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| English literature notes |
Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen...Summary
The famous poem "Anthem for Doomed Youth" is written in 1917 by Wilfred Owen. It is in the form of a sonnet. This poem is the description of war and its effect on the people. The poet describes the funeral ritual for the people who were affected by the first world war. The poem is a mourning for soldiers who have lost their lives in the war. This poem throws light on the sorrow of the soldiers in some of the bloody battles. The poet also describes the sorrow of the families in whose relatives have lost their lives in the bloody battles. The title of the poem means the song sung for the dead soldiers in the war. Thus the theme of this poem is the horror of war.The poet expresses his sorrow for the soldiers who have lost their lives in the first world war. Here the meaning of the word 'anthem' in the title is a song sung for the nation. It is a song for celebrating national events. Basically, It is a war poem related to the situations of war and soldiers. The poet wrote this poem when he was taking treatment for shell shock in a Scottish hospital.
He wrote this poem in 1917. After it, he was killed in a fight next year. The poet was against the war. He focused on the negative aspects of war. According to the poet, the deaths of a young man during the war is like mass slaughter of animals. The sonnet is mostly related to love and romance but here the poet chooses it for a different reason. This poem is not a love sonnet like another sonnet. It is a war poem. Another main point in this poem is the poet's disliking for war. According to him, the war is not important for the welfare of the country. Then he says that the soldiers who are killed in a war in such a fierce way are not good for the nation.
The poet says that the death of so many soldiers is terrible for all mankind. The poem raises the question on the need for war and its result. The poet asks why countries are not aware of the result of war and it's afterwards circumstances . The countries should not ignore the problems and sorrows of people who are killed in a war. The poem throws light beautifully on the contrast between the violent and frantic reality of the battle and the peaceful atmosphere of the Church rituals.
Poem explanation
The poet here describes the importance of church bells on the death of a person. In the Christian tradition, a church bell is a bell rung in a church for different ceremonies as a wedding, funeral and other occasions. Like this, the church bell is also rung for a funeral service. The poet says that when someone dies the church bells are rung on his death but when soldiers die in a war, what sound is there to mark their deaths. Here poet wants to clarify that the people die in a war like cattle because there are no singing bells of the church to mark their deaths at war. This is very disrespectful for them. No church bells are rung for them. They seem to the poet like animals dying in the field of war. The poet uses religious imagery to clear his view of the deaths of soldiers.The poet throws light on the negative aspects of war. He says that the soldiers are killed with cruelty in the battles. Is it good for them to be killed there like animals? The phrase "Passing bells" means here the church bells ringing on the funeral ceremony to mark the death of someone and "die as cattle" means that people who are slaughtered mercilessly all at once. The poet uses the word "cattle" for the soldiers. It means that a group of animals is called cattle. But here in this poem, the poet uses the word cattle for a group of soldiers because they all are killed mercilessly at once. The second line "only the monstrous anger of guns" is used for the bad effect of the guns in the war. Actually, it is opposite to the church bells which rings in the church on the death of someone.The poet wants to say that no church bell is rung on the death of soldiers but they face the demonic anger of guns on the battlefield. It means that the angry sound of the guns is the cause of the death of soldiers on the battlefield. Poet further says that the fast noise of the stammering guns is the prayer for the dead soldiers. The poet means to say that the fire and the noise of the guns on the battlefield seem like the prayer for the soldiers who are dying in the battlefield.
The poet throws light on the deaths of soldiers that is very quick and not a natural death. It means that they do not die a natural death like other people. Before it, the poet compares the dead soldiers to the dead animals and here the poet compares the prayer of the church to the noise of guns on the battlefield.The poet is against the war. It seems that the stammering guns are singing prayer or psalms for the dead soldiers. Here it is a very serious matter related to the war that the consequences of war are really significant or not. The deaths of so many soldiers are really reasonable or not. We all should think here about it. Are the deaths of many people in a war is compulsory or not. The poet personifies the rifles here. The poet says that these rifles give tribute to the dead soldiers on the battlefield.
The poet further says that there is no tribute for dead soldiers. Those soldiers deserve a special burial, after all, they save our lives from enemies. But this is like a joke for them that we do not give them at least a respected burial which they really deserve for their sacrifices. There are no ringing bells, no special prayers to calm their soul. It is not only shameful for us but also a terrible thing that they lose their lives like cattle on the battlefield. This is like a joke on their valuable life. The poet here criticizes the wars and battles. The poet further says that there is no condolence given to the dead soldiers on their death in the battlefield. But the noise of guns seems to the poet like the sound of funeral singers who sing on the death of someone. Here the poet wants to clarify that the yelling guns tribute to the soldiers like funeral singers in the battlefield. Here poet compares the group of funeral singers to the noise of shells.
There is a strange situation at war where no church bells, no singers, no psalms give tribute to the dying soldiers but the yelling of shells, noise of guns give the tribute to the soldier on their deaths. Here the poet uses the word choirs. It means a group of singers who sing sad songs at the funeral of someone. The poet further uses the word bugles. Bugle means an instrument made with brass. It looks simple and is used in the army and military. It looks like a small trumpet. It is played at the funerals of soldiers to give them tribute. The poet says that bugles are played at some near village to give the tribute to the soldiers while their burial or funeral. Now the poet further says that there is no candle burnt for the soldiers. Actually, when somebody dies, people light the candles in the memory of a died person to give him special tribute or respect but here no candle is burnt on the death of soldiers to give them peace.
It is very shameful for us that we can not give them tribute even through lighting the candles in their memory. The poet says that candles are not in the hands but the light is burning in the eyes of their sons and family. There is a light of anger or sorrow in the eyes of soldiers' sons and family members. Lighting candles is a ritual in which candles are lighted in the memory of dead persons. The poet further says that the pure light is shining in the eyes of family of the dead soldiers. They are very sad about the death of their close one. The poet compares holy shine to the tears falling down from the eyes of the sons of soldiers. They say goodbye to their dearest ones forever.
