War Poems

Question: In what specific ways do Wilfred Owens’ poems attempt to dispel the illusions about the war represented in the art on pages 367-368? As the First World War raged through Europe many of the countries involved used posters to draw people to the cause. The posters located in the Human Record showed scenes of happiness and patriotism. People were seeing these posters and assuming that war was similar to them. But, on the other …

…and the disabled going home. Every country involved lost many men and young boys, but maybe if people had portrayed the war as it actually was – bloody, horrified, dirty, and dark – so many young boys wouldn’t have thought it was brave to enlist. Almost 60 million soldiers were killed in the First World War, including Wilfred Owens. He was killed one week before the armistice on November 4, 1918. His poems told the truth without the glamour.