The Next WarWar's a joke for me and you, While we know such dreams are true. Siegfried Sassoon ~~~~~~ Out there, we've walked quite friendly up to Death, -- Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland, -- Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand. We've sniffed the green thick odour of his breath, -- Our eyes wept, but our courage didn't writhe. He's spat at us with bullets and he's coughed Shrapnel. We chorused when he sang aloft, We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe. Oh, Death was never enemy of ours! We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum. No soldier's paid to kick against His powers. We laughed, — knowing that better men would come, And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags He wars on Death, for lives; not men, for flags |
Listen to the Poem |
The Form of the Poem - a sonnet
Analysis
![Picture](/uploads/3/7/2/6/37263797/1434084068.png?250)
Wilfred Owen uses the poem to express the futility of war – its pointless waste, and the meaningless nature of the sacrifices being made by the soldiers. For what? For flags! Pfft. He uses the poem’s imagery to undermine the ideas of heroism and patriotism pushed by the propaganda back home in England. He manages to condemn the leaders who have sent the soldiers into war, while still emphasising the bravery and perseverance of the soldiers who understand the truth but have no alternative but to fight.
Owen begins by personifying “Death” as a friendly figure: “…we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death”. But there is an ugly undertone in the text, undermining this supposed camaraderie. The imagery of the “spilling mess tins in our hand” is a metaphor for the blood spilled on the battlefield and the “green thick odour of his breath” represents the thick green gas used in the war. The personification amplifies the imagery and gives it a more sinister, malevolent feel. We are meant to feel that these men have aligned themselves with a rather evil friend – messy, with bad breath and filthy habits.
The focus of the second quatrain of the sonnet is revealed in its opening line, “Our eyes wept, but our courage didn’t writhe”. The choice of the verb,’ writhe’ emphasises the distasteful nature of the friendship and the soldiers’ courage in the face of this distaste. The imagery becomes more active as Owen uses short assonance and plosive consonance to create a staccato rhythm in “He’s spat at us with bullets”. The effect is to mimic the sounds of the rifle fire on the front lines and sustain the personification of the first quatrain of the poem. The final statement, “We chorused when he sang aloft, / We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe” emphasises the courage of the men who sing and whistle as they face death. The “scythe” brings the image of personified death into stark clarity as the Grim Reaper. (A scythe is the cutting tool carried by the grim reaper).
At the beginning of the second stanza, Owen uses an exclamation in “Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!” to create an almost jaunty (happy-go-lucky) tone. He goes on to explore the depth of the soldiers’ relationship with death, claiming to have not only “laughed” with death, but to have ‘leagued’ with him. This suggests that the men actually assisted Death, plotting and planning with him. In “old chum” the jaunty tone shifts slightly as the reader begins to suspect some kind of sarcasm or bitterness lies beneath the words.
Owen’s own authorial voice steps in as he observes that “No soldier's paid to kick against His powers.” Here he means that it is not the soldier’s job to fight death – in fact he’s just shown us that he works with death – not a very heroic or morally ‘good’ thing to do. The repetition of “We laughed” emphasises that there is no joy in the soldier’s humour. He is laughing bitterly at the futility and stupidity of this war. He dreams of “better men” – real heroes and “greater wars” fought for something good and meaningful.
Owen uses his rhyming couplet in “…when each proud fighter brags / He wars on Death, for lives; not men, for flags” to state his main idea and stress the bitterness of his tone. Owen means here that “better men” would fight against death – that is a “greater war”, a more worthwhile pursuit. In contrast, in this war, the soldiers work with death kill men for their countries’ glory, symbolised by the meaningless “flags”. The final words emphasise Owen’s contempt for this war’s futility as he rounds his poem off with the powerful rhyming couplet.
Don’t say it in an essay, but the rhyming couplet makes the poem end with a bang!
Owen begins by personifying “Death” as a friendly figure: “…we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death”. But there is an ugly undertone in the text, undermining this supposed camaraderie. The imagery of the “spilling mess tins in our hand” is a metaphor for the blood spilled on the battlefield and the “green thick odour of his breath” represents the thick green gas used in the war. The personification amplifies the imagery and gives it a more sinister, malevolent feel. We are meant to feel that these men have aligned themselves with a rather evil friend – messy, with bad breath and filthy habits.
