I have always wondered why poppies came to be such a significant symbol in WWI. I know they are an easy to grow flower that reseeds itself, but does anyone know the history behind this?
I think this will help you to get an outline : http://www.greatwar.co.uk/article/remembrance-poppy.htm
Thank you, that was very helpful. I remember singing the Flanders Field song as a kid in children's choir, but I never really got it.
In Flanders Field ~ John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crossess, row and row That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks still bravely singing fly, ...... .... We are the dead, short days ago, we lived, felt down, saw sunset glow Loved and were loved and now we lie, In Flanders fields ...... .. ..... We shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders fields. Sorry .. I unable to recall correctly though tried best! Thank you.
Didn't soldiers get addicted to them because they were a form of pain relief or it got them high? I can't remember.
Me too, but whatever it might be, for a very long time after the War those types of verses/songs etc.. had an influence which been spread outside the barracks and reached up to the civilians, I believe.
Everyone has their own drug of choice for escaping the horrible reality of what they just witnessed. It is difficult for people to understand.
Because the poppy is associated with forgetting due to the influence of opium, the poppy is used as a symbol of remembrance. I guess this is an example of homeopathy in practice (like cures like).
