Wilfred Owen

(1893-1918)

Early Life

Wilfred Owen was born on March 18, 1893 in Shropshire, England.

Owen began to experiment with poetry at 17.

Early LifeOwen failed to gain entrance into the University of London.

He spent a year as a lay assistant to Reverend Herbert Wigan in 1911.

Early Life

In 1913, Owen moved to France and worked at the Berlitz School of English until 1915.

World War I

World War I broke out in 1914.

Owen was still in France at the time.

In 1915, Owen returned to England and enlisted in the army.

“I do now most intensely want to fight.”

World War I

There was much propaganda encouraging young men to enlist and fight for their country.

Task

What do you think the purpose/aim of the following six

posters were?

World War I Propaganda

World War I Propaganda

Tasks

Before you find out any more have a look at some statements made by Wilfred

Owen.

“I do now most intensely want to fight.”“I hate washy pacifists."

Task

What do these statements tell us about Owen’s feelings regarding the war?

Explain your answer.

Would you regard Owen as an Anti-war or Pro War poet?

Owen at War

Wilfred Owen was sent to the battle field in 1916.

Owen at War

He wrote home to his mother, "I can see no excuse for deceiving you about these last four days. I have suffered seventh hell. – I have not been at the front. – I have been in front of it. – I held an advanced post, that is, a "dug-out" in the middle of No Man's Land. We had a march of three miles over shelled road, then nearly three along a flooded trench. After that we came to where the trenches had been blown flat out and had to go over the top. It was of course dark, too dark, and the ground was not mud, not sloppy mud, but an octopus of sucking clay, three, four, and five feet deep, relieved only by craters full of water . . ."

Owen at War

He was wounded in combat in 1917 and evacuated to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh after being diagnosed with shell shock.

Changing Opinion

It was at this time Owen wrote many of his most important poems, including "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and "Dulce et Decorum Est".

Upon his return his view of war began to change.

He became very critical of armchair patriots

Poetry Look the list of titles

opposite. These are all titles of poems that Owen wrote after he was injured during the war.

What do these titles suggest about Owen’s feelings towards the war at that stage?

Has his opinion of War changed? Why do you think this is?

Mental Cases Anthem for

Doomed Youth Disabled Futility Insensibility

Death When Owen recovered

he was sent to the front line and was killed in action on 4th November 1918. A week later the war ended.

His family received notification of his death on the 11th of November, the day the war ended.