Modern War Poetry Comparative Essay

War poets such as Wilfred Owen, Brian Turner and Mike Beavis use their poetry to express their different views on war. These three different views demonstrated by these poets are the undignified dead, the emotional and physical destruction and leaving your loved ones behind to do something honourable. Techniques in these poems help to demonstrate these different views. Wilfred Owen expresses his view that the people who die in war are undignified in his poem Anthem for Doomed Youth. The first technique that he uses is irony in the name of the poem. The word anthem means a song of praise, devotion or patriotism, and doesnt suit the atmosphere of the poem which is actually sad, bitter and tragic. Another way of showing irony in this poem is by writing it as a sonnet, in which the traditional subject is love. Owens bitter view of the war is that the people who die dont get appreciated or loved, so this poem was made to show his love for them. Another way of showing his bitterness is by his rhetorical questions. The first line of the poem; what passing-bells for these who die as cattle? is implying that the soldiers are being slaughtered like cattle, and that theyre not going to achieve much dignification when being treated this way. Owen uses this irony to demonstrate his bitterness about how the soldiers deaths are undignified. Wilfred Owen also uses imagery to help demonstrate his view of war in this poem by using a sustained metaphor of a funeral throughout the whole poem. He compares the way of dignified dead, who have the typical funeral and the undignified dead, who die in battle. What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. These first two lines are using the gun-fire sound as church bells. Another example is from the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; and bugles calling for them from sad shires in which the wailing of shells and the bugle calls are what would be the choirs in a typical funeral. Throughout the poem, Owen uses more of this imagery to compare the two different types of death as he is bitter about how the soldiers in war die in horrible ways but arent honoured as much as the people who die back at home. Other examples demonstrated are the rapid rifle fire represent the prayers, the light of the sky reflected in the unclosed dead eyes of the soldiers which represent the candles held by alter boys, the pale colour in the faces of the bereaved women back home which represent the pall covering the body, and the kind thoughts of those back home which represent the flowers. Owen does this to show his readers the comparison between the deaths of those at war defending their country and those at home. Brian Turner expresses a different view in his poem Here, Bullet. Here, Bullet demonstrates Turners view that there are both physical and emotional destruction in war. The Bullet is capitalised because it is a synecdoche; it represents more than just a bullet, it represents the destructive force in war. Brian Turner also uses apostrophe by using his poem as a way of addressing the Bullet in a tone that is challenging and defiant. His first two lines If a body is what you want, then here is bone and gristle and flesh has two different meanings. One of these meanings is the physical destruction, the bullet wants to destroy and kill the body. The other meaning is more about the mental destruction, where the bullet wants to possess to destroy other bodies. The first half of the poem details the way the weaponry and the Bullet destroys soldiers physically. Examples on this physical destruction is by using words such as bone and gristle and flesh and aortas opened valves The second half of the poem details on the way the Bullet and war destroys someone mentally instead of physically. Here is where I complete the word you bring meaning that he is doing what the Bullet tells him to do, which is to bring death upon someone else. Every time the persona completes the word of the bullet, he feels himself being destroyed as well. Triggering my

tongues explosives for the rifling I have inside of me, each twist of the round spun deeper He feels each destructive action of the bullet [spin] deeper inside of him. He also feels that he is dehumanising, and beginning to take on characteristics of the gun, here is where I moan the barrels cold oesophagus. By showing the readers these views, he is showing them that there is more destruction than just being hurt or killed, there is also an emotional destruction to the soldiers. Mike Beavis, another modern war poet shows that his view is about leaving his family and wife behind to fight for his country in his poem The Balance. He uses rhetorical questions throughout the poem which demonstrates his questioning and doubtful tone about choosing to go to war to fight for his country when hes found someone he loves. How can I live this life and make you my bride? The hardest lesson in life for me, is choosing between job and family is an example of this. Beavis wrote this so his readers can understand a bit of the struggle of choosing the right thing to do. Mike also uses rhyme and cadence that gives a flow to the poem, and adds to the sad atmosphere. By using short sentences in this poem oh he was brave, one for his men, from desert plain, to grassy glen, to lifes rapid pace, addicted to the moments, like some wonder pill and I fight for my country he is slowing down the pace and emphasizing his point more clearly. At the end of the poem, Mike Beavis gives an answer to his earlier rhetorical questions that is almost anticlimactic I fight for my country I fight to be with you, it is a simple response to many complicated questions. It shows that although it is a complicated question and position to be in, his answer has to be simple. These techniques used by Wilfred Owen, Brian turner, and Mike Beavis are used to express their different views on war. By demonstrating these techniques they are able to show the differences between the undignified dead, the physical as well as emotional destruction and leaving your loved ones behind to do something both dangerous and honourable.