Module B - Wilfred Owen Poetry Flashcards
Introduction
Wilfred Owen breathes life into his subversive perspectives of war through the way he instills the audience with the unembellished realities of war in his immersive and confronting anti-war poetry. Through his use of language forms and features, Owen conjours the barbaric and horrific conditions of war in order to reverse society’s r_omanticised_ views of war portrayed in propaganda of the time. Through Owen’s experiences in WWI and the power of his poetry, Owen gives life to the reality of war by effectively intertwining his reprimand for war advocates and the brutality of war, with the commemoration of fallen WWI soldiers, sacrificed to the futility of war. These confronting perspectives can be seen particularly in Owen’s sonnet ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and his poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’.
Brutality and Suffering - Introduction
Through his poetry, Owen uses language forms and features in order to expose the brutality and suffering of war in a more profound and vivid way, awakening the audience to the realities of war. In his sonnet ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’
Through his poetry, Owen uses language forms and features in order to expose the brutality and suffering of war in a more profound and vivid way, awakening the audience to the realities of war. In his sonnet ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, Owen immediately confronts the audience by promising an ‘Anthem’, a song a praise, whilst quickly juxtaposing this with the assonance of ‘Doomed Youth’ in order to emphasis that there is nothing to celebrate within his subject matter whilst setting the ominous tone of his poetry. Owen also uses simile in order to compare the deaths of soldiers to that of “cattle”, accentuating the unprecedented and barbaric mass slaughter of young soldiers. Personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia are also employed with “monstrous anger of guns” and “stuttering riffle’s rapid rattle” in order to provide a more transparent image of war, igniting the responder to see through the romanticised views of war portrayed in propaganda.
Brutality and Suffering - Quote 1
“Anthem” + “Doomed Youth”
Juxtaposition + Assonance
In his sonnet ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, Owen immediately confronts the audience by promising an ‘Anthem’, a song a praise, whilst quickly juxtaposing this with the assonance of ‘Doomed Youth’
in order to emphasis that there is nothing to celebrate within his subject matter whilst setting the ominous tone of his poetry.
Brutality and Suffering - Quote 2
Death of Soldiers like
“cattle”
Similie
Owen also uses simile in order to compare the deaths of soldiers to that of “cattle”, accentuating the unprecedented and barbaric mass slaughter of young soldiers.
Brutality and Suffering - Quote 3
“monstrous anger of guns”
“stuttering riffle’s rapid rattle”
Personification, Alliteration and Onomatopoeia
Personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia are also employed with “monstrous anger of guns” and “stuttering riffle’s rapid rattle”
in order to provide a more transparent image of war, igniting the responder to see through the romanticised views of war portrayed in propaganda.
Atrocity of War - Introduction
Similarly in ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, Owen sheds light on the atrocity of war through his recounts of the vile experience of gassing suffered by many soldiers in war.
Similarly in ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, Owen sheds light on the atrocity of war through his recounts of the vile experience of gassing suffered by many soldiers in war. Through his use of simile, in “Bent double like old beggars under sacks Knock-kneed, coughing like hags” Owen illustrates the grim physical conditions soldiers were in and connotes to their premature aging both physically and mentally. Owen also expresses the soldier’s exhaustion and suffering through alliteration with “Men marched asleep” alluding to the idea that soldiers were reduced to robots, indicative of the way in which propaganda influenced and conditioned them. Alternatively, Owen begins the second stanza of the poem with an explosion of action with “GAS! GAS! Quick, boys!”, matching the falling bombs at the battlefield through the change of pace. This juxtaposes the more passive and laborious pace of the march reflected in the first stanza, encapsulating the suffering faced by soldiers. Though his poetry, Owen brings life to his views of war, emphasising the barbaric nature of war and encouraging the responder to question the prevailing glorification of war.
Atrocity of War - Quote 1
“Bent double like old beggars under sacks Knock-kneed, coughing like hags”
Similie
Through his use of simile, in “Bent double like old beggars under sacks Knock-kneed, coughing like hags”
Owen illustrates the grim physical conditions soldiers were in and connotes to their premature aging both physically and mentally.
