Created by M Deremo on Sun, 05/04/2025 - 17:35
Description:
During World War I, Great Britain did not want to fight in the war despite siding with Russia and France. On July 31, 1914, the Parliament and cabinet were both still divided as to whether they would join the war or not. Eventually, the British joined the war due to fears of the German would hold victory in the West theater, which the British believed could lead to an imbalance of power. The British army was small in comparison to other armies, but the soldiers were greatly trained and funded. Wilfred Owen, of course, ended up being a famous war poet as he was a soldier throughout World War One. Initially, he wanted to be a poet or an artist, but he was convinced by his father to get involved in a job that will result in a steady income. Before the war, Owen ended up being a teacher and tutoring students. However, he eventually grew considered about the war and eventually decided he should enlist. During his time in the war, he had written poetry from August of 1917 until September of 1918. Owen tragically died at the age of 25 in November of that year. His poetry often depicted violent and graphic scenes that reflected his experiences in the war. By sharing these honest depictions of the violence Owen has witnessed, he is calling out the brutality of war and showing us as readers that people should not have to watch people die such violent deaths, and people shouldn't have to die in those violent ways. By sharing these traumatic experiences through poetry, Owen is drawing attention to the realities of war as some believe dying in combat is an action to be honored. Calling attention to things is what makes us human because if we feel something strongly, we try to help others see our point of view and realize how bad something actually is when others seem to view it as grand or what makes someone a great person.
Sources:
"Great Britain and World War I." Libraries Exhibits, https://exhibits.library.wisc.edu/wwi/great-britain-and-wwi/.
"Wilfred Owen." Poetry Foundation, 2025, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen.
Ww1 Trench Warfare. Published 29 Mar, 2017. Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/photos/ww1-trench-warfare-one-war-world-2187095/.