Wilfred Owen and T.

S Elliot poetry essay

Poems are often catalyzed by personal experiences, expressing the poets concerns about life and encouraging audiences to embrace their unique perspectives. T.S Elliots The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock and Wilfred Owens poems Dulce et Decorum est and Insensibility, are examples of modernist poetry through which both poets aimed to reflect the sense of disillusionment and impotence they felt as the horrors of World War 1 mounted. Owen firmly rejects the idea of heroism in war that had been created by these Romanticist poets, through the confrontational images of its traumatizing effects on soldiers. Elliot similarly expresses his concerns by exploring ones sense of futility and meaningless in society through the persona of a pessimistic J. Alfred Prufrock, reflecting modern mans disillusionment with 19th century values. Owen contradicts societies deluded beliefs about the common idealistic and heroic views of war by portraying its harsh and unimaginable conditions, as a response to the fruitless slaughter of the First World War. This is evident in the opening stanza of Dulce et Decorum est through the metaphor where once young and strong men are compared to old beggars under sacks which implies their crude fighting conditions and portrays their physical and mental exhaustion. Owen creates an immediate feeling of urgency engaging the audience and encouraging them to embrace these views, through a series of short exclamations, Gas! Gas! His witness of the soldiers sacrifice and suffering as he suffocates I saw him drowning shatters any illusion that war is glorious and thus illustrates the brutal experiences faced by the soldiers effectively evoking sympathy and awareness from those ignorant to these tragedies. Similarly, Elliot contradicts the Romanticists view on life as ideal and beautiful in the Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock He describes the cold hard reality of life as streets that follow a tedious argument covered in the yellow fog that rubs it back upon window panes. The metaphor evokes imagery of the city described as undeniably bleak and empty reflecting Elliots perspective of the sterility of the modern world. His use of the simile compares the winding and twisting streets to a tedious argument that makes one lost with confusion. His use of the objective correlative animates the fog, gives it animalistic qualities of a cat, creating vivid imagery of the citys pollution and reflecting Elliots view of modern society as being threatening and unpleasant. Though Elliot retains some romantic features in his verse, these ironically comment on human suffering thus critiquing the romanticists perspective on life. In the midst of the tragedies of the war, Elliot critiques societies ignorance to the war, placing greater concerns on the inconsequential aspects of life. This is evident within the love song of J. Alfred Prufrock in the room women come and go and go talking of Michelangelo. The repetition of this verse through the poem and the mocking tone highlights the superficiality of the conversations of the people, expressing the facade that society has created for itself to cover up its suffering. By contrasting these superficial issues with more complex issues such as Prufrocks

futility in answer the big overwhelming question of existence What is itdo I dare disturb the universe? makes their superficiality more comical and shows how absurd the world has become that life has lost meaning. His tone of voice expresses his confusion and highlights his incapability to answer these questions in the superficial world around him. Elliot thus critiques societies trivial and superficial concerns in the midst of war as absurd. Similarly within Insensibility Owen, comments on societies unwariness and indifference to the war through the contradictory structure of an ode, typically used by Romanticists. Owen critiques Romantic poets portrayal of death as a romantic and a heroic end through the metaphor "The front line withers but they are troops who fade, not flowers for poets tearful fooling." comparing the sentimental treatment of flowers dying in Romantic verse to the inevitability of death. The ironic incongruity critiques the Romanticists tearful fooling, grieving over the fading and withering of flowers and not over the untimely deaths of young soldiers on battlefields, thus effectively informing individuals of the greater issues of existence and encouraging them to sympathize to the experiences of the soldiers. Owen emphasizes the pain and the psychological effects of World War 1, which resulted in ones sense of disillusionment as shown in Eliots poetry. Within Insensibility he highlights the psychological scars of war, which resulted in ones loss of senses and humanity within "Their spirit drags no packsome cease feeling." The metaphorical representation of the soldiers inability to feel emotion or pain expresses this as having experienced the tragedies of war they are immunized against its further haunting. He expresses the insanity of the soldiers and the extent to their loss of humanity Their senseslong since ironed can laugh among the dying highlighting the horrifying dehumanizing effects of war through the ironic incongruity of their ability to laugh at death. Similarly Elliot highlights his disillusionment through the persona of Prufrock in The Love Song of J.Alred Prufrock, who acts as an alter ego exploring Eliots emotions and concerns. He establishes a romantic atmosphere in the first few lines to enhance the responders expectations when the evening is spread out against the sky, however this is then shattered with the negative simile, Like a patient etherized upon a table. This highlights his disillusionment with society around him in which he feels paralyzed and unable to act. His sense of isolation is evident through Prufrock constantly questioning himself, Do I dare? and how should I presume? The rhetorical question highlights his insecure nature and his incapability to devise a strategy to ameliorate his desolation. Elliots portrayal of Prufrock allows the responder to sympathizes with the persona as the complications of his plight are universalized and resemble our own. It is through the expressive nature of poetry through which T.S Elliot and Wilfred Owen express their strong concerns and critical judgments on their society and current position in life. While While Owen successfully uses his firsthand experience on the battlefield to expose the myths of war and focus on the miserable reality, Elliot critiques societies concerns with the futile aspects of life rather than emphasis on the big overwhelming questions.