Wilfred Owens Poetry

English ETE tables and notes for assessment task 1
Main Ideas:
- Futility of war
- Propaganda vs. reality
- Brutality of war
Supporting ideas:
- Hideous nature of death
- Loss of innocence and life
- Pre mature deaths

Anthem for doomed youth
Subject matter: meaningless slaughter of troops doing dirty work for the government and how they do not receive proper funeral rights
Example Technique Effect Idea, issue, theme, notion
‘’ Anthem for doomed youth’’ Irony
Assonance
Oxymoron Ironically uses this to convey the loss of a whole generation of youth due to war.
Along with assonance which sets the tone as negative and makes the audience aware of the horror of war. -loss of innocence and life
-Truth of propaganda
-Propaganda vs. reality
-Reality of war
-pre mature death
‘’what passing bells for those who die as cattle?’’ Rhetorical question
Simile
Suggests the deaths were seen as significant, creating very graphic images of men being slaughtered at an attempt to dehumanise the soldiers, illustrating the wasteful deaths of war to shock the audience and bring forth emotions of sympathy and sadness -lack of reverence
-loss of innocence and life
-futility of war
‘’each slow dusk a drawing –down of blinds’’ Metaphor
Symbolism
Alliteration Metaphorically this expresses the end of another futile day of battle and the mourning of the soldiers loved ones back at home, but also symbolises the end of life for the young soldiers who have died. The depression sound of the ‘’d’’ letter reflects the sadness for the young boys who lost their lives -Loss of innocence and lives
-futility of war
-mourning of lost ones
-Reality of war
-pre mature death
‘’what candles may be held to speed them all’’ Symbolism This symbolises the sad loss of such young men and emphasises the idea of lack of funeral rights. Subsequently suggesting that we need to be sad not just for the dead soldier but also for their