IN BED WITH OWENS/YEATS NEED DISCUSSION RESPONSES TO 5 POSTS · WEEK: Modern Lit and Society · 1.Violence in PoetryGM225 The theme of violence in the poetry of Yeats and Owen were brought on by WWI. Yeats, from Ireland had the perspective of an Irishmen going through the Irish revolts and the Easter Uprising. His poem "Easter, 1916" was written about the Easter Uprising that happened because the British promised the Irish that they would let them rule over their country, Ireland in 1914. When WWI broke out, the English put that promise on the back burner, which enraged the Irish. Many that participated in the uprising, especially it's leaders were executed. Yeats, knowing many of them, was troubled by it.  "We know their dream; enough To know they dreamed and are dead;" Lines 70-71, Yeats states that they had a dream, of the Irish becoming free, yet that dream is ultimately why they are now dead. Owen was British and wrote much about WWI and the devastation it brought. His poems give a powerful image as to what the soldiers went through in the war. The opening line of "Anthem of Doomed Youth": "What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?" Gives a horrible image that the soldiers that were going off to war were like a herd of cattle heading to be slaughtered. In lines 21-24 of Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen gave another horrible image.  "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–" This gives a chilling description of what war is/was like for soldiers. Even the ones that survive had/have to deal with the memories of what they saw, which is what Owen described in this poem. These poets could not escape the theme of violence in their lives and so it came through in their works. · 2.Yeats & OwensVT225                Yeats and Wilfred Owen were poets in the early 1900’s, who were very much influence by war. Owen’s writing shows a want to depict the actual experience of battle to people, but Yeats was a little condescending towards Owen’s want. Yeats felt that poetry should be used as an escape from such a bloody hell. He was also very involved with the politics of the time. Yeats used some of his poems to make political statements such as September 1913, in which he criticized and mocked the Irish Catholic middle-classes, calling them incapable of rising up and revolting, and Eater 1916, in which recants the ridicule from his previous poem. Although Yeats speaks of things in a slightly violent way from poem to poem, Owen’s work his almost entirely dedicated to trying to depict his own experiences. When analyzing Wilfred Owen’s poems such as, Anthem for Doomed Youth or Strange Meeting, you will notice that his works are quite graphic in its depictions of the battlefields. This tendency to write about battle and war seems to come from influences of World War I. Strange Meeting,however violent it may seem, is a very int ...

1. IN BED WITH OWENS/YEATS NEED DISCUSSION
RESPONSES TO 5 POSTS
· WEEK: Modern Lit and Society
· 1.Violence in PoetryGM225
The theme of violence in the poetry of Yeats and Owen were
brought on by WWI. Yeats, from Ireland had the perspective of
an Irishmen going through the Irish revolts and the Easter
Uprising. His poem "Easter, 1916" was written about the Easter
Uprising that happened because the British promised the Irish
that they would let them rule over their country, Ireland in
1914. When WWI broke out, the English put that promise on the
back burner, which enraged the Irish. Many that participated in
the uprising, especially it's leaders were executed. Yeats,
knowing many of them, was troubled by it.
"We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;"
Lines 70-71, Yeats states that they had a dream, of the Irish
becoming free, yet that dream is ultimately why they are now
dead.
Owen was British and wrote much about WWI and the
devastation it brought. His poems give a powerful image as to
what the soldiers went through in the war. The opening line of
"Anthem of Doomed Youth":
"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?"
Gives a horrible image that the soldiers that were going off to
war were like a herd of cattle heading to be slaughtered. In lines
21-24 of Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen gave another horrible
image.
"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–"

2. This gives a chilling description of what war is/was like for
soldiers. Even the ones that survive had/have to deal with the
memories of what they saw, which is what Owen described in
this poem.
These poets could not escape the theme of violence in their
lives and so it came through in their works.
· 2.Yeats & OwensVT225
Yeats and Wilfred Owen were poets in the early
1900’s, who were very much influence by war. Owen’s writing
shows a want to depict the actual experience of battle to people,
but Yeats was a little condescending towards Owen’s want.
Yeats felt that poetry should be used as an escape from such a
bloody hell. He was also very involved with the politics of the
time. Yeats used some of his poems to make political statements
such as September 1913, in which he criticized and mocked the
Irish Catholic middle-classes, calling them incapable of rising
up and revolting, and Eater 1916, in which recants the ridicule
from his previous poem.
Although Yeats speaks of things in a slightly violent way from
poem to poem, Owen’s work his almost entirely dedicated to
trying to depict his own experiences. When analyzing Wilfred
Owen’s poems such as, Anthem for Doomed Youth or Strange
Meeting, you will notice that his works are quite graphic in its
depictions of the battlefields. This tendency to write about
battle and war seems to come from influences of World War
I. Strange Meeting,however violent it may seem, is a very
interesting perspective on soldiers in battle.
less
· 3.Yeats and OwensBT225
The violence shown in Yeats’ poetry is mainly due to war,
politics and sexuality. In “The Second Coming”, it appears that
the mind of the poet is a bit gloomy. Such is due to the
consequence of the civil war in Ireland, which occurred during
the Easter Rebellion, along with other events. In another Yeats’

