I am going to prove that Owen’s collection of war poetry ‘are worthy of study’ , and that his position in the canon goes beyond him conforming to the stereotypical conception that accompanies the canon, of being ‘male … from the middle- or upper-class … white’ or ‘dead’ . The value of Owen’s poetic works alone, single-handedly justifies Owen being placed inside the canon. I will examine the value of Owen’s work, by assessing its ‘complexity and unity’ , ‘plot, structure, language, and ideas’ , alongside assessing the ‘universal themes’ which are shown through Owen’s poetry. Furthermore, Owen’s work is also clearly shown to be valuable as a historical document, not just poetry.
According to the critical anthology , ‘Valued texts are supposed to give the reader an insight into …show more content…
This is emphasised further, as the ‘S’ sound, accompanied with the word ‘devil’, gives the impression of a snake hissing, suggesting that those who orchestrated the war, are nothing but manipulative snakes, working for the devil. Similarly, in Anthem for Doomed Youth, Owen’s use of consonance through the ‘T’ sound, which creates the illusion of a gun firing, ‘Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle/ Can patter…’, increases the intensity of the poem, placing the reader into a war zone situation. This highlights Owen’s work as valuable, as he has used literary techniques to convey realistic imagery of WW1, as well as combining his own personal opinions. The reader’s response, also emphasises Owen’s claim to the cannon, as through Owen’s use of sibilance, in Dulce et Decorum est, he enables the reader to feel anger and resentment towards those the poem is directed at, while conversely, evoking pity and sympathy in the reader, in Anthem for Doomed Youth. Therefore making Owen’s poetry thought provoking and intriguing and worthy of a place in the
According to the critical anthology , ‘Valued texts are supposed to give the reader an insight into …show more content…
This is emphasised further, as the ‘S’ sound, accompanied with the word ‘devil’, gives the impression of a snake hissing, suggesting that those who orchestrated the war, are nothing but manipulative snakes, working for the devil. Similarly, in Anthem for Doomed Youth, Owen’s use of consonance through the ‘T’ sound, which creates the illusion of a gun firing, ‘Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle/ Can patter…’, increases the intensity of the poem, placing the reader into a war zone situation. This highlights Owen’s work as valuable, as he has used literary techniques to convey realistic imagery of WW1, as well as combining his own personal opinions. The reader’s response, also emphasises Owen’s claim to the cannon, as through Owen’s use of sibilance, in Dulce et Decorum est, he enables the reader to feel anger and resentment towards those the poem is directed at, while conversely, evoking pity and sympathy in the reader, in Anthem for Doomed Youth. Therefore making Owen’s poetry thought provoking and intriguing and worthy of a place in the