Naturalistic Criticism In The Owl By Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas’s writing is often centered on the natural world, country life, and seasonal cycles. And within the poem, “The Owl”, we are drawn into a world that embodies these naturalistic qualities and simultaneously delivers a message concerning the aftereffects of war. A deeper analysis of this poem reveals the intricate ways, in which Thomas speaks to readers of all backgrounds, as he urges us to appreciate the basic necessities of life. “The Owl”, is a poem consisting of sixteen lines, divided into four stanzas of four lines each. A naturalistic theme is immediately present in this poem, as the very first word "downhill" takes us to the countryside of the poet’s homeland, “Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved”. And …show more content…
The visual imagery in the line “the night quite barred out" tell us that it is tranquil in the inn, and the auditory imagery of the owls cry gives the poem a dark and doleful tone. I interpreted the owl and its cry to be symbolic of the poet’s conscience waking up, as he thinks about what has happened during the war. The last two lines of the third stanza reiterate this point, “But one telling me plain what I escaped, And others could not, that night, as in I went”. Here in the poem, the poet is grateful to be safe and warm in the inn, but his heart longs for those that were not able to escape the war. The owl’s cry has awakened the poet to this harsh reality and even though the owl’s message is bleak, it is a reminder to the poet to be grateful for all that he …show more content…
And as the poem reaches its end, the last stanza repeats the word “salted” twice to signal the words importance and add to the poems message. The way in which “salted” is repeated is important because it represents the flavors of the poet’s food as well as his sad and guilty demeanor in regards to the suffering he has escaped, ”salted was my food, and my repose”. And the use of the word “salted” represents the awakened state of the poet’s mind because of the owl’s cry, “Salted and sobered, too, by the bird’s voice”. These lines about salt also bring to mind the harsh quality of salt and the saltiness of tears. These descriptions show us that the poet at the inn is aware of his privileged position over others less fortunate. And in these final lines, the poet reflects on the ultimate price of war as the owl cries out, “Speaking for all who lay under the stars, Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice”. The owls voice evokes pain within the poet and conjures up memories of soldiers that have died as well as those that continue to fight and are unable to enjoy even the simplest aspects of life. However, a message of hope can still be found, knowing that the soldier is conscious about these troublesome issues, as he recovers in peace and warmth, knowing that he is lucky to be