On 11 November, as politicians lay wreaths at then CenotaphA monument to those killed in World War One. The word is Greek for empty tomb. to mark then centenary of the end of World War One, thousands of Britons will gather at beaches across the country.
Dispute over bleak message in new war poem
On 11 November, as politicians lay wreaths at then CenotaphA monument to those killed in World War One. The word is Greek for empty tomb. to mark then centenary of the end of World War One, thousands of Britons will gather at beaches across the country.
<h2>Q & A</h2>
Into the sand, they will draw huge portraits of soldiers who died in the war. As the tide comes in, the waves will wash away their faces.
Director Danny Boyle, who is leading the Pages of the Sea project, asked the poet laureateAn honorary position in the UK, appointed by the king or queen on advice of the prime minister. The poet laureate writes verses for national occasions. , Carol Ann Duffy, to write a poem for the occasion.
He thinks poetry should play a central role in the ceremony because during the war, poets like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon "reported, in the way that television does now, on experiences that were unimaginable to the people at home".
Hern sonnetA 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme. describes the war as a "wound in time" that has not healed. It was "not the war to end all wars", as many at the time had thought, but "death's birthing place".
"What happened next?" she asks. "War. And after that? War. And now? War. War."
Indeed, images of war are ever-present on the news. A famine caused by the civil war in YemenThe poorest country in the Gulf region is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. has killed 50,000 and left 16 million on the brink of starvation. More than 340,000 people have died in SyriaA Middle Eastern country that was the site of much of the fighting during the Crusades. since the conflict began in March 2011.
But Journalist Charles Moore does not approve of Duffy's message.
While "there is always war somewhere," he writes, "the idea that 'we learn nothing' from what happened... is simply not true."
Moore argues that institutions that emerged from both world wars - namely the UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security. Security Council and NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. - make "an enormous difference when disputes escalate" between countries.
Even the existence of nuclear weapons, humanity's most destructive invention, has helped to ensure war will not again erupt on an global scale.
"Much more than with any other period in our history, we do remember," he concludes.
Next week, Duffy's words will echo around Britain's coastline as the nation unites to mark 100 years since the guns fell silent. But for all of our remembering, do we learn anything from history?
Of course, say some. The world wars have scarred our collective memory and we have put numerous international measures in place to ensure a comparable war never happens again. It is meaningless to say that "war" carries on without considering the context. There will always be exceptions, but the trend is towards less war. We are learning.
Don't be so sure, respond others. The world feels more dangerous and unstable than it has in a long time. It's not just elsewhere: the UK continues to sell weapons that are used by Saudi Arabia to inflict catastrophic misery on Yemeni civilians. We pay lip service to remembrance, but we have not learnt its lessons on tackling suffering.
What do we know? Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has written a sonnet called The Wound in Time to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. It was written as part of director Danny Boyle's Pages of the Sea project, which will see faces of soldiers drawn onto beaches across Britain. People will gather to say a final goodbye to them as the tide washes the images away.
What do we not know? Whether we truly learn from history. Philosopher George Santanyana famously said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." While war has been a constant in human history, the number of people killed in war has declined sharply since the end of World War Two. However, numbers have been creeping up in recent years due to the sprawling conflict in Syria.
Cenotaph - A monument to those killed in World War One. The word is Greek for empty tomb.
Poet laureate - An honorary position in the UK, appointed by the king or queen on advice of the prime minister. The poet laureate writes verses for national occasions.
Sonnet - A 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme.
Yemen - The poorest country in the Gulf region is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
Syria - A Middle Eastern country that was the site of much of the fighting during the Crusades.
UN - United Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.
Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.
Dispute over bleak message in new war poem

Glossary
Cenotaph - A monument to those killed in World War One. The word is Greek for empty tomb.
Poet laureate - An honorary position in the UK, appointed by the king or queen on advice of the prime minister. The poet laureate writes verses for national occasions.
Sonnet - A 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme.
Yemen - The poorest country in the Gulf region is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
Syria - A Middle Eastern country that was the site of much of the fighting during the Crusades.
UN - United Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.
Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.