Theme Of Anthem For Doomed Youth By Wilfred Owen

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Recommended: A brief essay on war poetry

War poet Wilfred Owen, uses a number of linguistic and structural devices throughout his poems in order to express his anger at the war allowing the responder to transfer to the world of the mid 20th century. In doing so, Owen has the power to reveal the government's propaganda that lured young, naive naive men to wage war. Owen’s poems examines the traumatic psychological and physical damage endured by a generation of men. The graphic poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ expresses the antipathy towards the British government as they fool young men to enlist and pay the ultimate sacrifice in a futile war. Owen’s aversion adjacent to the ideas of war is explored through the scathing tone, heard throughout the poem, combined with a sense of irony. Owen …show more content…

His protest against war clearly a protest against war’s deliberate reversal of all the values that men uphold. Owen suggests that religion cannot offer much consolation to those dying on the warfront. Due to the these traumatic events on the warfront, young soldiers seeing their comrades die deteriorates their innocence away.The personification of the guns creates a distinctly ironic tone, in the line ‘monstrous anger of guns’. The use of visual and auditory images allows the reader to delve into the world of the mid 1900s. The alliteration at the end of the line "rifles' rapid rattle" is a way of drawing our attention and building the intensity. This staccato rhythm mimics the sound of gunfire, forcing the reader to experience the horrifying sounds of war. Similarly in “Dulce et Decorum est”, the demoralisation of the soldiers are explored as they were likened to “hags. Additionally within this poem, the soldiers are dehumanised, due to the gun’s obtainment of human traits. Owen examines the world of suffering through the employment of sensory techniques therefore allowing the audience to visit the battlefield, perceiving the sacrifices the soldiers …show more content…

Owen forces the readers to recognise the soldier’s sacrifice due to the war fueled by the propagandist lies. Owen utilises second person to address the stay at home patriots and those who would encourage young men to give up their lives for their country. The ironic tone addressing “my friend” conveys his anger as he holds the government accountable for what he and so many others had to endure and claims that if only they were to witness the atrocities of war then they would realise the extent of the ‘old lie’. Through the use of the word “boys”, its connotations of youth and innocence, emphasises the corruption of the government. Owen’s vivid imagery allows the reader to foresee the lies the government has addressed, which has lead the mass murder of innocent young soldiers. Similarly, the poem "Anthem for Doomed Youth" explores the loss of innocence experienced by the young soldiers, this is seen through the title's negative word "doomed". Thus, Owen examines the sacrifice the soldiers made because of the government’s lies, the poem is a deeply poignant poem that uses a variety of powerful techniques to express a very powerful

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