Dated: September 15, 2023.

DP1- Notes on Mind mapping and Literary Techniques of Wilfred Owen’s War Poetry
1. Dulce Et Decorum Est
2.Strange Meeting

Mind mapping Samples

Poetry Annotation Sample: Dulce Et Decorum Est

Analysis of the Literary Devices used in “Dulce et Decorum Est”

literary devices are used to bring richness and clarity to the texts. The writers and poets use
them to make their texts appealing and meaningful. Owen has also employed some literary
devices in this poem to present the mind-disturbing pictures of the war. The analysis of some
of the literary devices used in this poem has been discussed below.

1. Alliteration: Alliteration is the use of the same consonant sounds in the same line
such as the sound of /s/ in “But someone still was yelling out and stumbling” and /w/
sound in “And watch the white eyes writhing in his face.
2. Simile: Simile is a figure of speech used to compare something with something else to
describe an object or a person. Owen has used many self-explanatory similes in this
poem such as,” Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”, “Knock-kneed, coughing
like hags”, “like a man in fire or lime” and “like a devil’s sick of sin.”
3. Metaphor: There is only one metaphor used in this poem. It is used in line seven of
the poem,“Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots.” It presents the physical state
of the men.
 4. Onomatopoeia: It refers to the words which imitate the natural sounds of the things.
Owen has used the words “hoot”, “knock” and “gargling” in the poem to imitate
sounds.
5. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such
as the /r/ sound in “Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.”
6. Synecdoche: It is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole.
For example, the word “sight” in the second stanza represents the speaker.
7. Imagery: Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their five senses.
Owen has successfully used a lot of imageries to create a horrific picture of war, pain,
and The following phrases show the effective use of imagery as he says, “old beggars
under sacks”, “had lost their boots”, “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” and
“white eyes.”
8. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as /o/
sound in “Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues.”

The careful glimpse of literary analysis shows that the poet has skilfully projected his war
experiences under cover of these literary devices. The appropriate use of the devices has
made this poem a thought-provoking piece for the readers.

In "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Wilfred Owen reacts to the war by turning conventional poetic
technique into something that appears to be normal on the surface but in reality is tainted and
corrupted. Owen's break from the conventional poetic form serves to symbolize the
breakdown of society's value system - a system that had been trusted for many years. Owen
also breaks from the pretty language prevalent in the poetry of his day to show his society the
awful images of real and not romantically heroic war. Finally, Owen juxtaposes the idea of
war as devastating and the idea of war as heroic to illustrate the poem's ultimate irony -
"Dulce Et Decorum Est, Pro Patria Mori"1.

Strange Meeting Mind Map

Strange Meeting', the title taken from a poem of Shelley's, called 'Revolt of Islam', is full of
metaphor and symbol. Religious allusions play a part too. Owen was very much torn in his
faith but couldn't escape a strict religious upbringing. So biblical influences are to the fore in
certain parts of the poem.

Literary Techniques and Structure

Pararhyme

Written in heroic couplets with a total of 44 lines contained in four stanzas.

19-21 form a tercet, ending in three half-rhymes: hair/hour/here.

The last line is much shorter and doesn't rhyme with any other line.
Rhyme

Owen is a master of pararhyme, where the stressed vowels differ but the consonants are
similar, and he uses this technique throughout the poem. So note the end
words: escaped/scooped, groined/groaned, bestirred/stared and so on.

The second vowel is usually lower in pitch adding to the oddity of the sounds, bringing
dissonance and a sense of failure. So whilst there is common ground between the rhymes
there is equally discomfort, the feeling that something isn't quite what it should be.

If Owen had used full rhyme this unease would be missing, so the imperfection perfectly fits
the surreal situation of the two men meeting in Hell.

Metrical Analysis

Strange Meeting is written in iambic pentameter, that is, the de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-
DUM de-DUM stress pattern dominates, but there are lines that vary and these are important
because they challenge the reader to alter the emphasis on certain words and phrases.

So, here are three examples to illustrate, with lines 7, 27, and 30:

• With pit / eous re /cognit / ion in / fixed eyes, the first foot is iambic (non stress,
stress ux), the second foot a pyrrhic (no stress, no stress, uu), the third another iamb,
the fourth another pyrrhic and the fifth foot a spondee (stress, stress xx).

• Or, dis / content, / boil blood / y, and / be

The first foot is a trochee (stress, no stress, xu), the second is an iamb (no stress, stress ux),
the third a spondee (stress,stress xx), the fourth an iamb (no stress, stress ux) and the fifth
foot an iamb.

• Courage / was mine, / and I / had mys / tery.

• Again, a trochee ( inverted iamb) starts the line before the iambic beat takes over the
rest.

• The iambic pentameter reflects the steady almost conversational natural pace of
speech, whilst the variations bring uncertainty, and altered beats which echo battle
and bring texture and added interest for the reader.
Biblical Allusion

The poet makes an allusion to the bible (King James Version). There are phrases and wording
which echo King James Version. In line 8, the lifting of hands is a biblical allusion where
religion would raise their hands in order to bless individuals and congregants. The act of
going to hell is an allusion to the apostle’s creed. It is possible that Owen, in his formative
years, would recite the creed.

The Use of Metaphors

The poet describes beauty as mocking the running of an hour. In this line, line 20, beauty is
personified to describe a situation where time is running out. The poet suggests that the
number of years the solder spent in trenches has made him weary.

In line 34, the blood clogged in the wheel is partially figurative. The chariot wheel concept is
borrowed from ancient wars. However, in the First World War (the setting of Owen’s poems)
it refers to any infrastructure and machinery that drives the war. As a matter of fact, the
modern war is far more destructive than the ancient war as it has adopted the use of
technology. Line 35 states the desire that solders, after staining themselves with blood, wish
to get healed.

Metaphorical Imagery: narrator's language is elegant and emotionally charged, but for the
most part straight forwardly descriptive. There is one possibly metaphorical image, that the
tunnel he is in was "scooped / Through granites which titanic wars had groined" (2-3),

Literal and metaphorical center of the poem. When the narrator says to him, "Strange friend .
.. here is no cause to mourn," the Other replies,

Double Entendre : the sleepers being "encumbered" (4), which could refer to them being
burdened with kit or burdened by psychological and emotional baggage, or both. The

Ambiguity: the word ‘probed’, ‘profound’, are examples of ambiguity.

The Poem’s Tone

The word Hell gives the poem brings the memories of Dante’s inferno. The poet creates a
sense of the supernatural when he used words such as dead smile soldiers.

Task:
1.Students annotate both poems using the samples as cues.

2.They explore and identify the possible Global issues that can be derived out of the poems
discussed.

3.The literary features and structure of both works identified.

All of this to be documented in the Learner Portfolio.

References:

“Wilfred Owen: Strange Meeting Poem Analysis.” The Sound of Poetry, 22 June 2020,
poetrypoetry.com

Cathie, T. (n.d.). GoConqr - Strange meeting. GoConqr.

https://www.goconqr.com/en/p/6581357