Wilfred Owen
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- Category: English: Poetic Works
- Date Submitted: 10/01/2014 05:15 PM
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Discuss the relationship between Wilfred Owens use of language and his purpose. Refer to 2 poems.
At the beginning of World War 1, many young men thought it was sweet and honorable to go to war and fight for their country. Wilfred Owen experienced war first hand which gave him the authority to discuss the true horrors of war through his poetry. He uses a variety of language techniques to achieve his purpose of illustrating the brutality of war and its impact on the soldiers, he does this in his poems: Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem For Doomed Youth. The purpose of Owens poem is to show the reader that war was not honorable, it is about the naïve young men who have been both physically and mentally scarred.
Wilfred Owen shows his hatred toward war successfully with the use of descriptive language. Owens tone of description is clearly shown in the first line “bent double, like old beggars under sacks” beginning his poem by telling the reader of how the war has dehumanized young men. By incorporating this dreadful image Owen clearly emphasizes his purpose to tell the reader the hardships of war and what a difficult situation it was to be in. He strengthens his personal opinion in the second quote about the soldier’s physical state, “knock kneed, coughing like hags”. This is a contrast to what soldier’s physical well-being was before enrollment, fit, young and healthy compared to now where the men have been left physically and emotionally weary. The reader gains the understanding through strong visual images created that war was neither sweet nor honorable, it was a hurtful event leaving everyone involved in war being affected and scarred for life.
Another language technique used in Wilfred Owens poem is symbolism. Owen uses symbolism to portray the war as a terrible and life diminishing event. The symbol of “sleep” is used as an extended metaphor throughout this poem to show that not only were the horrors of war occurred when the events took place, but the...
At the beginning of World War 1, many young men thought it was sweet and honorable to go to war and fight for their country. Wilfred Owen experienced war first hand which gave him the authority to discuss the true horrors of war through his poetry. He uses a variety of language techniques to achieve his purpose of illustrating the brutality of war and its impact on the soldiers, he does this in his poems: Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem For Doomed Youth. The purpose of Owens poem is to show the reader that war was not honorable, it is about the naïve young men who have been both physically and mentally scarred.
Wilfred Owen shows his hatred toward war successfully with the use of descriptive language. Owens tone of description is clearly shown in the first line “bent double, like old beggars under sacks” beginning his poem by telling the reader of how the war has dehumanized young men. By incorporating this dreadful image Owen clearly emphasizes his purpose to tell the reader the hardships of war and what a difficult situation it was to be in. He strengthens his personal opinion in the second quote about the soldier’s physical state, “knock kneed, coughing like hags”. This is a contrast to what soldier’s physical well-being was before enrollment, fit, young and healthy compared to now where the men have been left physically and emotionally weary. The reader gains the understanding through strong visual images created that war was neither sweet nor honorable, it was a hurtful event leaving everyone involved in war being affected and scarred for life.
Another language technique used in Wilfred Owens poem is symbolism. Owen uses symbolism to portray the war as a terrible and life diminishing event. The symbol of “sleep” is used as an extended metaphor throughout this poem to show that not only were the horrors of war occurred when the events took place, but the...