The Sentry CEL Key Words

Set in the trenches of the First World War, Wilfred Owen’s powerful war poem, ‘The Sentry’ tells of the poet’s horrific experience during an offensive into an enemy trench. The poet paints a vivid picture of this horrible situation, and Owen’s skilful use of poetic techniques such as onomatopoeia and alliteration underlines his message that there is nothing glorious, or noble, about war. Owen is obviously scarred by the experience, and the purpose of the poem is to remind the younger generations of the tremendous, sordid suffering the men endured.

During an enemy attack. Owen and his fellow solders are caught in an enemy trench, attempting to shield themselves from German explosions. Shells are raining down on the trench, and eventually, after one of the explosions, a sentry is thrown back into the trench, blinded by the force of the blast. Too busy at the time to do more than briefly examine the sentry, Owen finds that later he cannot rid his mind of the horrific images of the suffering of the soldiers.

Owen vividly describes his experience using a variety of poetic techniques. For example,the devastating noise and conditions of war are reinforced by the use of onomatopoeia. Owen regularly refers to “whiz-bangs”, which are light shells. He uses the term mainly to demonstrate the noise of the shell squealing through the air, before eventually exploding. Owen also speaks of shells which, “Hammered on top.” This indicates the relentless noise of the ammunition, drumming intensely on the roof of the dugout. In the final verse, Owen writes that, “crumps / Pummelled the roof.” This illustrates the tremendous force of crumbling metal repeatedly battering on the roof. Owen also mentions, “the shrieking air.” This creates a sense of hysteria. He later writes of “Rain guttering down”, which suggests a heavy flow of water. These vivid memories give the reader an insight as to how terrible war was.

Owen also uses alliteration to convey the horror of the trenches. He portrays the general murkiness within the dugout by speaking of “mud in ruck on ruck.” The poet reveals his abhorrence for the disgusting abundance of mud, seeping into every crevice. Owen also says that, “Rain … choked the steps too thick with clay to climb.” This phrase is particularly effective because of the repeated use of the letter ‘c’. This makes the sentence awkward to say, mirroring the difficulty the men faced while trying to scale the slippery steps. Owen also speaks of the constant buzz of noise in the trench when he mentions shouting, “Through the dense din.” Owen is recalling the incessant sound of the shells inside the dugout. His frequent use of alliteration describes the noise and the physical appearance of the trench and illustrates his extreme loathing for his living conditions.

The poet adds to this vivid picture by describing the smells he experienced. Owen uses the phrase, “the smell of men / Who’d lived there years,” to identify the sickening, putrid odours he endured. The poet suggests that the smell was partially due to rotting corpses, and also the lingering stench of the previous German inhabitants. Owen is clearly disgusted by the smells he recreates in this stanza. Owen also writes, “What murk of air remained stank old, and sour with fumes of whiz-bangs.” He mentions this to make the reader imagine the scarcity of clean air. He also suggests that the air there war thick with grime. The aroma of exploded shells also added to the smell, giving it a sour tinge. Owen goes into detail about the various odours to inform the reader of the vile environment the men were forced to live in daily.

The poet’s choice of words evokes the terrible suffering of the men. Owen remembers, “There we herded from the blast.” This dehumanises the men and the word ‘herded’ in particular, has connotations of animals. This also implies that the men are broken down, and have been degraded to mere creatures, no longer people. Owen also writes, “Those other wretches, how they bled and spewed.” This depicts the men as unfortunate people, in a dire situation. The sentence dehumanises the men once more, and suggests uncontrollable vomiting. The whole phrase causes the reader to sympathise with soldiers. The poet also speaks frequently of the sentry, who was severely injured during an explosion. During thissection, Owen writes movingly about how the sentry’s injured eyes, “watch my dreams still.” Surprisingly he adds “ … but I forgot him then.” This suggests that Owen had to try to ignore the injured man, and fulfil his duties as a soldier regardless. This shows the brutalising effects of war. In the final verse, the author claims, “I try not to remember these things now.” This indicates that the image of the sentry haunts him, and he is obviously deeply affected by the occurrence. This also shows that Owen is unable to forget his war experience. The way in which the poet phrases his thoughts accentuates the atrocities of war, and also the psychological damage it causes.