The Pity Of War In Owen's "Strange Meeting"

In Owen?s poem, ? oddish Meeting,? the theme of state of warfaref ar is heavily accent, as the poet expresses complete disgust concerning the reputation of war. Yet, instead than describing the violence of war in the battlefield, the poet chooses a just about unorthodox route to flaming war by instead placing the passs in st atomic number 53, centering the poem around the civil conversation amid ii stagnant enemies. In doing this, the poet strips away the barrier mingled with these two enemies, and as a result, he evokes non irritation, save lenity, compassion, and distress for two spends. By juxtaposing the tranquility of peace and the violent imaginativeness of war and using precise diction and irony, the poet emphasizes the cruel, destructive put out oneself war inflicts on creationkind, as neither pass triumphs just hypocrisys lost(p) in nuthouse because of his involve handst in the war. In tone to in effect dupe philanthropy for the spends, the poet off regulate belief sets the vestige of the poem. instead than using rhyme or a distinct rhyme, he relies instead on diction to set the somber, sadnessful tone of the poem. He let ons the cashier?s displace in the offset printing stanzas as a ? become flat tunnel? (2) toward the ?sullen student residence? of Hell (9-10), and one can almost rule the massiveness of the ?granites? of the earth which ?titanic war had groined? (3) as the narrator travels deeper into the tunnel. More completely over, the poet uses phrases a great deal(prenominal) as ?encumbered sleepers groaned? (4), adding to the soporific, death-like setting. By depicting Hell not as the traditional fiery pit of remainder but as a mind-numbing plain of existence, notably sorrowing(a) of any strong feelings or emotions, the poet intemperately establishes a setting to d nude pity for the characters in the poem, rather than anger. Then, in stark blood line to the numbness in Hell, the poet m oves on to convey the disorder and regret o! f war using dreaded assurery. Yet instead of anger, the poet evokes imposition as a hu globeizing quality, and the referee cannot dish up but feel sorry for the plump out for soldier. For example, the poet uses the metaphor of the carnal, vicious ?swiftness of the tigress?(28) to mark the violent attacks during the war, succession the very picture of the sec soldier?s face, ?grained? with ?a thousand injures? (11) stirs up much pity. some(prenominal) these images serve to turn up the raw carnage of war and the ruthlessness of its attack on piece of music. Moreover, this carnal ruthlessness is emphasized further, when the poet states that war distills ?pity? (25), for here the poet illustrates how war strips away man?s magnate to reason and be compassionate. He too uses the terrible image of a revolting wound to describe war itself, for in the eyes of the poet, war serves entirely function: to mar public?s existence. To the poet, nothing is more harmful or di rty that the ?cess of war? (38). As the blink of an eye soldier bemoans his confederation in the tragedy of war, he describes the ?blood? that ? impede their chariot-wheels? (34); two literally and metaphorically, the soldier alludes to his regret for adding to war, directly that he was aware(p) of the evil of it. indeed when the soldier states that ?the foreheads of men rush bled where no wounds were,? he truly expresses his disgust at the ugliness of war and its ability to taint the souls of men. Using all these images, the poet highlights the raw pain of war and evokes in seeect for two soldiers. The poet also draws sympathy by juxtaposing these violent, stirring images with the tranquility of peace the soldiers would have had without the war. The soldier regret generousy tells the narrator that he ?went hunting wild / later on the wildest beauty in the world,? and that he had ?courage? and ?mystery? (30) and ? resoluteness? (31); yet he lost all these things in hi s bodyless spirit when he died in the war. This pai! n and regret is only heightened by the weakness the soldier feels, for he knows that the war result continue. He tells the narrator that ?men will go sate with what we spoiled,/ or discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled? (26-27). Although the soldier knows the equity some war, he knows mankind will continue to fight wars. He cannot help but feel powerless because he cannot tell his comrades the truth because he is stillborn; the truth remains ? much(prenominal)? (24), and it is this helplessness that effectively shows how war strips men of any go over over their lives. By emphasizing the soldier?s loss of control over his life as a result of war, the poet effectively shows how war amounts to nothing but remnant and the participants only stupefy in helpless regret. The poet?s most effective system of illustrating the universal destructive nature of war comes in the last(a) stanza in a clever twist of irony. It is central to distinguish that poet does not reveal th e identity of the due south fundament soldier until the very end of the poem; instead he leads the reader to weigh that the narrator meets his fellow comrade in arms by using sympathetic language. For example, the narrator first sees the second soldier ?with piteous recognition? (7), drawing blink sorrow for the second soldier?s situation in Hell. Moreover, the narrator?s first lyric are ?Strange mavin? (14), which convinces the reader that these two men are friends. This finish allows the poet to effectively trope sympathy for the second solider as he describes the pain the man suffered in war.

It is only after firmly establishin g sympathy for the second soldier by vividly describi! ng his pain that the poet reveals the identity of the second soldier: the foe the narrator killed on earth; the second soldier teetotalally states, ?I am the opposition you killed, my friend? (40). This irony serves only to heighten the severity of war, for the second soldier?s identity as the opponent does not lessen the pain he suffered in war, and in fact places the narrator in exactly the equivalent position. The red-hot revelation hire new meaning to the earlier treatments of the second soldier, ? whatever hope is yours,/ Was my life also? (16-17), for by making the two men converse as friends when they were unfeignedly enemies in life, the poet emphasizes that the pain is universal for both sides. By allowing the second soldier to deal before revealing his identity, the poet provides a locus to explore the enemy?s point of view of the war, thitherby drawing sympathy for both soldiers. It is also significant that both men are in Hell, for both meet the same fate as a consequence for their involvement in the war, solidifying the poet?s lament that war ends only in destruction. Neither man enjoys the sweetness of Heaven, and instead both men are condemned for slaughtering others, cock-a-hoop the poem a sense of regret and bitterness. Thus by the second soldier?s ?dead smile,? the narrator knows they ?stood in Hell? (5), for he knows that they must be held accountable for their sins. Thus the poet dispels the myth that war is glorious, and he paints an ironic picture of two enemies commiserating in Hell as a result of war. By focusing on the victimization of both men, the poet effectively attacks the nature of war. Clearly the poet takes an anti-war stance in the poem, for he builds sympathy for the enemy and the narrator. In doing this, he takes out all the strong emotions of anger and hate, for in Hell, there are no enemy lines. Both men suffer side by side, regardless of the setback sides they took in life. Thus the poet focuses on the pain , regret, and helpless the men feel, thereby attackin! g the ruthlessness of war; in the end the soldiers lie helpless in Hell, enduring an infinity of regret that they so far entered the war. Ironically it is also only in death that they go out some peace, for there is no war in Hell; they finally settle reside as the enemy?s last word reverberate with emotion: ?Let us sleep now?.? (45). Thus the poet leaves the two men finally at rest in Hell, pathetic casualties lying as a monitor lizard of a ruthless war. If you want to amaze a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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