Robert Giddings mentions in his comments on "Flanders Fields" the Christian imagery the poem evokes. This imagery appears consistently in the art, poetry and propaganda of World War I. This striking poster, designed by the American artist, Alonzo E. Foringer, is an example of how the imagery functions."'The Greatest Mother in the World' was outstandingly successful. Its appeal lies in a double association linked by the poster to the Red Cross appeal. The first association, with the Virgin and Child, is created by the cradled pose and reduced scale of the figure of the soldier. Secondly, the image of a wounded soldier is reminiscent of Mary with the dead body of Christ. The image was widely used and reappeared in the Second World War." First World War Posters, by Joseph Darricott and Belinda Loftis for the Imperial War Museum, p. 28.
Another View Poetry Owen