3. poem, ‘Easter 1916’, the speaker quarrels with himself and with
history.
In Owen’s poetry, we are also shown violence. Owen’s poetry is
filled with warfare themes, which is the major contribution of
such violence in the poems. Specifically, “Strange Meeting” is
congested with soldiers and the distress they continue to endure,
even following death. The speaker may have escaped battle, but
he has entered “hell”. In this poem “hell” is a location where
the distresses of war are replayed over and over. Unfortunately,
there is no escape from this violence.
· 4.Violence: Yeats & Owens DW224
Yeats and Owens poems dealt with the effects of war and
tackled the issues in different methods. Their poems were a
depiction of the spoils of war and its effect on society.
Yeats enjoyed mysticism and the occult, which explains the
violence described in his poetry. He was an eccentric pessimist
who always expected something bad to happen, as expressed in
the poem, “The Second Coming”. His one abnormal issue is an
attachment to war and violence of a system out of control. As
you read through the poem, you may notice that even in today’s
world, humanity is losing touch with nature and has to deal with
the consequences. This sentiment is echoed in its apocalyptic
theme of constant torment of violence.
On the other hand, Owen critiqued the soldiers experience with
his poetry and mimicked the literary works of other authors of
the early nineteenth century. The sentimental writing style and
attitudes toward the brutality of war depicts Owens views of a
man sensitive to the burden of soldiery. It is important to note
that Owen’s poetry is recognized as being a direct reflection of
the truth regarding military combat. This type of demise clearly
can be seen in the poem, “Anthem, For Doomed Youth”.

4. · 5.Violence in Yeats and Owen CJ224
“When I excluded Wilfred Owen, whom I consider unworthy of
the poets' corner of a country newspaper, I did not know I was
excluding a revered sandwich board man of the revolution…He
is all blood, dirt and sucked sugar stick.” – Yeats
Though both Yeats and Owen wrote extensively of the personal
and socioeconomic ills befallen to a group of people within a
world war, they both attacked this issue in vastly different
ways. Upon reading Yeats, one comes away with a feeling of
trepidation on his part. Poems such as “No Second Troy” and
“Easter, 1916” display feelings of doubt surrounding the use of
violence to spread an idea. In “No Second Troy” he speaks of a
woman that broke his heart that he has now forgiven, but is still
critical of her revolutionary sentiments. In “Easter, 1916” Yeats
describes the Easter uprising, reminiscing on the lives lost and
ending the poem asking the question “was it worth it?”
Owen, on the other hand, was a little more headstrong and
heavy-handed in his critique of violence (one that Yeats
rejected and belittled). In his apocalyptic “The Second
Coming,” he paints a picture of utter destruction and upheaval

5. caused by the war. This destruction is universal, as he believes
that the entire "centre cannot hold” (3). Owen also rejects
wartime violence in his poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth” – he
describes men dying “as cattle” (1), and goes into detail,
painting a picture of the mortality and meaningless of a
soldier’s life. For Owen, in wartime, a dying man’s goodbye is
not prayers or bells, but a distraught wife back home drawing
down the blinds.
less
IN
BED WITH OWENS/YEATS
NEED DISCUSSION RESPONSES
TO 5
POSTS
·
WEEK:
Modern
Lit
and
Society

6. ·
1
.
Violence
in
Poetry
GM225
The theme of violence in the poetry of Yeats and Owen were
brought
on by WWI. Yeats, from Ireland had
the perspective of an Irishmen going through the Irish revolts
and the Easter Uprising. His poem "Easter,
1916" was written about the Easter Uprising that happened
because
the British promised the Irish that they
would le
t them rule over their country, Ireland in 1914. When WWI
broke out, the English put that promise
on the back burner, which enraged the Irish. Many that
participated in the uprising, especially it's leaders
were executed. Yeats, knowing many of them, was t
roubled by it.
"We
know

