Wilfred Owen's poem, Anthem for Doomed Youth

Wilfred Owen's poem, "Anthem for Doomed Youth" (1917), is a sensitive expression of the sadness and futility which arise as a result of the death of young men on the battlefield. This theme stemmed from Owen's own experiences as a soldier on the frontlines during World War One. In order to express his theme, Owen mixes the sad, calm images of a funeral with the chaotic, explosive images of a battle. The poem was written in the form of an Italian Sonnet, and thus it has fourteen lines which are divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The rhyme scheme of the poem is a/b/a/b/c/d/c/d/e/f/f/e/g/g. As in most sonnets, the rhythm of "Anthem for Doomed Youth" is based on the accents and pauses of iambic pentameter. In other words, each line has five beats, and each beat utilizes the pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Owen makes effective use of this traditional format in order to create a musical rhythm, which enhances the overall effect of the poem.

More striking than Owen's use of rhythm, however, is his use of imagery to convey the tragic sense of death in wartime. The first part of the poem, the octave, places emphasis on the use of auditory images. Thus, the sounds of rattling guns, wailing shells and bugles (as heard in warfare) are compared with the sounds of prayers, bells and choirs (as heard in a funeral procession). The second section, the sestet, switches from the use of auditory imagery to that of vis

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words of the poem often have connotations which go beyond their literal, denotative meanings. This can not be seen, for example, in the figure of speech "die as cattle" which occurs in the first line. This phrase indicates that the young soldiers dying in the war are like cattle being sent to the slaughter. This expresses not only the futility and hopelessness of the war, but also the insensitivity of the politicians and military leaders who are responsible for allowing young men to be "slaughtered" in such a way. There are several other interesting word choices to be found in "Anthem for Doomed Youth." For example, in Line 5, it is claimed that no "mockeries" will be held for the boys who die on the battlefield. This word is used as if it were part of a funeral ritual, like a prayer, choir, bell or orison. The literal meaning of the word "mockery," however, is that of ridiculing another person. As such, the word has connotative meaning in Owen's poem because it indicates that it is a mockery of youth to send them off to die "as cattle" in a war. Yet another interesting word choice can be seen in the use of "wailing" in Line 7. This word is used to describe the sound of falling shells; however, it also serves to reflect

Category: Literature - W