Both poets have selected emotional vocabulary to emphasise their points and add to particular atmospheres. The vocabulary used in both is powerful and important however both imply different aspects. For example Simon Armitage uses the word ‘small’ to show the sheer size of the destruction and how isolated this individual is in comparison. The word ‘small’ makes the reader think intimidation and unimportant immediately. Wilfred Owen uses the words, ‘dear achieved’ to emphasise the effort and care put into the creation of a body and that war allows this hard labour to go to waste. These words and their desired effects contrast as it shows in 9/11 (setting of ‘Out of the Blue’) there were so many bodies to focus on and everything was happening so quickly it was more difficult to focus on one individual and their life where as Wilfred Owen focuses on one life and the attention it received once dead.
Simon Armitage puts the word ‘You’ at the start of the poem to draw the reader’s attention and make the poem more direct. This is because the attacks were broadcasted so hugely it wasn’t a very personal and direct situation unless you were in it. World War 1 (the setting of Futility) however, already affected a wide range of nationalities and families so this was not necessary. This also shows that the two poems were aimed at a different scale of things. Throughout ‘Out of the Blue’ the choice of vocabulary such as ‘burning’ and scenario shows it was focused at the particular event of 9/11 however ‘Futility’ has a more general feel due to words, such as ‘dear achieved’ as all life is dear achieved, that although it is set in World War 1 it accounts for all war and battle. ‘Futility’ uses more vocabulary however less technique to achieve its dramatic effect. It uses words such as ‘snow’ to stress the harsh, hostile conditions and the word ‘fatuous’ to show the stupidity of the sunbeams in their life giving powers if life will be wasted as it is during war.
The techniques shown in both poems consist of irony, personification, rhetorical questions and symbolism. The word ‘love’ in ‘Out of the Blue’ shows he is aiming his words toward his love however the use of the word is ironic as the events are far from loving but brutal and full of hatred. Additionally in the poem a ‘bird’ goes by the speaker is ironic as a creature so close to him is safe and content when he is in fact the complete opposite. In ‘Futility’ the suns awakening powers are significant. The use of the word ‘wakes’ is used repeatedly in different forms such as ‘awoken’, ‘rouse’ and ‘woke’. This is ironic as although the Sun awakens the planet every day, this day is different due to the life of the solider now being nonexistent.
In both poems, personification highlights two of the main focuses in the situations however contrast hugely as in one poem the word creates a soft atmosphere and in another the atmosphere created is a manic, busy one. Within ‘Futility’ the Sun is personified repeatedly and in ‘Out of the Blue’ the fire and sirens sourcing from emergency services are personified. The Sun is said to ‘wake’ the seeds which gives a gentle atmosphere to the line and adds to the irony in the poem. Simon Armitage however personifies the heat of the fire to be ‘bullying’ and ‘driving’ which implies it is causing huge distress and pushing people to death. The sirens are described as ‘wailing’ which is an interesting vocabulary choice as it not only shows the screeching sound of the sirens but it is relevant to the victims also as they were in an emotional situation where ‘wailing’ was appropriate.
Another technique used in both is symbolism however differently as one is shown through colour and another through representation. The colour ‘white’ is used in ‘Out of the Blue’ to show the innocence of the victims and people involved. This is powerful as in contrast to Word War’s and battles they were not prepared to kill or fight as the attacks were literally out of the blue and unexpected. In ‘Futility’ the word ‘clay’ is used to represent humanity and life however clay is cold to touch so this implies coldness and cruelty throughout humanity is showing. Also the word ‘half-sown’ is used which in my opinion represents the contrast of life and death and how obvious they are and shows unfinished business between England and France.
