Wilfred Owens poetry is a medium broadcasting the condemnation of war and its callous capacity to inflict

fatality and render destruction upon its victims. Owen explores such profound notions by inviting and
connecting with the responder at the most basic of levels, that of harrowing human experience. Where
Anthem for Doomed Youth stands as a political critique of the gratuitous sacrifices of war, Dulce Et
Decorum Est disparages the unjustifiable sanctification of war. In similarly powerful fashion, Owen’s
Futility captures his criticism of the propaganda-induced complacency towards the horrors of war. Owen
delivers, through the employment of various stylistic and syntactical devices, his compelling anti-war and
anti-nationalist sentiments, thereby inviting us into unique dimensions and broadening the horizons of our
collective experience.
The inseparable connection between traumatic experiences and psychological trauma inflected on soldiers
shows the callousness of war inleading young men to their inevitable deaths. Owen’s antiwar sentiment
codifies the harrowing experiences of soldiers in his Petrarchan sonnet Anthem for Doomed Youth evoking
an emotional response form the responders. The title bear the word “Anthem” which is highly ironic as
anthem is usually associated with nationalism, it doubles as an extended metaphor showing the paradoxical
connection of “youth” to funeral bells as ‘anthem’ is used to symbolically represent the solemness of
churches. . The diminishing dignity of human life is emphasised by the dehumanising simile in the rhetorical
question, “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” suggesting that the deaths of soldiers are not
acknowledged by funeral bells, but disregarded like the slaughter of livestock. This comparison to cattle
evokes an image of brutality, the commodification of men as “cattle” creates a sense of unease in the
audience which further implies the futile existence of soldiers. Viable insights are imparted by Owen
throughout the poem Anthem for Doomed Youth. The poem insensibility incorporates the ideology of
humanism being extinct, Owen deliberates upon his temperament and ponders upon the validity of the
enforcement of the commonly held western values, which serve to increase and legitimise social
inequalities. The title of the poem defies the pride of society by evoking ostentatious images regarding the
crude fighting conditions of war. The impact of war is said to cause a sense of “insensibility” whereby
individuals become so rendered they can no longer detect the horrors of war, this negative description
challenges the glorification war by highlighting the destruction and animosity of war, which enhances the
audience overall understanding of suffering. The exploration of the reality and horror of war demonstrates
the developed ideas from the use of setting.
The social indifferences created by war inleading young men to behavioural and mental disposition as result of their
duty to serve the ‘honour of their country’. This is shown in the opening lines of the poem insensibility, “Happy
are neb who yet before they are killed/can let their veins run cold” , the metaphoric allusion of “veins
run cold” , shows that soldiers lack oxygen in their blood which is essential for the livelihood of
individuals, this conveys that soldiers lack humanly elements further implying the dehumanisation of
soldiers. This brings to life the harsh condition of war creating, a permeant image of death representing the
loss of vitality of life. Owen draws a sharp contrast between the realties of war and the reaction of soldiers
who have become desensitised, “can laugh among the dying, concerned” the intended use of an active
verb implies the horrors of war which have been comprised by the lack of humanism as soldiers are merely
represented as commodities. Owen expresses, with a vivacity that is uniquely his, the objectification and
commodification of soldiers as result of the putrid conflict, “But cursed are dullards whom no cannon
stuns” the use fatalism creates a permanent image of death which is practically moving to the audience as
the brutal images evoked strike all areas of emotions. Through, insensibility, Owen depicts the
psychological torture the young soldiers endured which moves respondents into an enhanced understanding
of suffering.
The subverting views Owen holds from the romanticised view of the experiences of soldiers in bitter
cynical fashion in the poem Anthem For Doomed Youth affirming the ghastly darkness within war which
has been withheld from society that has consequently contributed to the emergence of “demented choirs”.
The personification accentuates the harsh reality through the plosive‘s’ which reverberates the deathly
realities imposed on soldiers. The use of contrast and rhyme is intentionally used to show the distinction
between war and religion “wailing shells”. The nefarious beliefs and licentious ways of enlisting young
men have contributed to the emergence of “sad shires”. The sibilance accentuates the harsh reality through
the plosive‘s’ which reverberates the deathly realities imposed on soldiers. The futile capacity of war
depicted through by the incoordination response from men creates a permeant sense of disorientation in
individual thoughts, the integration of abstract emotions “monstrous anger of the guns” further implies the
destitute effect of war. Through the poem Anthem for doomed youth, Owen is able to successfully educate
his audience and challenges the propaganda induced compliance to believing the romanticised views of war.
The poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” follows a loose iambic pentameter the deviation from which is intended
to convey the like of structure and routine of war, “coughing like hags” sensory imagery is used to reinforce
the inhumane nature of war .Owen uses his poetry to convey how soldiers are not only lost in war literally
through death, but also how there is an emotional loss involved for all soldiers in war as well. This enables
the respondents to consider the nature of a soldier’s experience, enabling them to deduce the harsh
confronting truth that their role in war was for monetary and empirical expansion as opposed to humanities
betterment. The existential crisis of soldiers is captured in the tri-colon “In all my dreams before my helpless
sight/ He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning” in which the persona’s vitriolic condemnation and
disgust is evident at the government’s betrayal of their people. The experiences presented by Owens draws a
fine line between the plight for freedom and the advancement of warfare invidiously leading individuals to a
permeant scent of death. The experiences conveyed contribute to new found realisation and offer a broader
understanding of human experiences.

The inadequacy and absences of religion in the lives of individuals contribute to their destruction as a
collective body, the inclusion of immeasurable sadness and sorrow reinforces the extent of the futile loss
shown through harrowing experiences displayed in the poem futility. In stanza one the narrator sentiment is
calm and sombre which contrasted by the second stanza which questions the nature of life and the presence
of god. The title “futility” is symbolic of the existential crisis on the western frontier, the questions
associated with religion and philosophy are brought into question. “Move him into the sun, Gently its
touch awoke him once”, Owen critiques the religious justification of war as the imperative command
establishes the authoritative voice of the narrator, speaking directly to the audience. The ‘sun’ is symbolic of
hope and liveliness, Owen is attuned to nature and woke with the sun, even in the unnatural environment of
war: “even in France”, this signifies how religion has the ability to sanctify individuals they rely on the
cloth of faith to remain hopeful during tribulating times of war. Owen represents the loss of opportunities by
longing for the natural beauty of farms. “ At home gently its touch awoke him once” Owen juxtaposes the
tranquillity and beauty of rural England with the hideous battlefields of France, which shows how society is
oblivious to the brutality of war. The poem as a whole extracts sympathy from the audience, evoking a sense
of pity towards both the soldiers and their families who suffered throughout the war.
Consequently, Owen engages the responder extensively through distinct poetic techniques to explore the horror,
hypocrisy, and pity of war. By enhancing the contexts of WWII, Owen’s poems powerfully demonstrate the
dehumanising, desensitising and commodification of soldiers the long term effect of physical and psychological
suffering.