The Use of Figurative Language in Owen and Jennings' Poetry

Figurative language allows poets and writers alike to exaggerate or alter specific linguistic points of interest. The two poets that I shall be looking at for this discourse are Wilfred Owen who is widely acknowledged for his war poetry using one of his most popular works Anthem For Doomed Youth and Elizabeth Jennings One Flesh. Jennings poetry is known for its spiritual connotations and emotional intensity. The two poems contain a common theme ‘the loss of youth’ but it’s only by examining the use of figurative language, that we are able to gain an understanding of the various connotations.

Owens use of figurative language is clearly evident before you even study the body of the text. The ironic title clearly expresses the various themes and underlining messages. The word ‘Anthem’ generally means song of praise or celebration and evokes feelings of togetherness. Owens poem provides anything but a celebratory view of the young men at war. The poem provides severe warnings and contains a didactic message of the realities of war. The rhetorical opening line asks the question “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” The passing bells were typically rung to acknowledge someones death. Owen asks who will remember the young soldiers, when they die in such vast numbers. Taking an in-depth look at Owens use of simile in the first line “die as cattle” this creates a comparison between the battle fields and an abattoir, with the young soldiers being treated as expandable objects. The cattle are slaughtered to feed the people, Owen uses this as focal point for his personal opinion that the young soldiers are being used as fuel, feeding the war and allowing the slaughter of the soldiers to continue. The use of personification in des...

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...uage creates significance and form and assists in forming relationships between the poem and the reader. The two poems initially appear to be polar opposites. The connotations found by analysing the figurative language enable the reader to create a single vision between the two poems. The figurative language allows the reader to understand the poems on a personal level.

Works Cited

Ferguson, Margaret, Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy, eds. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. 5th ed. New York and London: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Jennings, Elizabeth. One Flesh. 1966. Ed. Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy, eds. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. 5th ed. New York and London: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Owen, Wilfred. Anthem For Doomed Youth. 1920. Ed. Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy, eds. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. 5th ed. New York and London: W. W. Norton, 2005.