WILFRED OWEN

 

Wilfred Owen was born in Shropshire on 18th March 1983. He was the son of a railway worker and was educated at schools in Shrewsbury and Liverpool. Owen was encouraged to write poetry from an early age by his devoted mother. He couldn't afford university education, so decided to go abroad to teach English in France. Owen volunteered for the Army in 1914 when the First World War broke out. After training he became an officer and was sent to France at the end of 1916, seeing service first in the Somme sector. The following year, Owen took part in the attacks on the German Hindenburg Line near St Quentin. When a huge shell burst near him, he was shell-shocked and sent back to England.

 

1)      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Owen

The horrors of battle quickly transformed Owen and the way he thought about life. He was treated in Craig Lockhart hospital in Edinburgh. Doctors there specialized in shell shock and it was a terrible experience for Owen, who spent hours surrounded by other distressed patients. Patients were encouraged to return to their pre-war interests, so Owen decided to look over his old poems and begin writing new ones. Owen was very impressed with Sassoon's poetry, and when Sassoon arrived at the hospital in August 1917, Wilfred Owen decided to meet him. Sassoon encouraged Owen in his poetry, telling him to 'Sweat your guts out writing poetry.' Sassoon offered help and guidance when Owen began to write new poems based around his war experiences. It was under the influence of Sassoon that Owen began capturing his vivid visions of the war in the form of poetry.

A number of Owen's poems are now very famous and Owen has done a lot to prevent the reading public from being persuaded that death in battle is 'sweet and decourus.' 

 2)http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr559f/03-04-wt2/projects/s_davidson/PDFDocuments/DulceWriting.pdf

 

 

Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

3) http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dulce_et_Decorum_est

 

Arguably his most famous poem, 'Dulce est Decorum est' is an example of a poem written through his own eyes, based on his own experiences and views of the war. He uses vivid and graphic imagery to give the reader the exact feeling that he wanted. Exact diction emphasises his point, showing that war is terrible and devastating. Consequently, this poem conveys a strong meaning and persuasive argument. This poem uses four stanzas and an alternate rhyming line scheme.

'Dulce est decorum est pro patria mori' is a quotation from the Latin poet Horace, meaning 'It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.' During the First World War, countries made use of chemical warfare: mustard gas reacted with the water in the breather's lungs and effectively dissolved them.

 

4) http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/regeneration/answers/quoteexp_5.html

 

The effect of the use of these gasses was horrific. In this poem Owen discusses an incident in which a soldier dies because of gas.

In the first stanza the pace is very slow and a painstaking rhythm is established through Owen's use of heavy, long words. This illustrates how painstaking and slow the war was.

The first clause 'Bent double,' is a hyperbole which creates the impression of extreme exhaustion and the image that is conveyed is that the soldiers have no energy left and are in excruciating agony. Additionally it suggests that the men are struggling with the extreme weight of their bags. It highlights the point that they are very hunched over as they are so physically fatigued. 'Like beggars under sacks' is a simile that illustrates that the men have no dignity left. It conjures the image of very dirty, disgustingly vile tramps, who have a nauseating stench. The way that Owen captures the appearance of
the soldiers as cripples makes them seem distant to us, and the disjointed, monotonous way they are seen echoes this group of men, their disorderly fashion and their dull, repetitive journey.

 

5) http://www.answers.com/topic/dulce-et-decorum-est

The terrible physical condition that faces these men is illustrated with the line 'Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge.' The alliterative 'Knock-kneed' slows and dulls down the tempo greatly. The simile compares the soldiers' physical condition to that of witches. The image created is of very old, wrinkled women slowly
stumbling through the thick mud. It highlights the revolting, phlegmy cough that the soldiers have as they are so critically ill. By using 'cursed', the image created is that the soldiers were struggling, desperately unhappy and exhausted.

The word 'trudge' is an onomatopoeia used to emphasise the fact that the pace is tremendously slow, creating the impression that the men have little strength or stamina left. Additionally, it portrays the image that it takes a lot of effort for them to move.

'Men marched asleep, many had lost their boots,' uses both alliteration and a hyperbole to illustrate how immensely exhausted they were as they probably had not slept for months. Furthermore, it suggests that they are in a horrific condition and are facing extreme and excruciating pain.

'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.

 

6) http://blogs.salon.com/0002090/2005/04/12.html

'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.

 

7) http://www.english.emory.edu/LostPoets/Dulce.html

'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 humanshould 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.

 

8) http://www.eliteskills.com/c/1807

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.

 

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.

 

 9) http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Owen.htm