‘But limped on,’ is a phrase that conveys the image that it is very slow moving and the reader gains the image that the men must be injured from previous traumatising experiences so are suffering pain. However, the soldiers do still have a small amount of energy left and determination is shown because they do not give up.
‘Drunk with fatigue,’ is an expression that uses a metaphor to suggest that the men are mentally vacant and are staggering along. To be ‘Drunk with fatigue,’ these men must be so tired that they are no longer sane and can barely even think for themselves. You can almost imagine large numbers of people dragging their boots through the mud, tripping over their own shadow.
‘Deaf even to the hoots of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind them,’ advocates that the men are somewhat oblivious to the war that is continuing around them. It highlights the point that they have been forced to withstand war for such a long period of time that they have become ‘deaf’ as a consequence. It could also suggest that the soldiers are so exasperated with war that it has had a subconscious effect on them. A personification is used to describe the shells as ‘tired,’ which gives the impression that the author thinks that the war is pointless and has been occurring for so long that even the shells have become wary of this futile catastrophe.
In the second stanza there is suddenly a massive contrast and the mood instantly changes. The pace rapidly speeds up and the difference between the sombre, slow mood that had been previously displayed to a much faster, more frantic mood is obvious.
‘Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!’ highlights the speed of this section and that there is urgency in what is happening. The image created is that everyone in ‘an ecstasy of fumbling’ was forced to run out into the mist, unaware of their fate. Anyone wanting to fight in the war would become nervous at the image of himself running out into a blood bath. The graphic images displayed here are profoundly affecting and can never be forgotten. The word ‘ecstasy,’ is ironic as it gives the impression of extreme joy, yet the opposite emotion would be expected. Following this sudden opening to the stanza, words are frequently used to portray the frantic movements of the soldiers, such as ‘clumsy,’ and ‘stumbling.’ As a result, this gives the reader the impression that the whole scenario was incredibly poorly organized.
‘Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,’ is used to create the image that the process is urgent, life threatening and dangerous and that it is really important that they manage to put their helmets on prior to the devastation and destruction that will follow. Also, the image created is that the soldiers suddenly move very quickly, despite their fatigue.
Alliteration is then used in the next line to emphasise that there is just one person left, making hysterical movements. ‘Someone still was yelling out and stumbling.’ This creates the impression that the soldier is in a severe state of panic and knows how crucial it is to fit his helmet.
The writer then uses the simile ‘As under a green sea I saw him drowning.’ This portrays the image that the soldier is really suffering and struggling to a horrendous death, that definitely isn’t a ‘sweet,’ way to end one’s life. The reader can imagine a man slowly sinking into thick, deep water as he violently moves about, but nothing can be done. It also helps to create a surreal feel to the poem. This surreal feel is particularly established by Owen’s continued use of metaphors when describing the atrocious scene.
The penultimate stanza is reflective, as if the writer has taken a step back and surveyed the situation. He describes his sight as being ‘helpless,’ implying that the writer desperately wanted to help the struggling soldier, but it was virtually impossible for him to do so amongst all the commotion. Additionally, it creates the impression that the writer himself was in a dangerous situation. The image that is formed is that the scene is very chaotic, disorderly and confusing.
Owen then uses the word ‘plunges,’ to illustrate the image that the suffering soldier tries to make one final attempt to be saved. The sounds ‘guttering, choking, drowning’ are then used to highlight the point that the soldier truly is experiencing a ghastly death and he is in tremendous pain. These examples of onomatopoeia are used to really emphasise the crucial pain that he is suffering and that he was making these revolting sounds. They not only show how the man is suffering, but that he is in terrible pain that no human should endure. They show the repetitive, prolonged anguish of the soldier as he ‘plunges’ towards his death.
In the final stanza the tempo quickly accelerates. This is achieved by the use of lines with fewer syllables. A personification is used to describe his dreams as ‘smothering.’ This portrays the image that the writer is unable to escape the frightening nightmares that occur so often. Additionally, it emphasises the fact that it was a devastating and unforgettable experience that was so tragic that he will never be able to forget or overcome.
