Wilfred Owen The poems written by Wilfred Owen are about the horrors, the ugliness, the suffering and the countless tragedies that war has brought. The anti-war them and serious tone used in his poems is extremely effective at portraying ear as horrid and devastating. The detailed descriptions of blood, guts and death are overpowering. In the poem 'Dulce Et Decorum Est', Owen stresses how war should not be glorified or glamorised. The title meaning 'It is sweet and becoming to die for one's country' is used satirically because the poem describes the horror and agony that the soldiers endured during their time in the trenches.
The two poems have a strongly anti war message and in both the victims of war are the young men who’s lives are wasted. ‘Dulce et decorum Est’ uses the description of a gas attack to show how horrific the reality of war is. Owen describes the victim with, ‘The white eyes writhing in his face…the blood…gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.’ The physical horror of this helps to shape his message. It is addressed to the propaganda poet Jessie Pope and tells her that it is a lie to say that it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country. A similar message in ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ describes the slaughtered young men who ‘die as cattle’.
These images are used to show the immense harm and the brutality of war and its effect on men. The dead soldier describes the blood that clogged their “chariot-wheels” (line 35) showing his regret for participating in the war now that he was aware of its ugliness. Thus, when the soldier states that “the foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were” (line 42), he truly expresses the cruelty of war and how it leaves men with scarred souls. All of these images highlight the pure pain of war. Owen’s use of assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia in the poem help to bring it to life and remind us of the horrific situation at ... ... middle of paper ... ...fred Owen to effectively build sympathy for the second soldier as he describes the pain that men suffered in war.
ColdMountain - Charles Frazier - Characters : their development and impact. 1. Inman is left psychologically scarred by memories of war and the ghosts of his fellow soldiers who have died fighting. The war turned Inman into a very violent person, one who is brutal and holds little regard for human life as he resorts to violence a great deal through out his travels. His meeting with Sara results in violence when he kills the three Federals who stole her pig and trashed her house.
However, it is of key significance that the millions who died and suffered in this futility will be forever remembered. Their inconceivable experiences and horrifying statistics must be taken into... ... middle of paper ... ... shells “wailing” their “shrill, demented” mourning. The last sounds these soldiers are forced to listen to are their killers’ ridiculing at their naïve decision to fight. Weapons in Owen’s poems are personified to mock the war and reinforce its futility. The poetic techniques used in Wilfred Owen’s war poetry sweep the reader from the surface of knowing to the essence of truly appreciating his ideas.
Sassoon's bitterness against the war is made clear through his poetry, which is filled with his resentment against war, the futility of it and the high price that had to be paid.In the poem 'A working party' Sassoon's feelings towards the futility of war and the waste of life that war brings about is made clear through his use of his language and the way he makes the reader feel as if they know the man in the poem. In this and many other poems, Sassoon uses irony and heavy sarcasm to make his true feelings known. In 'The Kiss', the entire poem has a very sarcastic tone, and the poem could actually be read as a pro-war poem, but it actually shows Sassoon's hatred for the war and how bitter he was about it. He calls his bullets and bayonet "brother lead and sister steel', saying 'in these I trust'. This is a perfect example of how Sassoon used sarcasm, because at face value, the poem seems psychopathic, as if it was written by a man that actually enjoyed killing and the harsh conditions of the war, when in actual fact it is a poem that is against the war.In 'A working Party', Sassoon specifically starts the poem off slowly, describing the men slowly making their way down the trenches, slipping into the mud and squeezing past other soldiers returning from the front line.
War gives soldiers the main purpose to kill, while for Paul and Xavier killing a human is not morally wrong. In addition, Paul, like Xavier haves regret and shame for all the comrades and enemies that they have lost. This causes them to go into a state of anger and guilt which they cannot control. This is seen after Xavier cannot think straight after destroying a base along with enemies, Xavier proclaims, “I replay it over and over in my head so that I don’t sleep all night, pulling the pin on my mill bomb, throwing it and watching it arc until it disappears into the crater, the concussion and screams. I have killed someone now” (Boyden, 75).
To the general public soldiers were seen as heroes but the first line of this poem ruins that image by describing the soldiers as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. This line creates a grim image of the soldiers portraying them to be weak and helpless. Other similes are used to create a similar effect in this poem. Another line, which relates to a soldier, is “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” ============================================== Which shows how fed up and emotionally tired this particular soldier must ... ... middle of paper ... ...motionally and most likely physically scared. The war should be known for its true meaning and not the fake outside look of it.
The first stanza sets the scene and show what the soldiers would be feeling at the time. The men's condition at the time was so wretched th... ... middle of paper ... ...are a repeat of the title, and also and added line to clarify the actual meaning of the poem. Owen mocks the idea of war being an honorable and nationalistic way to support ones country as he describes a situation in which death is detailed in gruesome detail. This poem is harsh, yet effective in displaying the acts of war and the affect the it has on all of the people involved, especially the foot soldiers who served in the front line, the trenches. Owen serves as a great example of the losses that war brings.
The octet describes the imagery of the battle field and the trenches on the front line. Whereas the sestet seems to describe the home front, however the main theme throughout the poem is how so many soldiers were needlessly sacrificed. The fact that the poem is called an Anthem is extremely cynical and contradictory, as anthems are normally passionate, whereas this is about death, and this shows how much Owen hated war and everything it stood for. Also Doomed Youth gives the impression that the young and lively soldiers with a whole life in front of them are being led to war, where there lives are effectively doomed. Owen starts his poem with a question, “What passing bells for these who die as cattle?” (line I) This is asking what marks the soldiers’ death.