Atrocity of War - Quote 2
“Men marched asleep”
Alliteration
Owen also expresses the soldier’s exhaustion and suffering through alliteration with “Men marched asleep”
alluding to the idea that soldiers were reduced to robots, indicative of the way in which propaganda influenced and conditioned them.
Atrocity of War - Quote 3
“GAS! GAS! Quick, boys!”
Pace + Juxtaposition
Alternatively, Owen begins the second stanza of the poem with an explosion of action with “GAS! GAS! Quick, boys!”, matching the falling bombs at the battlefield through the change of pace. This juxtaposes the more passive and laborious pace of the march reflected in the first stanza, encapsulating the suffering faced by soldiers.
Atrocity of War - Conclusion
Though his poetry, Owen brings life to his views of war, emphasising the barbaric nature of war and encouraging the responder to question the prevailing glorification of war.
Criticise Institutions - Introduction
Alternatively, both ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and ‘ Dulce Et Decorum Est’ criticise the institutions such as the government, and the church who were pushing for war, and challenges their motives for sending innocent soldiers to their deaths.
Alternatively, both ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and ‘ Dulce Et Decorum Est’ criticise the institutions such as the government, and the church who were pushing for war, and challenges their motives for sending innocent soldiers to their deaths. In ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ Owen places a spotlight on the dehumanizing and futile nature of war, beginining the sonnet with the rhetoric question “What passing bells for those who die as cattle?”, emphasizing the absence of funeral bells, replaced by “the monstrous anger of guns”. Through his use of both rhetoric question and personification, Owen shows the stark contrast of death on the battlefield to death back home, emphasising the church’s lack of response, and the irony in the way they are allowing innocence soldiers to be left to rot on the battlefield without a dignified funeral. Similarly, in his poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Owen uses powerful syntax to challenge the government’s rationale for glorifying war. Owen concludes the poem with his final burning words, “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”, meaning “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country”, in order to enhance meaning and stress the manner in which soldiers have been deceived; being promised “glory”, but instead receiving the ultimate sacrifice: death. Through his depiction of the suffering and dehumanisation of soldiers, Owen provides a more transparent image of war, and tries to educate his audience about the hidden injustice in sending men to their graves.
Criticise Institutions - Quote 1
“What passing bells for those who die as cattle?”
“the monstrous anger of guns”
Rhetoric Question + Juxtaposition
In ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ Owen places a spotlight on the dehumanizing and futile nature of war, beginining the sonnet with the rhetoric question “What passing bells for those who die as cattle?”, emphasizing the absence of funeral bells, replaced by “the monstrous anger of guns”.
Through his use of both rhetoric question and personification, Owen shows the stark contrast of death on the battlefield to death back home, emphasising the church’s lack of response, and the irony in the way they are allowing innocence soldiers to be left to rot on the battlefield without a dignified funeral.
Criticise Institutions - Quote 2
“The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”
“it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country”
Powerful Syntax
Similarly, in his poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Owen uses powerful syntax to challenge the government’s rationale for glorifying war. Owen concludes the poem with his final burning words, “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”, meaning “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country”, in order to enhance meaning and stress the manner in which soldiers have been deceived; being promised “glory”, but instead receiving the ultimate sacrifice: death.
Criticise Institutions - Conclussion
Through his depiction of the suffering and dehumanisation of soldiers, Owen provides a more transparent image of war, and tries to educate his audience about the hidden injustice in sending men to their graves.
Conclusion
Wilfred Owen’s confronting perspectives of war are brought to light in his sonnet ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. By exposing the brutal and dehumanizing realities of war through his poetry, Owen rebels against the primitive views of war held by society, and forces the responder to question and look beyond the face value of war propaganda by imprinting the true image of war in their minds. By doing this, Owen’s poetry gains a more profound meaning than just recounting wartime experiences, rather the poetry’s impact and effect is amplified, transcending social boundaries and igniting the mind of the responder.
