Love Presented in Poems by Wilfred Owen Essay -- Wilfred Owen Poems Po

Love Presented in Poems by Wilfred Owen Explore how the theme of love is presented in Birdsong and a selection of poems by Wilfred Owen. Loving attitudes, though perhaps not as prominent as themes such as violence and pride, are intimately observed and explored in Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong and in many of Wilfred Owen's War poems. Each aspect of love, as seen through the eyes of this First World War soldier and Faulks' characters, is as interesting as it is diverse, allowing an impervious insight into the psychological effects that the War had on these men. Such a formidable event as war has a devastating effect on all parties involved. In total, the First World War saw the deaths of 420,000 English, 450,000 German, and 205,000 French civilians. Through the bleak and most shattering of ordeals, love will show itself in the strangest fashions; surfacing in new and unforeseen places, and overriding all tribulations. I believe the two texts I have selected support this view, portraying clearly many different features of the love that war made apparent, love that was forced to survive horrendous difficulties, and the love which was occasionally lost. Propaganda for The Great War sold a message of equality, duty and devotion, striking a patriotic chord throughout England with slogans such as: "Everyone should do his bit", and "God bless dear daddy who is fighting the Hun and send him HELP". This image of fearlessness, commitment and love for your country was heavily supported and can be appreciated when reading the poetry of Jessie Pope. Her poems are often used to demonstrate the sentiments on the home front, and are commonly taught in opposition to the ideas of the major war poets, including Wilfred... ...nder feelings, such as the personification of "The kind old sun" in Futility and "the haunting flares" in Dulce Et Decorum Est; Faulkes using emotive language and character relationships to portray the sadness and the loss encountered during the war. Both are successful in their attempt to show love enduring everything, and of love being borne from human nature's lust for survival. Footnotes  ¹Owen's poem Dulce Et Decorum Est was originally dedicated to Jessie Pope, but under the advice of Sassoon, Owen settled for using "My friend" to represent her, believing that a name check was perhaps too strong. Bibliography Essays read: www.studyworld.com/ literature/dulce_et_decorum_est.htm www.whatalovelywar.co.uk/jessie.htm/ Books studied: Wilfred Owen: The War Poems. (Chatto & Windus LTD, 1994) Sebastien Faulkes: Birdsong (Vintage, 1994)