7. their
dream;
enough
To
know
they
dreamed
and
are
dead;"
Lines 70
-
71, Yeats states that they had a dream, of the Irish becoming
free, yet that dream is ultimately
why they are now dead.
Owen was British and wrote much about WWI and the
devastation it brought. His poems give a powerful
image as to what the soldiers went through in the war. The
opening line of "Anthem of Doomed Youth":
"What passing
-
bells for these who die as cattle?"
Gives

8. a horrible image that the soldiers that were going off to war
were like a herd of cattle heading to be
slaughtered. In lines 21
-
24 of
Dulce
et
Decorum
Est,
Owen
gave another horrible image.
"
If
you
could
hear,
at
every
jolt,
the

9. blood
Come
gargling
from
the
froth
-
corrupted
lungs,
Obscene
as
cancer,
bitter
as
the
cud
Of
vile,
incurable

10. sores
on
innocent
tongues,
–
"
This gives a chilling description of what war is/was like for
soldiers. Even the ones that survive had/have to
deal with the memories of what th
ey saw, which is what Owen described in this poem.
These poets could not escape the theme of violence in their
lives and so it came through in their works.
·
2
.
Yeats
&
Owens
VT
225
Yeats and Wilfred Owen were poets in the early 1900’s, who

11. were very much influence by war.
Owen’s writing shows a want to depict the actual experience of
battle to people, but Yeats was a little
condescending towards Owen’s want. Yeats felt
that poetry should be used as an escape from such a
bloody hell. He was also very involved with the politics of the
time. Yeats used some of his poems to
make political statements such as
September
1913,
in which he criticized and mocked the Irish Catholi
c
middle
-
classes, calling them incapable of rising up and revolting, and
Eater
1916,
in which recants the
ridicule from his previous poem.
Although Yeats speaks of things in a slightly violent way from
poem to poem, Owen’s work his
almost entirely dedicate
d to trying to depict his own experiences. When analyzing
Wilfred Owen’s
poems such as,
Anthem

12. for
Doomed
Youth
or
Strange
Meeting
, you will notice that his works are quite
graphic in its depictions of the battlefields. This tendency to
write about battle
and war seems to come
from influences of World War I.
Strange
Meeting
,however violent it may seem, is a very interesting
perspective on soldiers in battle.
less
·
3.
Yeats
and
Owens
BT225

13. IN BED WITH OWENS/YEATS NEED DISCUSSION
RESPONSES TO 5 POSTS
Modern Lit and Society
Violence in Poetry
GM225
The theme of violence in the poetry of Yeats and Owen were
brought on by WWI. Yeats, from Ireland had
the perspective of an Irishmen going through the Irish revolts
and the Easter Uprising. His poem "Easter,
1916" was written about the Easter Uprising that happened
because the British promised the Irish that they
would let them rule over their country, Ireland in 1914. When
WWI broke out, the English put that promise
on the back burner, which enraged the Irish. Many that
participated in the uprising, especially it's leaders
were executed. Yeats, knowing many of them, was troubled by
it.
"We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;"
Lines 70-71, Yeats states that they had a dream, of the Irish
becoming free, yet that dream is ultimately
why they are now dead.
Owen was British and wrote much about WWI and the
devastation it brought. His poems give a powerful
image as to what the soldiers went through in the war. The
opening line of "Anthem of Doomed Youth":
"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?"
Gives a horrible image that the soldiers that were going off to
war were like a herd of cattle heading to be
slaughtered. In lines 21-24 of Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen gave

14. another horrible image.
"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–"
This gives a chilling description of what war is/was like for
soldiers. Even the ones that survive had/have to
deal with the memories of what they saw, which is what Owen
described in this poem.
These poets could not escape the theme of violence in their
lives and so it came through in their works.
Yeats & Owens
VT225
Yeats and Wilfred Owen were poets in the early
1900’s, who were very much influence by war.
Owen’s writing shows a want to depict the actual experience of
battle to people, but Yeats was a little
condescending towards Owen’s want. Yeats felt that poetry
should be used as an escape from such a
bloody hell. He was also very involved with the politics of the
time. Yeats used some of his poems to
make political statements such as September 1913, in which he
criticized and mocked the Irish Catholic
middle-classes, calling them incapable of rising up and
revolting, and Eater 1916, in which recants the
ridicule from his previous poem.
Although Yeats speaks of things in a slightly violent way from
poem to poem, Owen’s work his
almost entirely dedicated to trying to depict his own
experiences. When analyzing Wilfred Owen’s
poems such as, Anthem for Doomed Youth or Strange Meeting,
you will notice that his works are quite
graphic in its depictions of the battlefields. This tendency to
write about battle and war seems to come

15. from influences of World War I. Strange Meeting,however
violent it may seem, is a very interesting
perspective on soldiers in battle.
less
Yeats and Owens
BT225