The last remaining technique used in both poems is rhetorical questions and in both poems they are used more than once and to a critical effect. The majority of stanza 2 in ‘Futility’ is rhetorical questions and as they are all critical they show the poets antipathy toward war. They also all stress the same point as the title does which is wasted life. One of the questions is ‘Was it for this the clay grew tall?’, which asks the reader was all the effort of life and the development of complex humanity over millions of years achieved for this; ‘this’ meaning unnecessary death over disagreements. The questions in ‘Out of the Blue are less general and more personal to the individual for example, ‘does anyone see a soul worth saving?’ shows he is casting a judgement on his own life and questions his importance in comparison to the situation and other after effects these attacks will cause.
The remaining techniques used in either poem are very different. Those not yet discussed in ‘Out of the Blue’ are alliteration, repetition and euphemism. Armitage frequently uses repetition to emphasise the desperation of the individual such as ‘waving, waving’ which not only shows he is desperate but that the situation is impossible. He also repeats the word, ‘watching’ which highlights the frustration that although millions are watching the events unfold however the majority are helpless and have no choice but to watch him die. The final word which is repeated is ‘appalling’. This present participle tells us of the speaker’s disbelief and how terrified he really is and I think this word is emphasised as it is one of the first times in the poem that we become aware of his realisation of the events, as up until that point he still seems hopeful. Just below this, the words ‘wind-milling, wheeling and spiralling’ are used metaphorically to describe people falling which is euphemism as it is an understatement of the reality which is brutal deaths frequently occurring. However after those three words, the word ‘falling’ ends the line which changes the atmosphere yet again from peaceful to shocking. Alliteration is used in various cases to release atmospheres. ‘Building burning’ shows the horrific nature of the circumstances through the sharp sound of ‘b’ however toward the end the words ‘failing, flagging’ show a much more placid atmosphere due to the soft sound ‘f’ which reflects the tranquillity of death.
Following that, I will discuss the left over techniques in ‘Futility’ which are juxtaposition, pathetic fallacy and onomatopoeia. In stanza 1 the words gently and whispering are juxtaposed to emphasise peace of death and being away from war. This is within the opening line to make the first atmosphere created a placid one and give the reader the impression death is more tranquil than war. Pathetic fallacy is used when the poet uses the word ‘snow’ which immediately creates a hostile atmosphere as we realise the conditions of work these soldiers faced. ‘Whispering’ is a use of onomatopoeia to show the softness of home in their hearts and emotions.
The structure of each poem is very different. ‘Futility’ is very short which shows that life is short and precious to everything where as ‘Out of the Blue’ is long as although the events were only across a few hours, they will have felt much longer to the victims. Additionally, each stanza has an unbalanced layout which reflects the unpredictable day they experienced. In ‘Out of the Blue’ not many structural devices are used as in my opinion rhyme, sonnets, couplets etc are a distraction from a poem and as this poem is about such a tragic, touching experience, full focus is required. The structure of the poem ‘Futility’ is in balanced stanzas - the first consists of tenderness and hopefulness, the second of growing bitterness, with its climax. Owen is telling the story of the death of a comrade as a balance. This has to happen as so many of them died that there still has to be a degree of reason and balance left in them.
Both poems end with intentional power. ‘Out of the blue’ has a particularly ironic ending as it is a ‘cliff hanger’ which reflects the speaker’s current setting. Although the building is not a cliff it is still a dangerous place to be in and he is evidently ‘hanging’ out of it. The rhetorical question, ‘O what made fatuous sunbeams toil to break earths sleep at all’ is at the end of the poem as it sums up the entire purpose of it which is the effort (toil) that the sun puts in to creating life is in fact pointless if we as humans abuse it and he is questioning the point of initial life in the first place.
Both poems demonstrate effects of war or attack as stressful and hard however both show death to be tranquil and placid which therefore shows that death is a happier place to be than war. The tones of the poems are identical however positioned opposite. The two which are significant are placid and frustration however ‘Out of the blue’ starts with frustration and ends with placidity but ‘Futility begins with a calm, placid tone and then turns it round to anger and frustration. They both use powerful language to demonstrate destruction of war and attack aswell as structure and theme.
