Wilfred Owen’s poem Anthem for Doomed Youth communicates the sorrow and horror that is often experienced throughout war.  He focuses on the topic of deaths on the battlefield along with the mourning and aftermath of these deaths.  Mostly consisting of young men, the deaths on the battlefield reflect a sort of insignificance of these adolescents’ precious lives.  By questioning how the funeral aspects of a soldier’s death will take place, Owen demonstrates his disapproval towards the effects of war.  He believes that war rages loudly and overwhelms the lives of many.  By using a combination of diction, syntax, imagery and the devices of sound and sense, Wilfred Owen portrays his bitter and angry tone towards war.

Click here to ditch your cable subscription and get Over 3500 TV Channels!

          Owen’s diction emphasizes the insignificance and immorality of death on the battlefield.  He titles his poem an “Anthem,” which is usually sung in commemoration of someone or something.  The title, ironic and cynical, presents the impression that the audience will be hearing a formal musical item, but is swiftly let down by the phrase “Doomed Youth.”  The young people, bearing life and vigor, are ill-fated and cursed.  These adolescents “die as cattle” and are commemorated by the “monstrous anger of the guns.”  (1,2).  Their deaths are as significant as those of cattle, insignificant and impersonal.  They die in masses as if they were animals to be slaughtered.  The sounds surrounding the youngsters’ deaths are horrific and grotesque.  When dying, soldiers can, at most, utter a “hasty” prayer for their souls, but such a sacred act proves to be impractical during war.  (4).  Owen sets the tone when he states that “prayers” or “bells” would be “mockeries” of those that have died.  (5).  Religious practice cannot overcome the harsh realities of the deaths.  Prayers and bells symbolize a celebration that the souls have ascended into heaven, but the deaths on a battlefield are so tragic that not even religion can save the soldiers’ poor souls.  The “demented choirs” also demonstrate that the sounds on the battlefield are extremely unpleasant.  (7).  Owen wants readers to understand that no sort of harmonic music can be enjoyed through the sounds of war.  At the end of the day, the battlefield is left “sad” because the pain is so great that even an inanimate object could empathize and feel the pain of the losses of soldiers.  (8).