Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, born March 18, 1893, was the oldest of four children of Tom and Susan Owen. His father's work as a railway clerk was supplemented by his mother's father until his death put the family in financial difficulties. The family tried to keep their life along middle class standards, but it was a struggle. The lack of money meant that Wilfred, who had dreamed of public school and Oxford, was limited to Birkenhead Institute …

… to draw a clear dichotomy between the forces of life and the forces of death. However, the poem goes further than merely contrasting opposites. The structure and language of the poem combine to demonstrate how one should become the other. The eschatological hope expressed by the harmonious image of this Eden begs and demands a transformation or conversion into communion with the natural order. The poem demonstrates that war is contrary to nature.