Introduction to A Close Study of Wilfred Owen - Module B
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This document outlines a module focused on the analysis of Wilfred Owen's war poetry, including specific works such as 'The Next War' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth.' It emphasizes detailed engagement with themes of death, identity loss, and the emotional impact of war, while exploring the distinctive language features and poetic techniques that characterize Owen's work. Students are encouraged to critically respond to the text and analyze its unique qualities within the context of its historical and emotional background.
Introduction to A Close Study of Wilfred Owen - Module B
- 1. Module B: Close Study of Text Owen, Wilfred: War Poetry 1. ‘The Next War’ 2. ’Anthem for Doomed Youth’ 3. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ 4. ‘Insensibility’ 5. ‘Futility’ 6. ‘Strange Meeting’
- 2. This module requires students to: • engage in detailed analysis of a text.
- 3. Central concerns* in Wilfed Owen’s poems Quotes from The Parable of the Old Man and the Young that matches/proves the central concern List all the language features What is the effect of these language features War was not “sweet and honourable” for the soldiers who were fighting at the front. “fire”, “iron”, “parapets” and “trenches.” - Symbols - Lexical chain symbols show that Owen felt that sacrifice and war are linked “fire” and “iron” can also represent anger and violence – which was a constant part of war. In war – soldiers lose their identity and become one of thousands of anonymous, faceless and nameless individuals “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young” - Contrast - Title - parable The contrast of “old” and “young” and the absence of a proper noun for the “young” emphasises the lack of individual identity given to the young soldiers. Parables have been defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”. This indicates that Owen detailed analysis of a text
- 4. detailed analysis of a text
- 5. • develop students’ understanding of how the ideas, forms and language of a text interact within the text and may affect those responding to it. This module requires students to: • Ideas: death / suffering / fear grief / nobility / loss / obedience • Forms: rhythm / tone / appearance / patterns / structure / sonnet • Language: poetic techniques / words / register / style
- 6. • engage with the text to respond imaginatively, affectively and critically. This module requires students to: Critical response passage: The Parable of the Old Man and the Young This poem IS AN EXTENDED ALLUSION to the Bible story in which Abram (later called Abraham) is asked by God to sacrifice his son to show his devotion to God. In the book of Genesis, God sees Abram’s faithfulness and provides a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham’s first born son, Isaac, is spared. Although this is a Bible story that can make us uncomfortable, the imagery and tone in Wilfred Owen’s The Parable of the Old Man and the Young is much more distressing. The ________________ of the poem is significant in that Owen has deliberately identified the “old man” but he does not describe the young person as a singular man. This is an important distinction, as it shows Owens theme of the loss of ______________ in the many nameless young soldiers of WW1. A ____________________ can be defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”.
- 7. • explore and analyse particular characteristics of the text, considering how these shape meaning. This module requires students to: Negative- emotive language …creates a despondent tone of despair Alliteration Assonance Onomatopoeia …creates a sound that echoes the event/scene/image Metaphor Simile Personification … creates a vivid mental image of the individual / event / scene / idea
- 8. • consider the ways in which these characteristics establish the text’s distinctive qualities. This module requires students to: The Distinctive Qualities of Owen's Poetry: • The distinctive qualities of a text are the things that make it unique to that poet. • Consider the themes and ideas of the poem. • Consider the language features favoured by the poet. • If you had a collection of poems from a variety of poets, how would you recognise the poetry of Wilfred Owen? • What are the 'distinctive qualities' that would make his poetry stand out from the rest?
- 9. the text’s distinctivequalities =ideas/values/purpose / images/techniques/ structure/ tone
- 10. TONE:emotivewordshaveapositiveandanegativevalue Negative -2 Negative -1 neutral Positive +1 Positive +2 pathos misery sadness unhappiness disappointment obese fat overweight Plump voluptuous consider accept support agree prove Argue - against oppose challenge test assess enraged furious angry annoyed disappointed mob gang crowd gathering assembly Cynical and mournful language gives a text a cynical and mournful tone. the text’s distinctivequalities = tone
- 11. • In his poetry Owen focused on the realities of conflict and its emotional and psychological impact rather than with any glorified trappings. tic Devices • Recurring images of youth, innocence, waste and sacrifice provide linking threads between the poems. • Comparative techniques such as simile, metaphor, personification and hyperbole help make the reader a surrogate participant or eye-witness. Rhetorical methods, including alliteration, assonance, inversion, onomatopoeia, rhetorical questions, antithesis, exclamation and apostrophe give added impact to the imagery. • Paradox and irony, as well as rhetorical questions challenge readers to see the truth about war. • Owen also uses rhyme effectively, experimenting with both full rhyme where the sound is almost identical such as mud/blood” and para-rhyme, which makes use of consonant end-rhyme such as “tall/toil”. • His poetry is rich in imagery and symbolism which creates repulsive, haunting images of death and suffering. Tone • In Owen’s verse, there is always an underlying tone of condemnation and bitter scorn. • Owen does not harangue his reader or preach his message in sermonizing tones but instead, conjures up vile and hideous images of the battlefield. considerthe waysinwhich thesecharacteristics establishthetext’s distinctivequalities.
- 12. • Create texts which focus on meaning shaped in and through the text. These compositions may be realised in a variety of forms and media. This module requires students to: