Wilfred Owen is Anti-War
By Cianan Thomson
Silhouetted against the backdrop of his own experiences as a soldier, Wilfred Owen’s anthology “The War Poems” elucidates the brutality of World War 1 and its corrosive effects on those involved. Owen’s acerbic depictions and horrific imagery aim to depict the truth of war and condemn those who romanticised its violent battlefield. Owen’s detestation towards war is emphasised through his description of the suffering and dehumanization of the soldiers. Additionally, he uses his anthology to slander the British government who has sent innocent soldiers to their deaths. Moreover, Owen criticises those who stay at home, unaware of the true horrors and devastations of war. Ultimately, Owen endeavours to expose the true barbarity of the “Great War” and evoke a sense of tragedy in his British readers whom were previously deceived by poets of the day who glorify war and the dying for one’s nation.
Owen’s collection of War Poems explores the suffering of the soldiers by likening their treatment to the ruthless handling of livestock. In his poem, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, Owen illustrates the soldiers as “[those] who die as cattle”. By likening the soldiers to cattle who are slaughtered by the masses, Owen depicts the vast casualties of war and the little mercy they receive for their death. Owen’s animal-related simile effectively dehumanises the soldiers, portraying their lives as valueless in the context of war. The soldier’s anonymity is maintained through referring to them as “them” and “their”. Owen utilises these nameless descriptions in order to emphasise the inhumanity of war. This also demonstrates that the soldier’s casualties were so numerous that their names and identities were insignificant. Owen’s poem, “The Send Off” also addresses the lack of humanity the soldier’s received through detailing their mistreatment prior to their departure. Owen illustrates that rather than entering the train’s carriages, the soldiers were led “to the siding shed”, a place where the livestock were loaded onto the trains. Through this, Owen subtly implies that the soldiers were directed into a cattle shed, where they would then be sent off to their slaughter. Moreover, Owen describes the men “[lining] the train”; suggesting that they were herded into a line, as cattle are driven by sheep into a desired position. Through Owen’s comparison to soldiers as mere cattle he displays them as dehumanised men of little worth. Thus, their deaths are comparative to the nameless and merciless death of livestock.