The gassed man was then ‘flung,’ into the wagon. This reveals the urgency and occupation with the fighting. The only thing that they can physically do or have time for is to toss him into a wagon.
The writer then describes in graphic detail how the physical look of the soldier had changed, obviously trying to shock the reader and get through to them how war is such a devastating business. ‘Watch the white eyes writhing in his face,’ uses alliteration to emphasise how grotesque the scenario was. Following this, the image that is portrayed is that the soldier’s face had dropped and was now exceedingly unsightly. ‘His face hanging like a devil’s sick of sin,’ is a simile that highlights this point. This comparison implies that his face was corrupted and baneful. The image created in the reader’s mind is that the face has suddenly been transformed from a young, youthful face to a very old and aged face. Now the face is hideously ugly and revolting. You can imagine the face appearing twisted and very stretched, covered in gruesome boils and markings.
The rest of the description is just as graphic and frightening to the reader. The blood is described to have ‘come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.’ This can be disturbing to think about. It shows troops being slaughtered very vividly, evoking images in the reader’s mind. At this point the reader should begin to understand the experience that the writer is explaining and start to realise how obscene it was. I think that the writer describes the death so graphically to try and get through to the reader how horrendous it really was. It describes how precisely the man is being tortured.
A very effective metaphor compares ‘…vile, incurable sores…’ with the memories of the troops. It not only tells the reader how the troops will never forget the experience, but also how they are frightening tales, ones that the troops will never be able to tell without remembering the extremely painful experience. This comparison illustrates the point so vividly that it increases the effectiveness of this poem.
Finally, the writer implies that if the reader had experienced this disgustingly frightful situation themselves, then they wouldn’t tell with such ‘high zest to children ardent for some glory, The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.’ There is some irony in this concluding stanza, but Owen is also very serious. He uses the saying as a warning and a final attempt to persuade the reader that war is grotesque. He describes the saying as ‘The old Lie,’ implying that it is a trick. Owen calls this a lie by using good diction, vivid comparisons and graphic images to have the reader feel disgusted at what war is capable of. This poem is extremely effective as an anti-war poem, making war seem absolutely horrid and revolting, just as the author wanted it to. The aim of this poem was to shock the reader-to let them feel the sense of disgust and frustration felt by all the soldiers as they witness the soldier’s struggle to breathe. At no point in this poem does Owen make use of euphemisms. He is very clear about the horror of war.
The second poem that I have decided to study and analyse is ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth,’ also written by Owen with assistance from Sassoon. It can be easily distinguished from many of his other works, as it is a sonnet. It has fourteen lines, divided up into two movements, with an initial alternate rhyme scheme used in the octave, changing to a more unusual sestet in the final movement. In this sestet, the first and fourth lines rhyme, as do the second and third and it ends on a couplet. The first stanza is mainly about the battlefield, whereas the second stanza is more about the reactions of friends and family back at home. By using a sonnet, a touch of irony is used. The conventional function for a sonnet is love, but this sonnet has a theme of a love that has turned bad. The young male population have so much patriotic love and are so eager to serve, but this love turns sour. They spend time rotting in the wastes of the trenches, only to be mown down by a machine gun nest. Not only are their lives wasted, gone without the holy ritual of funeral, but the lives of their loved ones at home are also ruined.
This poem starts off at a quick pace, and then continues to decelerate throughout the poem, drawing to a slow, solemn and sombre close. Throughout this poem the traditional feel of an elaborate ceremonial of a Victorian style funeral is constantly compared and contrasted to the ways in which men died in the war.
The title ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth,’ with anthems usually being associated with love and passion, is very deliberately ironic. It is a way in which Owen shows how ridiculous he really thought the war was. ‘Anthem’ is a song that is sung in churches by choirs or could mean a celebration. The word ‘Doomed’ is used to suggest that the soldiers are alive but have an inevitable death. Additionally, it symbolises death and conjures up the image that the soldiers are on their journey to hell. The word ‘Youth’ is used to remind the reader that these soldiers were only young men, with their whole lives ahead of them, but this has now been ruined pointlessly. It creates the image of lively young people that are full of energy and enthusiasm. The title has use of assonance-‘Doomed Youth.’ The sound is intended to be drawn out, long and melancholy, as melancholy as the subject of war itself.