The focus of the second quatrain of the sonnet is revealed in its opening line, “Our eyes wept, but our courage didn’t writhe”. The choice of the verb,’ writhe’ emphasises the distasteful nature of the friendship and the soldiers’ courage in the face of this distaste. The imagery becomes more active as Owen uses short assonance and plosive consonance to create a staccato rhythm in “He’s spat at us with bullets”. The effect is to mimic the sounds of the rifle fire on the front lines and sustain the personification of the first quatrain of the poem. The final statement, “We chorused when he sang aloft, / We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe” emphasises the courage of the men who sing and whistle as they face death. The “scythe” brings the image of personified death into stark clarity as the Grim Reaper. (A scythe is the cutting tool carried by the grim reaper).
At the beginning of the second stanza, Owen uses an exclamation in “Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!” to create an almost jaunty (happy-go-lucky) tone. He goes on to explore the depth of the soldiers’ relationship with death, claiming to have not only “laughed” with death, but to have ‘leagued’ with him. This suggests that the men actually assisted Death, plotting and planning with him. In “old chum” the jaunty tone shifts slightly as the reader begins to suspect some kind of sarcasm or bitterness lies beneath the words.
Owen’s own authorial voice steps in as he observes that “No soldier's paid to kick against His powers.” Here he means that it is not the soldier’s job to fight death – in fact he’s just shown us that he works with death – not a very heroic or morally ‘good’ thing to do. The repetition of “We laughed” emphasises that there is no joy in the soldier’s humour. He is laughing bitterly at the futility and stupidity of this war. He dreams of “better men” – real heroes and “greater wars” fought for something good and meaningful.
Owen uses his rhyming couplet in “…when each proud fighter brags / He wars on Death, for lives; not men, for flags” to state his main idea and stress the bitterness of his tone. Owen means here that “better men” would fight against death – that is a “greater war”, a more worthwhile pursuit. In contrast, in this war, the soldiers work with death kill men for their countries’ glory, symbolised by the meaningless “flags”. The final words emphasise Owen’s contempt for this war’s futility as he rounds his poem off with the powerful rhyming couplet.
Don’t say it in an essay, but the rhyming couplet makes the poem end with a bang!
Questions on the Poem
1. a) Find examples of personification in the first stanza of the poem.
b) What is being personified?
c) Explain the effect of the personification
2. Describe the real events or images associated with each of the following metaphors:
a) "spilling mess tins in our hands"
b) "the green thick odour of his breath"
c) "spat at us with bullets"
d) "coughed shrapnel"
e) "shaved us with his scythe"
3. a) What is the attitude of the soldiers to death on the battlefield?
b) Which words or phrases convey these ideas?
4. Why has an exclamation mark been used in the first line of the second stanza?
5. a) How has the relationship between the men and Death been represented in the first two lines of the second stanza? Include supporting evidence
b) How does this differ to the way the relationship is represented in the first stanza?
6. Explain the meaning and effect of the final rhyming couplet.
7. Find two examples of the ways Owen has used sound to enhance his imagery and/or the meaning of the poem. Explain the effects of these sound techniques.
b) What is being personified?
c) Explain the effect of the personification
2. Describe the real events or images associated with each of the following metaphors:
a) "spilling mess tins in our hands"
b) "the green thick odour of his breath"
c) "spat at us with bullets"
d) "coughed shrapnel"
e) "shaved us with his scythe"
3. a) What is the attitude of the soldiers to death on the battlefield?
b) Which words or phrases convey these ideas?
4. Why has an exclamation mark been used in the first line of the second stanza?
5. a) How has the relationship between the men and Death been represented in the first two lines of the second stanza? Include supporting evidence
b) How does this differ to the way the relationship is represented in the first stanza?
6. Explain the meaning and effect of the final rhyming couplet.
7. Find two examples of the ways Owen has used sound to enhance his imagery and/or the meaning of the poem. Explain the effects of these sound techniques.
Analysis Task
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