Scholarly source assignment

The three scholarly articles that focus on the poetics of violence are Anthem for a Doomed Youth, Dulce Et Decorum Est and Parable of the Young. All these poems are by Wilfred Owen. The poem Anthem for a Doomed Youth is about sad songs that honor the children that will die on a brutal war. As the poem continues, Owen ascertains that there is no honor or glory in death. This poem portrays the sorrows and the fear that is always associated with the thought of war. The thought of war and violence brings the picture of death to most people. Owen centers on the theme of death that is caused by wars in the battlefield. He also centers on the theme of mourning for the lost loved ones due to these deaths. Mostly, he concentrates on the young lives. The poem portrays the insignificance of the lives of the adolescents who die in these battles. This poem portrays great condemnation on the effects of war. The author believes that war brings great rage and destroys many people’s lives. This poem focuses on violence. These wars lead to violence (Vagabond Scholars, “The War Poetry of Wilfred Owen”).

The main themes in this poem are sorrow, death and violence. The poet uses diction to stress on the importance of the immortality of death on the battlefield. The author believes that when the youth die in the battlefield, their lives go to a waste. He also uses the word anthem, which is always used when honoring someone. In addition, the title of the poem is ironic since it creates a musical impression but then, the readers only realize it to be about the doomed youth who lose their live in the battlefield. The young people that experience the life of violence are unlucky. The youths are killed like animals in the battlefield then honored by the “monstrous anger of the guns” (1, 2). The poet ascertains that even if they decided to pray before their deaths in the battlefield, their prayers cannot overcome the cruel reality that comes with death. In addition, the sounds in the battlefield are always unpleasant ones (Lawrence, 33).

Owen’s focuses on making the readers to understand the lack of harmonic music in the act of war. The aftermath is always as sad as everyone mourns the loss of his or her loved ones. Owen portrays a bitter tone towards war. The tone of the poem is a bitter and angry one since the poet has a negative attitude towards war. In the first eight lines of the poem, the poet gives a picture of death. These are the anger of the guns, funeral prayers and many more. These death images have been personified. These images contribute in the portrayal of the violence and deaths caused by war. The poet makes the readers to see images that further stresses on the destructive nature of war. These images also portray imagery on war in the battlefield. The prayers and passing bells portray the importance of the human life. He believes that even prayers cannot save the human life that he renders to be too precious (Applewhite, 55).

The poet uses similes and metaphors to make the poem more understandable to the readers. He compares to the young people’s death to those of cattle. He means that the young people are being treated in an inhuman way. He explains that they are being slaughtered like cattle in the battlefield. Therefore, he ascertains their lives to be worthless. Therefore, according to the poet, violence makes people to be treated in a less human way. In line two, the word anger portrays the destructive nature of war. Juxtaposition is also evident in the poem. The author portrays the war and the church image to stress on the seriousness of the deaths of the boys. He also uses visual images that he tries to inflict in the reader’s minds in order to make them understand the seriousness of the death of the youths.

Works cited

Applewhite, James. Selected Poems. Durham, N.C: Duke University Press, 2005. Web. 23 July 2012

Lawrence, Bruce B, and Aisha Karim. On Violence: A Reader. Durham [NC: Duke University Press, 2007. web. 23 July 2012.

Vagabond Scholars, “The War Poetry of Wilfred Owen”, blogspot.com. 11 November 2009. Web. 23 July 2012