The opening line ‘What passing bells for these who die as cattle?’ uses a simile to conjure up the image of a slaughterhouse. It creates the image of horrendous mass burials, as the ‘cattle’ are being slaughtered mercilessly. It highlights the huge and crazy sacrifice that the soldiers gave. This opening line is an example of how Owen asks questions of the reader in order to make them think more about the poem. This question is deliberately easy to answer and perhaps rhetorical and Owen goes to answer it in graphic detail just to emphasise how obviously stupid the war was. It offers the reader the opportunity to step into a soldier’s shoes in order to encounter the tragedy that he encountered.
‘-Only the monstrous anger of the guns’ is the answer to this question, describing what the soldiers received. Through personification the guns responsible for taking so much human life are made out to be evil. The image that is created is that there is massive destruction and a crescendo of exploding shells. ‘Guns’ is a loud and rhythmic word, creating the impression that war is fierce, like a monster. Additionally, it implies that war is still continuing around these soldiers even during their burial, possibly highlighting a lack of respect.
‘Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle can patter out their hasty orisons,’ are two very effective lines that imply that instead of prayers, the soldiers received the firing of bullets. ‘Stuttering’ is an onomatopoeia to add the sound into the image that is formed in the reader’s mind. It also implies that the sound was not fluent. Alliteration is used on the ‘r’ sounds to emphasise the sounds of destruction that were occurring.
‘No mockeries…no prayers nor bells…nor choirs,’ is the opening to the second quatrain and illustrates the horrific way in which these soldiers depart from this world and that they do not even receive basic objects that would be expected in a traditional ceremony. Instead, these soldiers who have died fighting for their country received ‘The shrill demented choirs of wailing shells and bugles.’ ‘Shrill’ is a hard and strong word that creates the image that the ‘funeral’ was not a quiet and peaceful way of saying goodbye to the soldiers. It creates a very piercing sound and is a harsh word. The word ‘demented’ is used to describe the shells. This conjures up the image that the shells have gone mad and crazy, highlighting the point that war was a totally crazy thing. It could also imply that the sound the shells made was exceedingly peculiar and frightening to hear. Additionally, the shells and bugles are described as ‘wailing.’ This is an onomatopoeia and a personification. This word portrays the image of sadness, perhaps that so many innocent men had lost their lives for no obvious reason. It is also a hard word that suggests the unpleasantness of the situation, contrasting to the tuneful choirs that would be heard at a traditional funeral.
‘Sad shires’ is an alliterative phrase that reminds the reader of the country, back at home. The word ‘sad’ suggests that it must be a devastating and traumatic time for their relatives and friends.
The next stanza also begins with a rhetorical question to drive home how obviously stupid the war was. ‘What candles may be held to speed them all?’ creates the impression that the deceased are moving on to their next life, possibly highlighting Owen’s religious views on life.
The response is ‘Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes,’ implying that as opposed to a candle that would be lit at a traditional funeral to symbolise everlasting life, these soldiers received tears in the eyes of boys. The image conveyed in the reader’s mind is the misting up of boys’ eyes and tears that are being shed. This image is very sad and depressing for the reader.
‘Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes,’ suggests that their eyes are very meaningful as they see the deceased soldiers off to their next lives. It has an extremely sad meaning to it and the reader may reflect upon the emotional experiences of the ‘victim’s’ family. This line also has a religious theme, and lots of alliteration is used to strongly emphasise the point that Owen is making. The word ‘glimmer’ stresses the point that it is not a thorough seeing off that these soldiers are receiving.
