Analysis of Anthem for Doomed Youth Essays -- essays research papers

Wilfred Owen the son of Tom and Susan Owen was born on March 18, 1893, in Oswetry, England. He was educated at the Birkenhead institute and at Shrewbury Technical School. At the age of 17, Owen began to show an interest in arts, and poetry. He worked as a pupil teacher at the Wyle Cop School while he was preparing for his exam to attend the University of London. After he failed the entrance exam he worked as an English teacher in the Berlitz School in Bordeaux. Wilfred Owen was a famous British war poet in World War I. The horrible violence of war turned Owen into a poetic genius. In a two-year period during the war, Owen published only four of his poems, and grew from a negligible minor poet into a famous English-language poet. His poems were antiwar poems of his life in trench warfare. This poem starts off at a quick pace, and then continues to slow down to a solemn and sombre close. Throughout the poem the traditional feel of an elaborate ceremonial army type style funeral is constantly being compared and I believe contrasted to ways in which men died in war. The title ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ , with anthems I see that they are mostly are more associated with love and passion , like with an anthem of a country which talks about how much they love their country. And for this poem title I find it very ironic. I think it is a way which Owen shows how he thought the war was very ridiculous. ‘Anthem’ is a song that is sung in churches by choirs or could mean a celebration. The word ‘Doomed’ it symbolises death and brings to mind the image that the soldiers are on their journey to hell. The word ‘Youth’ is used to remind us that the soldiers were only young men. The opening line ‘What passing bells for these who die a... ...d have no elaborate funeral. The theme in this poem as you can see is: the horror in war and how sad it really is on the front line. Back at home we think that they are fight for the country but when you really think about it they are fight for one person’s belief that we should rage war against the other country. I am happy to know that I will never be on a front line in battle and I don’t intend to be but to all those families out there I really feel your grief and loss because it has happened to me too. My personal opinion about this poem is that is just really amazing especially how he put it together it just fits, and it has so much meaning in each sentence of the poem and as I read it over and over again its really a good poem and he is quite lucky to have a found all this pieces just fit together so perfectly and I cannot wait to start reading more poems.