How Does Wilfred Owen Present the Lives of Soldiers in a...

Throughout the duration of this essay I will look to answer the question written above, with the use of Point, Evidence and Explanation, in the subtopics of Interpretation, Structure, Language, Imagery and Personal Response. The poem talks of a gas attack upon an accumulation of soldiers who are fighting in World War I. He sarcastically states that it is ‘sweet and fitting to die for ones country’. Wilfred Owen thought completely different of this, however, and is complexly against the war. He uses very powerful, vivid descriptions, for example, the young soldiers being described as ‘aged by war’. For someone to ‘age’ in a matter of minutes, seconds even, is an astounding thing, most likely referring to the mentality of the soldiers,†¦show more content†¦He castigates all people that believe in the motto â€Å"It is sweet and fitting to die for your country.† The final line is repetition of the title. I deduce that Owen approaches it like a debate. Firstly you are asked whether you believe in the motto. After reading the poem, representing the case against it, you are then asked to vote again, to think about it, and come to a final verdict on whether you believe in it or not. It highlights the irony of the situation. The language used by Owen is very direct. Examples of fatigue are ‘trudge’, ‘men marched asleep’, ‘limped on’, and ‘drunk with fatigue’. Emphasises just how tired the soldiers really were, for example the men marching asleep. They were so used to walking that they could do it asleep as they were that tired. Varying language types included pitiful, reference to age, verbs and stronger language. Examples of pitiful are ‘lame’, ‘all blind’, and ‘deaf’. There is repetition which reinforces the sense of doom and finality which await the victim. ‘Bent double’, ‘like old beggars under sacks’, ‘knock-kneed’, ‘coughing like hags’ are examples of age used similes used by Owen, in all cases the age being dramatically knocked-up. He pities the state in which the soldiers are in. He used many verbs, only some of them being floundering, guttering and fumbl ing. They are all linked with the action of doing something, and that action being one of desperation associated withShow MoreRelatedAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque Essay2406 Words   |  10 Pagestheme is humanity’s need for war. I chose this theme mainly because I thought I could stick to this theme throughout the terms as I enjoy action books especially ones that are based on a true story. I also chose this theme because it is fascinating that war has been around since the beginning of human civilisation to WWI, ‘the war to end all wars’, to WWII (deadliest war of all time) and to present time with conflict in the Middle East. It is thought that 14,500 wars have taken place between 3500