‘The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall,’ compares the elaborate cloth that would cover the coffin in a Victorian style funeral to the pale complexion of relatives to the soldiers. This line suggests that the girls back at home have very pale, ashen, grief stricken faces. We imagine wives, girlfriends and other female relatives crying in despair when they hear the news. It conjures the image that groups of women all have tears streaming down their colourless faces as they realise that their loved one has died in such a horrific way. It brings the scene to reality as the reader realises that it can affect those at home as well as the soldiers that are actually fighting. It suggests the terrible effect that their tragic death has had on their relatives and the strong, sorrowful emotions they must be encountering.
‘Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,’ compares the bright, colourful flowers that would be offered at a ceremonial to suffering relatives and friends of the ‘victim.’ It emphasises the preceding point that was made, creating the image of people that are grieving and suffering as a result of the loss of their friend. This funeral highlights the distance between funerals on the Western Front and their relatives back at home.
The final comparison is that of dusk to the drawing down blinds in a house in mourning. ‘And each slow dusk a drawing down of blinds,’ creating the image that dusk is like a blind that is being lowered. The funeral is over and the rhetorical question that the poet asked at the beginning of the stanza has been answered, and the noise has vanished. All is now quiet. The long, heavy ‘d’ sounds really drag the ending on and draw the poem to a deliberate close.
Throughout the poem the point that is emphasised is that the soldiers that died on the Western Front did not receive dignified endings and even in death, battle still raged around them. Additionally, the meaning of the poem is that each soldier will not be remembered because they are one in so many and have no elaborate funeral.
Owen uses the idea of irony in war in both of the poems that I have studied, as he saw misery, destruction, and pain and wanted people to be more aware of the cruelty of war and hopefully to stop it from happening again. Both poems have an alternate line rhyming scheme. 'Anthem For Doomed Youth' uses the form of a sonnet to portray a distressing message that flows slowly as you would imagine a funeral march. 'Dulce et Decorum est' also has a distressing message but is portrayed in contradiction to its title. The idea of nationalism is explored. Both poems make the reader feel helplessness. There was no way of helping the gas victim in 'Dulce est Decorum est' and the 'doomed youth' didn't know their fate making them helpless victims and the reader too is a helpless victim of the poem.
Now I am going to analyse a third war poem, ‘Who’s for the Game?’ written by Jessie Pope, and compare and contrast this to the two poems written by Wilfred Owen.
Jessie Pope composed crude recruitment poems for the Daily Mail. In particular she was detested by Wilfred Owen, who saw her as typical of the unfeeling civilian who was supporting the war from the relative safety of the Home Front.
The presentation of war is quite different in Jessie Pope’s ‘Who’s for the Game?’ to Wilfred Owen’s poems. She writes in a more conversational manner which makes the poem more memorable and persuasive. She compares the war to a ‘game’, implying that there is little danger on the battlefield. She also refers to the war as a sport where a player would return with a minor injury such as a crutch. Within the poem, Pope uses many questions which involve the reader more and together with the use of everyday language give the poem a less formal feel. She persuades the men to join the army by making them feel deceitful and cowardly if they were to ‘lie low’. She also has a friendly manner in her propaganda poem as she refers to the men as ‘lads’. She pressurises the men into joining the forces with her assumption that they’ll ‘come on alright’. She makes the country more appealing and dependable upon their support when she gives it a female gender. This capitalises on the sexist attitude of the era where men were expected to take care of and protect their women. Pope has written this poem in four quatrains with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. This makes the poem more memorable. This is also a technique employed in children’s poetry and as such trivialises her subject matter. This poem is a recruiting poem with the aim of encouraging men to volunteer to join the forces. It was written at the beginning of the First World War and therefore the true disastrous effects of the war had not been experienced. Those left behind, women, children and exempt men, were often unaware of the true horror of the war and instead were seduced by a romantic ideal.
In conclusion, I feel that both poets are effective, but they both present such different pictures of War. Owen’s poems are excellent examples of poetry portraying the realism of war whereas Pope’s poem is an excellent example of the unfortunate attitude cultivated on the home front. The contrast between the two allows the reader to see the reality of the First World War from two immensely different perspectives.