Paired Text Essay

War is and always will be a horrible place to be in or at. We can learn this from the two war pieces of the film Platoon and the poetry of Wilfred Owen. The main theme in Platoon is of the loss of innocence caused by the war. Owens poetry is somewhat different. He displays and conveys the images of the harsh living conditions on the battlefields of France. The settings in both pieces display …

…anguish. Both Stone and Owen use a number of symbols and imagery to put forward their ideas on the war. Stone uses separate characters and sets the soldiers against eachother, instead of fighting the enemy. He creates two groups within the main Platoon. Each group is lead by two leaders, Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias. Elias is portrayed as a Christ-like figure, whilst Barnes is completely the opposite; he is hellish in appearance and character.