What is the author's style in The Conquerors by Phyllis McGinley?

McGinley states in a Newsweek article that she is "moving toward something a little different—poetry of wit, which is what the Cavalier poets used to write." This is a style that prevails in most of McGinley's works, with "The Conquerors" being no exception. The Cavalier poets were a group of English poets (Robert Herrick and Richard Lovelace were two of them) who wrote not only with wit but with simplicity. Their themes included topics such as love and loyalty, and they spoke with a very direct voice. Their poetry, like McGinley's, was considered elegant but light. "Light verse," McGinley explains, "demands brilliance of execution. The surface must be as glittering as the content; in some cases it is the content." In essence, what McGinley is saying is that her style is witty in the simplest and most comprehensive way that she can make it. The form of the poem is not only simple, it is also ingenious, as it adds to the poem almost as much as the content. McGinley does not believe in using an esoteric vocabulary. Her purpose is not to show off her education. The simple style that she employs reflects the way she looks at life—in a disciplined, well-planned out, witty but down-to-earth manner. Her poem "The Conquerors" is a prime example of that simplistic and Cavalier style. It is composed of simple words, rhymes, beats, and patterns. Although its topic is not simple, it is packaged in a very simple form. And it is because of its simple style that its message cannot help but reach its target. There are no complications to stop it.