a corporal and was transferred to the 11th Battalion. Sent to the Somme, on the Western Front in France, after a night of night patrol, he was killed at dawn, 1 April 1918. Analysis of the poem: At the beginning of a new day of war, a soldier on guard takes out a poppy from the top of his trench. A mouse then touches his hand, which causes him to reflect on what war is to a mouse. “As I pull the parapet poppy / to stick it behind my ear.” The poppy i... in the center of the paper... flexible claws behind his fingers; and God will not cause claws to grow on his heels, nor horns through the thickness of his locks. Biography of Wilfred Owen Wilfred Owen was born near Oswestry, Shropshire. His father was a railway worker. He was educated at Birkenhead Institute and Liverpool and Shrewsbury Technical College. His lack of money prevented him from attending London University. He took a teaching position in Bordeaux, France. He joined the army shortly after war was declared. In 1917 he suffered "shell shock" and was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital to recover. Here he met fellow poet, Siegfried Sassoon, who read his poems and suggested how they could be improved. He was sent back to France in 1918 and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery while in action. He died on the Tenebrous Canal, a week before the Armistice.