Wilfred Owen's poem "Futility" examines the futility of war through the voice of a soldier questioning why the sun cannot revive his fallen comrade. The soldier reflects on how the sun once awakened the man but now his limbs are too hard to stir, even for the sun. Through rhetorical questions, the soldier expresses despair and bitterness at the meaningless death of his fellow soldier. The poem challenges notions of patriotism and military service by highlighting the inevitability of death in war.

1. Futility
An analysis by Rose Garofano

2. Overview
 Wilfred Owen talks “of the grievances of a wounded
man who they move into the sun, with the hope that
the sunshine will „stir‟ him”. The poet begins the poem
talking of a certain “Him‟ It is obvious that the poet is
talking about the Soldier. The anonymity points to his
relegation of identity; and lack of individuality in a
system that places the System over the individual.
The anonymity of the dead soldier may also be
employed for objectivity, and to render the experience
universal-so as to highlight the predicament of any
soldier. The poem functions as an elegy for the dead
soldier.

3.  In addition, Owen experienced one of his own
comrades' deaths in a similar way, so he was writing
from personal anguish.

4. Title
 The term ‟futility‟ foregrounds the pointlessness of war.
Moreover, it underlines the futility of extinction. This poem
challenges the ideals of young men who define patriotism
as “serving one‟s nation” and it offers readers the principle
that life is futile due to the inevitability of death
 Owen took part in World War I as an officer in the
Manchester Regiment. Therefore he bore witness to the
catastrophic effects of war. He was depressed and
disgusted at the distressing and demoralizing
consequences of the War. He endeavoured to fulfill the
responsibilities to his country.

5. Structure
 The poem traces the soldier‟s train of thought – the initial gentleness
of the first stanza changing to a rising bitterness in the second,
culminating in the despairing cry of the last two lines.
 Furthermore, the descriptive mode in the first stanza, shifts to an
interrogative and philosophical mode in the second. The poet is in
total denial over the death of his fellow-being. The Sun was capable
of waking vegetative entities like seeds, and the hard “clays of a cold
stars”. While it refreshed lifeless stars, why was it incapable of
endowing life to a rational being whose significance cannot be
understated? The poet is also aware of Nature‟s overwhelming
powers that Man-made inventions cannot withstand
(floods,tsunamis,earthquake)Why cannot Nature then revive the
aftermath of a man-made atrocity such as war?

6. Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved, - still warm, - too hard to stir?
 The rhetorical question is aimed not only at the Sun,
the Sustainer of Life. It is also intended at the
devastating concept of war in general.

7. Imagery
 The sun stands as a metaphor for the Giver of Life here.
Once, the poet asserts, the sun‟s touch did awaken the
man in question. Once upon a time, he was „at home‟. “At
home” signifies that the man was comfortable and satisfied.
The phrase “whispering of fields unsown.” suggests the
possibility of fields yet to be sown, dreams yet to be
realized.
 The sun always did awake him, until this day. This
suggests the likelihood that he is not in a condition
anymore to be awakened by the sun. The sun is
personified – „it‟s touch…the kind, old sun‟.

8.  Snow‟ stands as a powerful emblem of death, decay
and destruction. It is as opposed to the warmth of the
sun. Only the Old Sun (the Perpetuator of life) could
discern if anything was capable of rousing the man to
his senses. The line echoes the fact that no one who
had crossed in to the realm of death, has been back to
tell the tale of Death. The lines also refer to the
inevitability of Death, and hollowness of life. Hence,
the title “Futility”.

9.  Wilfred Owen used the word wheat as a symbol or
metaphor to symbolize the secrets behind the fallen~
many of them only lived 1/5th of their lives.
Furthermore, wheat whispers: the British grain fields
are solemn and shows the security of the youth
environment that these fallen men used to treasure in
their lives.

10. Other techniques …
 Repetition – „wake‟ and in it‟s different forms such as
awoke, wakes, woke
 As well as the synonyms „rouse‟, „stir‟, and
„break…sleep‟.
 Diction – use of soft words such as „touch‟ and
„whispering‟ emphasis the fragility of the soldier.
 And other words such as „limbs‟, „nerved‟ and „sides‟
to show his appreciation of life.

11. Rhetorical Questions
 Three rhetorical questions in the last six lines of the
poem to express the emotional outbursts of the
speaker;
„ Can‟t you wake the body you worked so hard to make?‟
„ Was it for this you grew him?‟
„Oh, why did you bother?‟

12. Final words …
 This poem challenges the ideals of young men who
define patriotism as “serving one‟s nation” and it offers
readers the principle that life is futile due to the
inevitability of death.
 Futility is defined as any event or process that is
meaningless in a person‟s lifetime. The concluding
thoughts of a Great War Soldier is completely evident
in this poem. Owen conveys the War as a
meaningless battle, the soldiers are boys depicted
with admirable characteristics; I will be a courageous
fighter for Great Britain”!