Wilfred Owen - War Poem Essay
How does Wilfred Owen reveal his personal perspective in order to present a view on the challenges of life?
Throughout his poetry, War Poems and Others, Wilfred Owen exposes his prominent opinion on the challenges of life and more specifically war. War is a life-changing obstacle for not only countries but also the men who are forced to go into war and the innocent men, women and children who are forced to be inextricably involved with the devastating outcomes. Owen reveals this idea of the challenges of life from the perspective of those at war or facing the consequences of war. These ideas are reflected through the poems “Disabled”, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young”. These three poems are about a man who has received life long wounds from going into war, the waste of life caused by going into war and the ability of the world leaders to sacrifice their soldiers by sending them into war, respectively. Through the literary techniques of these three poems, Owen continues to disclose his perspective on the life-changing obstacle that is war in regards to the challenges that human beings are confronted with in life.
War is a life-altering event for those directly or indirectly involved. Whether the soldiers die, are wounded or come home with a wounded mind, they will never be the same. Throughout “Disabled” this idea of a life-altering event is revealed in its most literal form, the soldier who returns home with one arm and no legs.
This idea is portrayed through the use of irony “One time he liked a blood-smear down his leg”. This quote refers to his life before the war; in a time where an injury was seen as masculine and tough but now he went into war expecting that same outcome however was confronted with a life changing wound, which he would now prefer to not have encountered. Similarly the repetition of the word “he” is used effectively seen in the quotes “He sat in a wheeled chair” and “before he threw away his
Throughout his poetry, War Poems and Others, Wilfred Owen exposes his prominent opinion on the challenges of life and more specifically war. War is a life-changing obstacle for not only countries but also the men who are forced to go into war and the innocent men, women and children who are forced to be inextricably involved with the devastating outcomes. Owen reveals this idea of the challenges of life from the perspective of those at war or facing the consequences of war. These ideas are reflected through the poems “Disabled”, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young”. These three poems are about a man who has received life long wounds from going into war, the waste of life caused by going into war and the ability of the world leaders to sacrifice their soldiers by sending them into war, respectively. Through the literary techniques of these three poems, Owen continues to disclose his perspective on the life-changing obstacle that is war in regards to the challenges that human beings are confronted with in life.
War is a life-altering event for those directly or indirectly involved. Whether the soldiers die, are wounded or come home with a wounded mind, they will never be the same. Throughout “Disabled” this idea of a life-altering event is revealed in its most literal form, the soldier who returns home with one arm and no legs.
This idea is portrayed through the use of irony “One time he liked a blood-smear down his leg”. This quote refers to his life before the war; in a time where an injury was seen as masculine and tough but now he went into war expecting that same outcome however was confronted with a life changing wound, which he would now prefer to not have encountered. Similarly the repetition of the word “he” is used effectively seen in the quotes “He sat in a wheeled chair” and “before he threw away his