Wilfred Owens Poetic Message

Wilfred Owens Poetic Message

Wilfred Owen is known as a war poet to most who have been introduced to his name. There are many poetic pieces which ameliorate his title as being a war poet. Whichever critics evaluate him to be, war poet or simply as a poetic artist Owen had a message. Within the given literature Wilfred Owens work appears twice, thumbing through first to appear "Dulce et Decorum Est [it is sweet and proper to die for your country] "(521-522). The second piece appears with a different style of writing which continues to broadcast his message to society. It is one of his earliest poems titled "Anthem for Doomed Youth" (865). Owens message to the populace of England was to understand the nature of World War I. To interpret his message an individual must comprehend his words and motivations to write them. To espouse his message one must empathize with his words and believe in his motivation. Owen Stated "above all I am not concerned with poetry".

Owen and the majority of the British population believed that the war was being fought for the right reasons. A nation which is fighting for liberation may be motivated feeling it is an honorable act. An enemy artillery shell injured Owen in the summer of 1917 while he was recovering in the hospital he met Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon however did not believe in the conflict his nation had become so devoted to. He believed his government secretly diverted from its original intent. And that it was focused on seizing new colonies. Sassoon wrote to the public attempting to persuade the development of peace discussions with Germany. His fuming poetry did little to affect the war however Wilfred Owen believed in his new friend's way of thinking.

Owen now had direction for his poetry shaped with the advice of Sassoon and other poets within the hospital. Owen recovered and was redeployed to fight in August 1918. His time at the hospital resulted in four published poems before his death. Owen had aspirations to publish his collected poems before his untimely death early November 1918. Sassoon shortly after Owen died coordinated the publication of his collected poems which has made Owen widely known. Sassoon was motivated by the fear that if they were not published quickly Owens work would be forgotten. Two additional editions of Owens poems have been published since the original. The editors all had the same goal which was not to let Owens message be forgotten.

One thing that may attract lovers and non lovers of poetry is the way Owen first presents his work to the reader. In a few lines from his preface he wrote "this book is not about heroes...Nor is it about deeds, or land, nor anything about glory, honour, might, majesty, dominion, or power, except War". He developed a way to send his message which evolved into a true emotional response within readers. Owen continues writing in his preface "my