Suchergebnisse
Suchergebnisse:
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours, Was my life also; I went hunting wild. After the wildest beauty in the world, Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair, But mocks the steady running of the hour, And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here. For by my glee might many men have laughed, And of my weeping something had been left,
Learn about the themes, symbols, and poetic devices of "Strange Meeting," a famous poem by Wilfred Owen that depicts a soldier's encounter with his enemy in Hell. Explore the context, form, and meter of this pessimistic and powerful work that reflects on the horrors of war and the need for reconciliation.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Historical Background
‘Strange Meeting‘ describes a soldier who escapes from battle and finds himself in a hellish, underground tunnel where he encounters the ghost of an enemy soldier he killed. The enemy soldier speaks about the futility of war and the shared humanity of all soldiers, ultimately revealing their potential for friendship despite the conflict. Written in...
‘Strange Meeting‘ is composed of four stanzas of varying lengths. This irregular structure reflects the chaotic and fragmented nature of war. The poem’s free form and inconsistent stanza lengths emphasize the disjointed experiences and the surreal, dreamlike encounter in the afterlife. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, with five poetic feet...
Stanza One
Even at the start of ‘Strange Meeting,’ the poem references war; for Owen, the natural habitat, the natural instincts, of a soldier is war. The start is relatively benign; there is nothing strange about escaping battle down a tunnel (in the First World War, there was a British plot to try and tunnel into German territory, hence the recurring imageryof holes and tunnels).
Stanza Two
The dead, ever prevalent in Owen’s work, crop up in the second stanza of ‘Strange Meeting‘. The words ‘encumbered sleepers’ implies a relatively peaceful passing, however as soon as the soldier passes by them, he awakens one of the sleepers. The use of ‘sleepers’ is also heavily ironicon Owen’s part, given that it is something peaceful, yet however, the peacefulness of the image implied by ‘sleepers’ is undercut in the third stanza.
Stanza Three
It is worth noting that this is perhaps one of the most bloodless poems that Owen wrote. He eschews the in-depth look towards brutalities that most Owen poems usually claim – omitting the description of the injuries, instead, for what was lost. Although the first two lines lend an idea – though there is no gore, the person speaking is terrified – the presence of war is still felt. It is also worth noting that ‘Strange Meeting‘ is one of the most silent that Wilfred Owen wrote; his onomatopoei...
‘Strange Meeting‘ was written in 1918 and stands in the forefront of Owen’s achievements; the quote, ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend’ is to be found carved on Owen’s memorial in Shrewsbury, and Siegfried Sassooncalled it Owen’s ‘pass into immortality’.
- Female
- Poetry Analyst
Published two years after his death in battle, Wilfred Owen wrote “Strange Meeting” based upon his own war traumas. In this poem, Owen encounters in hell a soldier he killed. He soon learns ...
A soldier meets his dead enemy in the underworld and asks for forgiveness in this haunting and complex war poem by Wilfred Owen. The poem uses pararhyme, a discordant rhyme scheme, and was set to music by Benjamin Britten.
9. Nov. 2017 · A detailed summary and interpretation of Owen's famous anti-war poem, in which a soldier meets his enemy in Hell and laments the futility of war. Learn about the poem's background, structure, language, and themes, and how it challenges the heroic couplet tradition.
A soldier encounters the enemy he killed in a dream and laments the futility of war. The poem explores the themes of pity, guilt, and futility in the face of the horrors of war.
