Wilfred Owen's poem "Strange Meeting" describes a meeting between a soldier and the spirit of an enemy soldier he killed in World War I. The two soldiers recognize each other in hell and realize they were once enemies who killed one another. The dead soldier laments over the hopelessness and pity of war, which stole his courage, wisdom, and humanity. He tells the living soldier that they should now sleep, ending the poem on a note of peaceful hopelessness.

2. Strange Meeting
By Wilfred Owen
Hannah, Drew, and Danny

4. Overview
• Soldier in World War II
• Runs into spirit of dead soldier
• Characterized by iambic pentameter throughout most of poem
• Imperfect rhyme scheme emphasizes ugliness of war
• Liberal use of enjambment shows endless hopelessness
• Reference to each other as “friend,” even though once enemies
• Increased use of end-stopped lines at end signals conclusion
• Constant tone of peaceful hopelessness
• Use of oxymorons and paradoxes to show senselessness of war

6. Salvation,
Archetypal image of death: Biblical
tunnel with light at the end reference
It seemed that out of the battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Reflection Through granites which titanic wars had groined. ESL
on
numerous Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
deaths Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred. ESL
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
Are both
of them With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
dead, or
just one? Lifting distressful hands as if to bless. ESL
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall;
Parallel structure
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
ESL
Description of
soldier like that of a
mummy

8. Hyperbole shows
devastation of war
ESL
Seems
peaceful With a thousand pains that vision’s face was grained;
Repetition of
compared to “moan”
outside war Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
emphasizes
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan. dreary tone
Ironic to say “Strange friend,” I said, “here is no cause to mourn.” ESL
that Hell is Begins very
“None,” said the other, “save the undone years,
more peaceful long speech
than war The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Death equalizes
Includes Was my life also; I went hunting wild everyone
perspective Repetition of
After the wildest beauty in the world, “wild,” alliteration
of former
enemy Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair,
But mocks the steady running of the hour, Even time behaves
Place devoid strangely here
of emotion And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.
Carpe Diem, focus
on the important
ESL things in life

10. Lyrical rhythm Euphony
suggests laughter Alliteration of “m”
For by my glee might many men have laughed,
And of my weeping something had been left,
Repetition of Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
“pity”
The pity of war, the pity war distilled. ESL
Now men will go content with what we spoiled,
View that war is
Cacophony Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled. ESL opposite of
progress
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress,
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress. ESL
Courage was mine, and I had mystery,
Parallel
structure The war stole both
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery;
Paradox, shows To miss the march of this retreating world Personification
senselessness
of war Into vain citadels that are not walled.
ESL

12. Biblical allusion to cleansing
power of water Allusion to Greek mythology
Then when much blood had clogged their chariot wheels
I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,
Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.
ESL
Contrast
between I would have poured my spirit without stint
sacrifice for
country and But not through wounds; not on the cess of war. ESL
horrors of war
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were. ESL
“Dulce et I am the enemy you killed, my friend. ESL
Insanity caused
decorum est…” I knew you in this dark; for so you frowned by war
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed. ESL
Euphemism I parried; but my hands were loath and cold. ESL
for death Let us sleep now….” Ends without War had stolen
conclusive punctuation all that made
him human