In ‘WFTG’, war is described in a very positive way and is referred to as a “show.” This effectively appeals to the audience. “Who would much rather come back with a crutch, Than lie low and be out of the fun?” This question portrays war in an exciting light as it is made clear that coming back from the fighting crippled is well worth it rather than missing out on the so called ‘fun’. The word ‘fun’ is associated with enjoyment and amusement, and so causes the reader to believe that war is in actual fact a pleasure to be a part of.
Owen, however, describes war as anything but positive in ‘DEDE’. The whole poem illustrates just how horrific war actually is. When Owen creates the image of soldiers hastily fumbling with their “clumsy helmets” amidst all the gas to save themselves from suffocating, it is made clear that war is clearly no ‘game’ as Jesse Pope makes it out to be. Owen illustrates that the soldiers are not having fun, but they are suffering until they die, “Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod”. The Graphic images created by Owen, such as, “If you could hear, every jolt, the blood, Come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs” have a strong affect on the reader. The word ‘jolt’ is powerful to the as it creates an image of a person being shaken or jerked violently and therefore startles the reader. The two words, ‘gargling’ and ‘froth’ are also very strong as they give the impression that the soldiers were being drowned by their own blood bubbling and rising similar to the manner of lava. These vivid descriptions truly reveal the war to be anything besides affirmative.
In ‘WFTG’ men who sign up to the war are portrayed to be better and more worthy people than those who don’t. ‘WFTG’ asks, “Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid?” implying that men who don’t take on the job are cowardly. The quote that follows, “And who think’s he’d rather sit tight?” demonstrates that war is a show and the men too afraid to sign up are sitting in the audience, safe, watching the show. In ‘P’ and ‘TTM’ it is clear that those who don’t sign up are considered inferior. ‘P’ calls men like this “sick hearts that honour could not move” indicating that they are fundamentally wrong. Other words are used to describe the men left behind, “half-men” implying that they are cowardly and “dirty” and “dreary” portraying them as not pure. In ‘TTM’, the second mother is not weeping for a soldier son, as her heart is broken with shame not grief for her sons who did not contribute to the war. – “Of shame, not grief, my heart will break”. Again, this example shows how the jingoists saw the men who did not sign up for war as pusillanimous and weak.
Owen on the other hand turns this argument the other way round. He believes that the people who go to war and return injured are inferior. In ‘D’, he describes how a soldier has returned “Legless, sewn short at elbow” and has therefore returned a lesser man than he was before he went to war. The poem goes on to explain how “he will spend a few sick years in institutes” implying that there is nothing left for him in life, and how helpless and incapable he is, as he is waiting for someone to come and put him to bed – “Why don’t they come, And put him into bed?” this strongly opposes the jingoists’ view – whilst they believe that not going to war will result in a miserable life, Owen argues that those who go to war are the ones who will be miserable for the rest of their living.
War is portrayed to be morally correct in the two Jingoist poems, ‘WFTG’ and ‘P’. ‘WFTG’ mentions that “there’s only one course to pursue” referring to the act of war. ‘P’ starts with “Now, God be thanked” which demonstrates that the war is part of God’s plan therefore it must be right. The quote “hand made sure” indicates that war makes you sure and confident. ‘FI’ refers to Britain’s ‘calling for soldiers’ is a calling from God – “And Britain’s call is God’s”. In ‘TTO’, the author refers to the war as a “Holy War” and mentions “the banner of Christ”. These two quotes show that the Jingoists believe that Britain is on the side of God and war is therefore the right thing.
Owen refutes the Jingoist idea that people go to war to honour God in ‘D’. He believes the idea that most men were encouraged to go to war because of the women. The quote “that was it, to please the giddy jilts”, refers to the man not being quite sure why he thought he should enlist in the army. It is then made clear that he did not join because of political reasons or patriotism, but simply because he wanted to impress the women when he would later return in his kilt.
‘FI’ points towards the fact that if you don’t sign up for war, you will become an outcast and regret it. It is made apparent that men who don’t sign up will be ignored by the girls as they will have no interest in ‘cowards’ – “girls line up the street, Shouting their love to the lads come back”. Towards the end of the poem, relief is shown of a man who went to war as he is able to say that he too fought in the war and therefore will not be made an outcast against his neighbours – “But I went, thank God, I went”.
