The Pity Of War

My subject is war and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity, said Wilfred Owen. With close reference to three war poems that you have studied, show how they communicate the pity of war. Wilfred Owen, a man who is now considered to be one of the finest English ‘war poets,’ once said, “my subject is war and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity.”1 By looking at three …

…his statement is true: “My subject is war and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity.” The contents of Owens poetry and the descriptive, passionate language and images force the reader not only to feel disgusted by the war, but also to feel compassion towards anyone unlucky enough to be involved in this violence. Wilfred Owen fully understood his subject: war and the pity of war, and his poems express this tenfold.