![]() ![]() There is no glory in this war Owen does not mention noble goals or a fight undertaken for moral reasons. The soldiers, Owen is certain, deserve something better than this bleak and terrifying landscape that is no more than a slaughterhouse. The brutality and sheer scale of the destruction mocks human dignity and courage. The soldiers’ flesh is no match for this murderous assault of flying metal. The octave depicts the constant barrage of machine guns and the wailing of the shells hurtling through the air to their targets. ![]() As apparent from the first (octave) stanza, the men had no chance. Early drafts of the poem were titled “Anthem for Dead Youth.” Changing “Dead” to “Doomed” not only makes the title more powerful, it conveys a sense of helplessness: The men were doomed-ill-fated-from the beginning. Owen’s concern is with the cruelty and savagery of war and the terrible toll it takes on human life. ![]()
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