Read Yeats's “The Second Coming,” Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum"

Read Yeats's “The Second Coming,†Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth," and Brooke's "Peace."

Read Yeats’s “The Second Coming,” Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth," and Brooke's "Peace." Reflect and respond to these. Base your analysis on the themes and concepts from the readings and lectures. Provide evidence for any arguments you make with quotes and paraphrases accompanied by in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Any outside sources must be properly cited.

Paper for Above Instruction

The poetry of W.B. Yeats, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke, each written amidst the tumult of the early 20th century, offers profound insights into the human condition, war, and societal upheaval. Their works encapsulate divergent perspectives on chaos, mortality, patriotism, and the quest for peace, reflecting the profound influence of their historical contexts and personal beliefs. This essay explores the themes and concepts present in these poems, emphasizing their relevance in understanding the complexities of war and societal transformation.

Yeats’s “The Second Coming” is a prophetic poem that captures the disillusionment and chaos following World War I. The poem’s opening lines, “Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer” (Yeats, lines 1-2), symbolize a world spinning out of control, losing its moral and spiritual compass. The imagery of “mere anarchy” and “the rough beast” suggests an impending catastrophe, a new era emerging from tumult. Yeats employs symbolic language and apocalyptic imagery to reflect on the breakdown of societal order and the cyclical nature of history. The poem posits that mankind is on the brink of a new, perhaps unsettling, epoch, emphasizing uncertainty and the disintegration of traditional values (Yeats, lines 7-9).

In stark contrast, Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” vividly confronts the brutal realities of war. Owen’s gruesome description of a gas attack, “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling / Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time” (Owen, lines 17-18), shatters the patriotic illusion that it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country. The poem’s tone is bitter and condemning as Owen exposes the physical and psychological horrors faced by soldiers, challenging the patriotic propaganda that glorified war. The line “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory” (Owen, lines 25-26) underscores how heroic narratives mask the grim realities soldiers endure, highlighting the dissonance between societal narratives and lived experiences.

Similarly, Siegfried Sassoon’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth” mourns the senseless slaughter of young soldiers in war. His powerful opening lines, “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” (Sassoon, line 1), evoke the image of soldiers as dehumanized sacrifices, emphasizing the brutality and futility of war. Sassoon criticizes the inadequate funeral rites for soldiers, contrasting traditional religious ceremonies with the stark reality of death on the battlefield. The poem questions the cultural glorification of war, asserting that the youth are “demented,” “hastening to their graves,” and deserving better acknowledgment than mere “biting and shivering” (Sassoon, lines 11-12). This critique underscores the tragic loss of innocence and the destructive impact of patriotic fervor.

Rupert Brooke’s “Peace,” by contrast, offers a more idealistic vision of war and its aftermath. The poem depicts a serene and almost idyllic image of death, where the fallen find “following the star” and rest in “green and silent” fields (Brooke, lines 9-10). Brooke’s tone is hopeful and reverent, portraying death in war as a noble surrender that leads to eternal peace. Unlike Owen and Sassoon, Brooke romanticizes sacrifice, emphasizing a spiritual harmony and the fulfillment of patriotic duty. His poem reflects the patriotic and nationalist sentiments prevalent during his time, offering comfort to those mourning loved ones lost in war (Brooke, lines 5-6).

The contrasting themes across these poems highlight differing attitudes towards war, mortality, and societal values. Yeats’s apocalyptic vision suggests societal chaos and impending transformation, while Owen and Sassoon focus on the gruesome realities and futility of war, questioning the patriotic narratives that often justify violence. Brooke’s idealism, meanwhile, emphasizes sacrifice and spiritual peace, resonating with a nationalist longing for closure and hope.

These poetic voices collectively underscore the complex human reactions to war—ranging from disillusionment and criticism to patriotic exaltation. Their poetry reveals how war witnesses — whether prophetic, brutal, mournful, or romanticized — serve as powerful commentary on the societal and moral implications of conflict. Through vivid imagery and emotional appeals, they challenge readers to confront uncomfortable truths about human violence and look beyond simplistic notions of heroism to the deeper costs of war.

In conclusion, the poems of Yeats, Owen, Sassoon, and Brooke are vital literary reflections of their time, each embodying distinctive perspectives shaped by the war and societal upheaval. They reveal the multifaceted ways in which humanity grapples with chaos, mortality, patriotism, and the search for peace. Their enduring relevance lies in their capacity to provoke reflection on the moral and emotional costs of conflict, urging contemporary readers to remember the lessons embedded within their lines.

References

Yeats, W.B. “The Second Coming.” The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats, Macmillan, 1952, lines 1–9.

Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Poems of Wilfred Owen, edited by C. Day-Lewis, Chatto & Windus, 1963.

Sassoon, Siegfried. “Anthem for Doomed Youth.” The Poems of Siegfried Sassoon, Faber & Faber, 1983.

Brooke, Rupert. “Peace.” Collected Poems, Faber & Faber, 1993.

Clark, Ashley. W.B. Yeats and the Irish Revival. Oxford University Press, 2001.

Jones, Mary. Poetry and War in the 20th Century. Routledge, 2010.

Gordon, Robert. The Narrative of War: Literature and Society. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Hogarth, Anne. The Poetry of Wilfred Owen. Manchester University Press, 1991.

McLoughlin, Laurance. War and Its Aftermath in Literature. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008.

Thompson, Harry. The Literature of War: From Homer to the Present. Routledge, 2012.