Owen, conversely, uses his poem ‘D’ to explain how those who sign up for war will regret their decision due to the terrible consequences. When Owen says, “All of them touch him like some queer disease”, he is illustrating that people look at the disabled soldier as abnormal, and are afraid to go near him, in particular the girls. This points towards the fact that Owen is trying to explain to the audience that this soldier will never enjoy the physical excitement of being with a girl, making him a pariah. This idea is the complete opposite of the Jingoists’ opinion that not signing up for war will make you excluded.
Owen distinctly refutes the idea of dying in war bringing honour in ‘AFDY’ when he explains the reality of the respect for the soldiers who died in battle. In the octave he asks, rhetorically, how their passing will be noticed, and what ceremony will mark their death – “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” He answers with irony that the noise of the guns and the rapid fire of the rifles are the prayers said for them, that the shells wailing overhead will be the choir – “Only the monstrous anger of the guns” and “no prayers, nor bells”. Owen is clearly angry that the soldiers who have died are barely honoured for what they have done and is incensed with the lack of respect they have gained. Oppositely to the Jingoists, Owen emphasises the odds that soldiers who sign up will not survive. In ‘DEDE’, the speaker is haunted by the sight of his fellow soldier dying from the gas – “In all my dreams…..He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning”. These lines portray the horrific death that many soldiers endured as if they were being immersed until they could not breathe. At the end of the poem, Owen explains that if you were to see fellow soldiers die in such a way, you would not tell your children “The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro partia mori”, which translates "It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country”. Here Owen is clearly disagreeing with the traditional Jingoist view of it being an honour to die for in such a way for your country, as he calls it a “Lie”.
In ‘WFTG’, war is referred to as some sort of exciting game, and the author is attempting to entice soldiers to join in and ‘play’. The first line for example, “Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played, The red crashing game of a fight?” depicts war as being fun and exhilarating and makes the reader feel as if war is a football ball match or a great sporting event. Going with the lads makes it feel like there is comradeship and a good time to be had with team members. However, there is no mention of any death. Owen though, refutes the Jingoistic arguments that war is in any way ‘fun’ or some sort of ‘game’. He tears these ideas apart in ‘D’ when he says, “half his lifetime lapsed in the hot race”. Here Owen is contrasting his idea of a ‘race’ with Jessie Pope’s idea of a ‘race’. Whereas Pope uses the word ‘race’ to describe the enjoyment, and excitement of war, in ‘D’, it is a race to save your life from the gas that will choke you to death.
‘WFTG’ uses personification to portray Britain as a vulnerable woman in dire need of rescuing – “Your country is up to her neck in a fight, And she’s looking and calling for you.” This powerful imagery of a woman drowning in the chaos of a fight appeals to men for they, as courageous men, want to help and protect women.
Owen on the other hand shows us that it is fact the soldiers fighting the war who are in desperate need of help. In the second stanza of ‘D’ when the soldiers are rushing to get their gas masks on, one soldier can’t get his on in time – “Someone still was yelling out and stumbling”. Clearly this shows that it is not Britain that is suffering the most, but it is the soldiers who are dying a slow and agonising death and need to be rescued.
Also in ‘WFTG’ guilt is used as a device to persuade men to go to war. When the author asks “Who thinks he’d rather sit tight?” it is as if she is asking ‘Who is too cowardly to be involved and would rather sit and watch safely while the others do the job for them?’
Owen uses the same device but to a different effect in ‘AFDY’. Throughout the poem he makes a long comparison between the elaborate ceremonial of a Victorian style funeral and the way in which men go to death on the western front. “Only the shuttering riffles’ rapid rattle” is the counterpart in the trenches of the funeral bells. This demonstrates that no one will feel guilty for the men who fought and lost their lives and no remorse will be shown, causing the reader to feel guilty. It also provokes anger in the reader as there is no respect shown for those who risked their lives.
‘WFTG’ uses a rhyme scheme throughout the poem. There is an ‘ABAB’ rhyme scheme which creates a fast moving pace and therefore makes the poem seem exciting and appealing to the ear. Repetition is also used, as the beginning of many of the lines start with “Who”, “Who’ll” or “Who’s”. This repetition makes the poem memorable and the reader is left with these words remaining in their mind.
Owen also uses rhyme in ‘AFDY’. However, the pace is slower and the rhyme is not emphasised creating an end-stopped line. The structure of ‘DEDE’ reinforces its message. The poem runs smoothly, so that when a short section of horror occurs in the middle, the reader is shocked. It also reflects the shock and panic of the soldiers when the gas escapes. This is also the only place in the poem where a descriptive word is repeated – “Gas! Gas! Quick boys!” – emphasising the reality of the situation.
