Write a critical note on the impact
of World War I on English poetry.
Answer: The First World War inspired profound poetry – words in which the atmosphere and landscape of battle are evoked perhaps more vividly than anywhere else. The poets – many of whom were killed – show not only the war’s tragedy but the hopes and disappointments of a generation. This collection of poems features the writing of the famous soldier poets, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen, alongside the poetry of nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced the war from entirely different standpoints.
The First World War truly earned its title as “The Great War”. This war was a new experience for the whole of mankind and as a result of the extreme and horrific experiences that many were put through it inspired many to record their experiences. Two Officers and also poets of the time were Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. With first hand experiences of the trauma of trench warfare they were able to pass on the true horrors of the war through the poems they created.
Owen’s poem Anthem For Doomed Youth describes a typical scene from one of the many battles which occurred during the First World War. The “monstrous anger of the guns” and the “rifles’ rapid rattle” can quickly establish an image in which we can envisage a lot of death and destruction. This type of description was extremely typical of much of the literature created during this period. The creators wished that those at home would have a better image of the true conditions of the war. Just as Owen also gives descriptions of the events during the dangerous setting, we also see it is not a very pleasant place. In The Last Laugh Owen also uses the intense and blunt sound of the “bullets” chirping. Owen uses an onomatopoeic word to allow us to believe that the bullets flew gracefully through the air similarly to a bird soaring through the breeze.
