The subject matter of the poem is to be found in this long speech, and the poet presents his views about the war very clearly in this.
There is a consistent use of 10 syllables per line, and there is not a rhyme scheme for half the poem (and therefore half is a free verse poem). There is an interesting style for the half that does rhyme.
Words that don’t rhyme, but have a distinct similarity in sound are used, such as ‘wheels’ and ‘wells’, and ‘left’ and ‘laughed’, for example. There are some actual rhymes as well, such as ‘tigress’ and ‘progress’, and ‘mystery’ and ‘mastery’. If there were no rhymes, I would personally think that the poem is boring and dull, but the similarities in sounds of words, and some other rhymes give the poem a good flow.
Also, the poet uses technical and linguistic skills. Assonance is one of them, as there’s a repetition of similar vowel sounds, like ‘grained’ and ‘ground’, ‘moan’, and ‘mourn’, and many more. This adds more effect to the rhythmic beat. Enjambment is also used to speed up certain parts of the poem, such as ‘To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain……..’ Alliteration is the last literary device used, as an initial rhyme is to be found too.
The poem has an ironic and bitter tone. The spirit’s life was taken away from him, having no fulfilment before death. He describes how he had missed out on life. He describes that war is worse than hell, and that he was willing to give everything to live a nice life, but was willing to give nothing to war, as Wilfred Owen has complete negative thoughts about war in this poem, as well as all his other poems. The monologue spoken by the soul speaks about only the bad things of war.
Allegory and imagery are used in the poem to produce a visual image with a dark tone.
In the beginning, the scene is set by describing hell, which immediately tells us that he poem is going to be about the terrors of war, and is also going to be quite sad and sorrowful. Owen uses euphemisms frequently, in order to allow the reader to figure out his thoughts. This is a good effect, as it ensures that the reader understands the poem well. Hyperbole is also used, which exaggerates certain points such as ‘titanic wars’, and ‘a thousand pains’.
Wilfred Owen’s main poetic device is that of manipulation. Stating anything obvious is avoided, as well as to make the setting seem darker and more regretful. By doing this he further argues his point that war is evil, because no matter how bad a place is, it’s still better than war. This ultimately tells us that he is obviously protesting against war.
Throughout the poem, the poet conveys many messages to the reader. He is trying to warn future generations about going to war, and also tell the truth about war to the British public. It is clear to us that Owen has a negative attitude towards war, and this negativity is shown constantly throughout ‘Strange Meeting’.
One of the main ideas of the poem is ‘the pity of war’, and this shows Owens’s belief that war creates more problems than it solves. ‘I mean the truth untold, the pity of war, the pity war distilled.’ The poet is trying to tell us that the soldiers cannot explain what war was like, and that the real truth was not being told, as it should be. The truth in fact is ‘the pity of war’, and Owen is trying to convey this message in the poem, because he feels it’s his duty to tell everyone the terrors of war.
He’s trying to help civilians understand the evil of war, because he believes that those who embrace war will go to hell. Wilfred Owen wants to bring an end to war and all the suffering once and for all.
In conclusion, I think that Owen, in this poem is hoping that war will in the future make people show pity and think about what it actually achieves for mankind. He shows that war does not move the human race on, but moves it backwards. He believes that through knowledge, we can learn to avoid war, and if everyone knows about the reality of war, it can be a thing of the past.