Authors and poets primarily use literary devices to provide greater understanding of their work, however some writers use them effectively while others fail to do so. In "Grenadier "the poet, A.E. Housman effectively uses symbolism, meter, rhyme, and imagery to emphasize the low price of human life during a war, in the perspective of a dying conscript. This poem follows a common meter which consists of iambic tetrameter followed by an iambic trimeter Contains five stanzas in quatrains, each following an ABAB rhyme scheme. This meter and rhyme are very commonly found throughout the poem and as such convey a sense of commonality. This commonality helps us identify with the message more easily universal conveyed by Housman about the futility of war. Housman's deliberate omission of the "young man's" name further accentuates the idea that this poem is a universal message. In the first two stanzas, Housman creates the image of a person being drafted into the army and ultimately losing his identity and independence. The first line: "The queen who sent for me" subtly indicates that the soldier has been conscripted, but does not outright tell the reader. The surprise that the reader experiences in discovering in the next line that the soldier is conscripted is similar to that of the "young man" who learns of his conscription notice. In the last line of the first stanza, Housman uses symbolism to foreshadow the soldier's impending death. He does this through the skilful use of the number thirteen: “young man, a soldier you will be for thirteen sous a day”. If a soldier were paid "thirteen pence", thirteen being an unlucky number, he would surely die on the battlefield. Thirteen pence is also a very small sum of money although… middle of paper… as he “will have to lower [his] price even more than a paltry thirteen pence. Thirteen pence is a recurring line that connects to Housman's understanding of the apparent low cost of human life during war. For thirteen cents a young man was forced to give up his identity, for thirteen cents he died in the war, for thirteen cents other young people will die, and when he dies he will also lose that thirteen cents. In conclusion, the poet uses his imagery very effectively and, correctly, portrays the desperation felt by a dying soldier, reinforcing that point is the rampant use of symbolism that helps the reader draw their own conclusions. Additionally, common meter and rhyme scheme help us more easily associate poetry with a wider range of people. Housman showed with his rhetorical skill the low price of human life during a war for his poem “Grenadier”.