“Anthem of Doomed Youth” and Original War Poetry
Works of literature are influenced from the human emotion. We often find ourselves expressing our deepest thoughts on paper. War poetry has been, without a doubt, a way for people to express themselves especially during World War I. The messages closely appeal to our emotions today and I, who has been given a task to replicate such powerful source, I worried about the outcome. While one cannot perfectly depict the horrors of war without experience, I have willingly attempted to do so.
The poem I analyzed was Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen. The structure of the poem is a sonnet, which means it has a total of fourteen lines. There are different types of sonnets such as the Shakespearean and Italian sonnet. The first eight lines often have a specific rhyme scheme which in this case, it is: ABAB CDCD. The rhyme scheme for final six lines differ from several poems, but Doomed Youth can be observed as EFFE GG. I have taken this exact — almost exact — structure and used it in my original poem to have a base that I could begin with. Foolishly, I have somehow convinced myself that rhyming is far too simple — oh how wrong I was. Perhaps I may be the only one, but rhyming words that fit with the subject of the poem is daunting. War is such a broad topic, but at the same time, it isn’t something you can write about in an instant.
Despite the difficulties with the structure, I give myself credit for reproducing Owen’s vivid imagery with the use of alliteration, similes, and symbols. Alliteration can be found in one line, “only the stuttering rapid rifles’ rattle”, mimicking the rapidness of a gun shooting. In my poem I wrote, “shadow like ink that seeps into sorrow”, attempting to convey that writing a letter to a beloved soldier is useless, as only sorrow is what will reflect in the letter. Although it doesn’t convey a “sound” like in Owen’s example, I believe it gives that same boost of imagery. An example of a simile found in Doomed Youth, “what passing-bells for these who die as cattle?”, compares the death of soldiers to the slaughter of cows. My example, “like a child who has lost his precious toy” shows how soldiers tragically lose their precious life serving in combat. Finally, in Doomed Youth, symbols include “their flowers the tenderness of patient minds”, also conceived as a metaphor, symbolizing the patience of those who wait at home, “...each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds”, symbolizing death. Noticeable symbols in my poem include “look how my regards and prayers turn into ashes”, where ashes signify the ashes of a fallen soldier, and “as the pen and ink spills, what left is fear”, the pen and ink symbolizing the blood that spills and bring out fear.
The themes of the two poems share the same concept of losing a loved one. Yet, I found another theme in the Anthem of Doomed Youth after observing the title: The patriotic perceptions of war contradict with the actual horrors that soldiers face. When I think of the word “anthem”, I think of national anthems, a form of music in which countries sing to embrace or uplift their country. With that in mind, adding “doomed youth” into the picture only adds emphasis the contrary, making Owen’s poem more powerful than it already is. Although the theme of my poem share a fragment of Owen’s theme, unfortunately it isn’t as detailed: While our soldiers, our sons, our lover is out fighting, the people waiting at home are facing the same horror and helplessness of war.
In conclusion, I had my ups and downs as I attempted to write a work of literature that requires so much time and attention. But my respect to the poets who had the courage to share their story only grew. Approaching a heavily emotional work like war poetry is something I could never perfectly achieve, but given the opportunity, I personally enjoyed the challenge.
Anthem for Doomed Youth
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Wilfred Owen
Original Poem
My hand ceases to drift across the paper,
Shadow like ink that seeps into sorrow,
The bickering and sizzling flame of anger
What will one face in the day, tomorrow?
Look how my regards and prayers turn into ashes
For what is the purpose when death is near?
Planes soar through the grey skies, crashes
As the pen and ink spills, what left is fear
Will our brave soldiers return back at all?
Trapped in the trench, hear the cackles of bone
In the midst of a fallen soldier’s moan
Like a child who has lost his precious toy
My mind is floating somewhere else in the clouds,
Yet I wait for you, my loving soldier
Karin Ima
The poem I analyzed was Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen. The structure of the poem is a sonnet, which means it has a total of fourteen lines. There are different types of sonnets such as the Shakespearean and Italian sonnet. The first eight lines often have a specific rhyme scheme which in this case, it is: ABAB CDCD. The rhyme scheme for final six lines differ from several poems, but Doomed Youth can be observed as EFFE GG. I have taken this exact — almost exact — structure and used it in my original poem to have a base that I could begin with. Foolishly, I have somehow convinced myself that rhyming is far too simple — oh how wrong I was. Perhaps I may be the only one, but rhyming words that fit with the subject of the poem is daunting. War is such a broad topic, but at the same time, it isn’t something you can write about in an instant.
Despite the difficulties with the structure, I give myself credit for reproducing Owen’s vivid imagery with the use of alliteration, similes, and symbols. Alliteration can be found in one line, “only the stuttering rapid rifles’ rattle”, mimicking the rapidness of a gun shooting. In my poem I wrote, “shadow like ink that seeps into sorrow”, attempting to convey that writing a letter to a beloved soldier is useless, as only sorrow is what will reflect in the letter. Although it doesn’t convey a “sound” like in Owen’s example, I believe it gives that same boost of imagery. An example of a simile found in Doomed Youth, “what passing-bells for these who die as cattle?”, compares the death of soldiers to the slaughter of cows. My example, “like a child who has lost his precious toy” shows how soldiers tragically lose their precious life serving in combat. Finally, in Doomed Youth, symbols include “their flowers the tenderness of patient minds”, also conceived as a metaphor, symbolizing the patience of those who wait at home, “...each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds”, symbolizing death. Noticeable symbols in my poem include “look how my regards and prayers turn into ashes”, where ashes signify the ashes of a fallen soldier, and “as the pen and ink spills, what left is fear”, the pen and ink symbolizing the blood that spills and bring out fear.
The themes of the two poems share the same concept of losing a loved one. Yet, I found another theme in the Anthem of Doomed Youth after observing the title: The patriotic perceptions of war contradict with the actual horrors that soldiers face. When I think of the word “anthem”, I think of national anthems, a form of music in which countries sing to embrace or uplift their country. With that in mind, adding “doomed youth” into the picture only adds emphasis the contrary, making Owen’s poem more powerful than it already is. Although the theme of my poem share a fragment of Owen’s theme, unfortunately it isn’t as detailed: While our soldiers, our sons, our lover is out fighting, the people waiting at home are facing the same horror and helplessness of war.
In conclusion, I had my ups and downs as I attempted to write a work of literature that requires so much time and attention. But my respect to the poets who had the courage to share their story only grew. Approaching a heavily emotional work like war poetry is something I could never perfectly achieve, but given the opportunity, I personally enjoyed the challenge.
Anthem for Doomed Youth
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Wilfred Owen
Original Poem
My hand ceases to drift across the paper,
Shadow like ink that seeps into sorrow,
The bickering and sizzling flame of anger
What will one face in the day, tomorrow?
Look how my regards and prayers turn into ashes
For what is the purpose when death is near?
Planes soar through the grey skies, crashes
As the pen and ink spills, what left is fear
Will our brave soldiers return back at all?
Trapped in the trench, hear the cackles of bone
In the midst of a fallen soldier’s moan
Like a child who has lost his precious toy
My mind is floating somewhere else in the clouds,
Yet I wait for you, my loving soldier
Karin Ima