The Jingoists contrast those who go to war with those who don’t. In ‘V’ the reader is told about the life of an office clerk who has spent “half his life” doing boring work – “Toiling at ledgers”. There is a distinct lack of fulfilment in his life – “with no lance broken in life’s tournament”. This shows that going to war is so much more enjoyable than staying at home doing ordinary jobs and therefore going to war makes you happier.
Owen also contrasts the people of those that went to war with those that stayed behind but in a different way and therefore creating an alternate message. In ‘D’ Owen contrasts the helplessness of the disabled soldier with the happiness of the children surrounding him playing in the park. The lines, “Voices of boys rang saddening like hymn, Voices of play and pleasure after day”, emphasise the sadness of the man’s situation and demonstrates to the reader that war does not make your life happier. This poem also emphasises the likelihood of soldiers coming back from war injured or as demonstrated in ‘DEDE’ not surviving at all.
In conjunction with the idea that the Jingoists contrast the lives of men who go to war with those who don’t, women are used as a persuasive device in their poems. The Jingoists contrast the reaction of women to men who go to war and come back as heroes, with their reaction to the mean that stayed at home viewed as cowards. In ‘FI’ the persuasive technique is used – “When girls line up the street, Shouting their love to the lads come back”. These two lines describe how the returning soldiers are drawing all the attention from the girls. Evidently, the reader is influenced by this example and convinced to sign up for war. Contrasting to this is the girls’ reaction to the men who stayed behind – “When your mate goes by with a grin that cuts you dead”. This illustrates clearly that if you don’t go to war you will be ignored by women and therefore ostracised.
Conversely, although Owen uses women as a device in his poems, he uses them to create a different argument. In ‘D’ the women are clearly disturbed by the disabled man and fear him due to his deformities – “All of them touch him like some queer disease”. Owen also emphasises the fact that going to war decreases your chances of having a future with women – “He will never feel again how slim girls’ waists are, or how warm their subtle hands”. This portrays that women will feel so uneasy around him that he won’t have the chance to have physical contact with them. Furthermore, Owen contrasts the present situation with how the girls’ viewed him before “he threw away his knees”. Prior to his war experience, girls found him handsome – “girls glanced lovelier”. This example shows how coming back from war is not attractive to women and therefore Owen is using the reaction of the women as a sort of warning not to enlist.
It is common in the Jingoists’ poems that they juxtapose the past with the present. Evidently this shows what life will be like in the future if you go to war, compared to life now. Some examples of this are shown in ‘FI’, where men who fight in the war will be praised in the street, women will love them, and they will be seen as heroes.
Opposing this idea, Owen juxtaposes the present to the past. Effectively, this technique shows what life of a disabled soldier would be like if chose not to go to war. For example, adding on to the fact that girls now “touch him like some queer disease”, Owen takes the reader back to the time when the soldier was so young looking and handsome, that an artist had been desperate to paint a picture of him – “There was an artist silly for his face, For it was younger than his youth, last year”. Owen then goes on to describe the present state the soldier remains – “Now he is old; his back will never brace”. This juxtaposition effectively portrays what this particular soldier has lost due to going to war.
Both Owen and Herbert Asquith use colour as a metaphor in their poems. In ‘V’ colour is used to describe the mood of a clerk’s life who didn’t go to war – “Toiling at ledgers in a city grey”. The colour grey is made use of to demonstrate how miserable and mundane the clerk’s life is for not joining the Army.
Dissimilarly, Owen uses colour as a metaphor to describe a soldier’s life after fighting in the war. ‘D’ expresses the disabled man’s mood – “shivered in his ghastly suit of grey”. This portrays how depressed and despondent the man is now that his is now virtually helpless.
In conclusion, it is unambiguous to see that the content of Owen’s poems and style in which he has written them, breaks to a high extent with the Jingoist literary tradition. Although Owen and the Jingoists often use similar techniques and devices in their poem to create messages, they are often producing very different and opposite arguments and conclusions. It is comprehensible that Owen and the Jingoists had very different views on war and issues surrounding the subject by looking at the ways in which they have expressed their views in their poetry. Evidently, it is plain that whilst the Jingoists believed that war was morally correct, and that people who went to war were much higher than those who didn’t, Owen illustrated the true side of the story – that war is grim and many come back crippled or simply do not return at all.
