The First World War began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This “Great War” killed millions of people and was intended to last only a few months. The attitudes at the beggining of the war were extremely pro-war and soldiers were thought to be brave and heroic. By the end of 1918, attiudes had changed a great deal with most believing the war was futile and stupid. Poetry helped in many ways to address the changes in attiudes during WW1. I will compare “Dulce et Decorum Est “, “Anthem for Doomed Youth ” both by Wilfred Owen and “Who”s for the game? by Jessie Pope.
These poems differ a lot because they were written for different purpose. Some to deter men from joining war and others to recruit men. The pro-war and anti-war poetry illustrate these differences. “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, by Wilfred Owen potrays a desperate, hopeless. cold and distressed image. The language is rich, brutal and savage and uses many comparisons to men dying like animals, “What passing bells for these who die as cattle” . This gives the reader a clearer and even more horrific image of war.
The poem contains altiteration, “rifles,rapid rattle”, and small sections of rhyme. The use of a rhyming couplet, “minds and blinds”, at the end closes of the poem. Written in a sonnett style the poem expresses mournful images of millions of wasted lives in WW1. The octet first eight lines describes the horror of war and portrays images of men dying like slaughtered animals. The sestet goes on to describe the soldiers funerals or the lack of them, “What candles maybe held to speed them all? “.
Stating the only bells ringing for the soldiers were even more guns and rifles. The first lines of the first and third stanzas ask questions, What passing bells for these who die as cattle? “. Leaving the rest of the poem to answer these questions. Owen is writing this poem for dead and ill fated who died tragically during World War One. He writes for people at the home front and users images which they may find easier to relate to.
He twists this by adding his experiences and paints a horrific picture of war. “Who”s for the game? , by Jessie Pope differs a great deal. Pope detested Wilfred Owen, Owen believed Pope was a “typical civilian who was supporting war from the home front”. “Who”s for the game? ” has a simpile structure and content and appeals to young men. Its easy to read, unlike “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and has a straight forward rhythm, “much cruthch, gun fun”. This poem represents was as “fun” and a “game”, a “red crashing fight” and a “show”. I believe describinng war like that was extremely inapproaite for the surroundings circumstances.
The poem is enjoyable and jolly to read which reflects Jessie Pope”s whole view of war. Pope, being a women was safe and secure during WW1, unlike Owen who wrote about what he experienced. Some believed Jessie Pope”s expressed futile and ilrelevant opinions. I agree, because she didn”t play any part in the war and wrote this poem without a real objective. Writing, at the time for the Daily Mail, she made out to the press that if you foughts in the war you would feel honoured, brave, corageuos and proud.
This theory was proved wrong, many soldiers came out of the war mentally and or physically disturbed. Owen stated in “Dulce et Decorum Est” the soldiers were like “knock kneed, old beggars under sacks” knock proud happy men. Although I don”t like “Who”s for the game? “, I think its an effective poem. If I was a young boy reading this poem during the war I”m sure it would leave me with the view that I should be fighting in the war. Pope writes in a very directive way she points her writing directly at the reader, “Come on lads” and “calling for you”. This shows the use of persuavive language.
