In this lesson, you have studied three authors (Owen, Brooke, and Sassoon) who wrote about their experiences with war.
Choose ONE of the poets (Owen, Brooke, or Sasson), and describe what was going on at the time they wrote the poem. Then, using evidence from the poem, discuss TWO ways how their writing was an escape from / coping mechanism from dealing with war.
Scoring:
/1 Choosing a poet – 1 point
/4 Describing the poet’s perspective and connecting to the events of the time – 4 points
/4 Giving two pieces of evidence from the text and discussing two ways their writing was an escape from or a coping mechanism from dealing with the war – 4 points (2 points for textual evidence, two points for explanation of how the poet dealt with their experiences)
/1 Proper spelling, punctuation, grammar etc. - 1 point
I choose Wilfred Owen as the poet to discuss. Wilfred Owen wrote his poetry during World War I, a time of immense suffering and brutality on the battlefield. Owen himself experienced the horrors of war firsthand, serving as a soldier in the British Army.
One way in which Owen's writing served as an escape from dealing with the war was through the use of vivid imagery and sensory details. In his poem "Dulce et Decorum Est," Owen describes a gas attack in graphic detail, transporting the reader to the frontlines of the battlefield. This immersive experience allowed Owen to process his trauma by externalizing it through his poetry.
Another coping mechanism for Owen was his use of irony and satire. In "Dulce et Decorum Est," Owen challenges the glorification of war and exposes the true horror and devastation that it brings. By subverting the traditional heroic narrative of war, Owen was able to confront the reality of his experiences and offer a critique of the societal attitudes towards warfare.
Overall, through his powerful imagery and subversive writing style, Wilfred Owen was able to use poetry as a means of both escaping from and coping with the harsh realities of war. His work continues to serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost of conflict.