A Simple Analysis of Artistic Conception in Anthem for Doomed Youth

Transcription

1 Apr. 2007, Volume 4, No.4 (Serial No.40) Sino-US English Teaching, ISSN , USA A Simple Analysis of Artistic Conception in Anthem for Doomed Youth GUO Hang (Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Guangzhou Kangda Vocational and Technical College, Guangzhou , China) Abstract: The paper is intended to analyze the artistic conception of the poem Anthem for Doomed Youth, through such four aspects as song beauty, figures of speech, images and contrasts. It is profound and far-reaching, which expresses poet s anger to the war and the deep mourning for the dead, just as the author says: The subject of it is war, and the pity of war. Key words: Wilfred Owen; song beauty; image 1. Background Wilfred Owen was the most brilliant and promising poet of all the young ones who were killed in the First World War, but he only became known after his death. Literary critics believe that if he had lived longer, he would have counter-balanced the enormous influence of T.S. Eliot, and the English poetry in the post-war period would have taken a different course. Owen is taken as war poet in the modern English literature; some researchers of English literature have analyzed the characteristics of the war poets. But, as for Owen, many Chinese students are not familiar with him. It is intended to analyze the artistic conception of Owen s famous war poem Anthem for Doomed Youth from song beauty, figures of speech, image, contrast etc, which contributes much to further understanding the special features of war poem and the appreciation of the poetic arts of the then school of poems. Anthem for Doomed Youth was written in the First World War. The First World War is an appropriate starting point for a study of modern English literature. The war had a shattering effect on English history, which was inevitably reflected in the whole intellectual life, and particularly the literature of the nation. Nobody, in 1914, was prepared for this first modern war in which English lost a whole generation of its most promising young men. Even today, many people in England blame its decline on this great loss. During the First World War, war poets appeared. They felt only horror and pity for the waste of life, and hatred to the old generation who aroused the war. They wrote anti-war poetry. Owen was one of the most important war poets. In his best-known poem, Anthem for Doomed Youth, the poet criticized the First World War in the sharp and bitter tone. In this poem, the poet described a terrible picture to show that many soldiers were slaughtered like cattle. The battle was just like slaughterhouse. Nearly all of England s promising young poets were killed in this war, from which Owen could not escape the tragedy caused by the war. Wilfred Owen was one of the most important war poets, but he had never published a single poem. When the First World War broke out, he enlisted in the British Army in 1915, as a common soldier. He was sent to fight in France, where he was shocked and angered by the brutality of war, and filled with sorrow for those who die as cattle. He wrote many poems about war. But he was killed a week before the war ended. In 1920 Owen s best friend, poet Siegfried Sassoon, collected and published all of Owen s war poems. It was recognized as the most GUO Hang (1979- ), male, teaching assistant of Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Guangzhou Kangda Vocational and Technical College; research fields: applied linguistics, English and American literature. 59

2 poignantly expressive of any that had been written during the First World War. Wilfred Owen had ever been taken as a poet having boundless prospects. Though he died at the age of 25, he left many pieces of poems that were spoken highly of in English poetry literature. Owen s death was the great loss in the modern English literature, but his good and emotional pomes had its influence upon later poets. 2. The Thesis of Anthem for Doomed Youth The theme of this poem is very emotional and instructive. Owen had written an unfinished piece that Sassoon used as the preface to his friend s book: Above all, this book is not concerned with poetry. The subject of it is war, and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity. All a poet can do is warn. The subject of it is war, and the pity of war runs through all Owen s poems. It is the theme of his poetry. Owen s anger at the cruelty and waste of that war, and his pity for soldiers who were slaughtered in it, led him to write the deeply moving poem Anthem for Doomed Youth. In this poem, the poet filled himself with sympathy for the dead soldiers and hatred to this unjust war. Through the title of this poem, it is clearly seen that Owen just sang the anthem for the innocent young soldiers. He thought the First World War brought the youth generation into its doomsday, and brought sufferings to people. The pity for thousands of dead soldiers and the hatred to this war were accepted naturally as the theme of the Anthem for Doomed Youth. 3. Analysis of Artistic Conception in Anthem for Doomed Youth In order to show this theme, Owen tried to expose it in a profound and far-reaching artistic conception. The aesthetic effects of artistic conception are very touching, not only owing to its sound patterns, diction and writing skills, but also due to its internal arrangement of meaning. 3.1 Song beauty in Anthem for Doomed Youth Song beauty can make readers not only perceive beauty, but also deepen understanding of artistic conception. Especially in this poem full of wretched war atmosphere, we feel these kinds of song beauty that can help us further understand how the poet tried to convey his anger to the war and his desire to the peace. In the poem, the poet chooses series of stylistic function words in phonological aspect in order to exaggerate war atmosphere such as stuttering, patter, shrill, rattle. All these words include short vowel. When we read it we can sense the rhythm is becoming faster and faster. It can make us tie easily with the song of language and the wailing of war, which can express profound meaning by song, and create a kind of effect by using song to arouse feeling. When we read this sentence stuttering rifles rapid rattle, we seem to hear the rifles rapid rattle in the battle. Similarly, the shrilling demented choirs of wailing shells. We also can feel shells bursting in the sky and sending shrill and sad song. As we read through this poem, we can realize that the beauty of language brings us shock. The poet conveys the voice effect by the voiceless language, which can lead us to step into the real battle and sense wretched artistic conception. In the second stanza, the poet also chooses some words which include long vowel and double vowel. For example: all, pall, eyes, good-byes, minds, blinds, brows, flowers, these words can play a role in slowing down 60

3 the rhythm of the poem. The function of using these words was to express grief for the dead soldiers in the battle. Just as the last two sentences show: Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds and each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. While reading this sentence, we can feel the rhythm is slowed down. The soldiers are dying every day, and their relatives close the curtains of a house to express their sad memories, which add the mourning atmosphere, so we can find phone logics play an important role in setting off the theme by contrast, and make us feel the wretched artistic conception at the same time. The repetition of letter of the words is also utilized to make poem produce song beauty, and from another aspect it can put forward the development of poet s thought and play up the atmosphere. In line 2 of Anthem for Doomed Youth, we can notice such words as monstrous, anger, guns. The repeated letter n in this line, conveys the effect of relentless guns shooting. The same to the line 3-4, the words such as stuttering, rattle, patter out, hasty with repeated t and rifles rapid rattle with repeated r, make the impression of rifle fire upon readers. The use of the repetition of letter can not only deepen the relentless impression of war on readers, but also arouse their sympathy and make them follow the poet s thought to understand the theme of this poem. The onomatopoeia and alliteration are used together, in order to create song beauty, too. In the above-mentioned example the repeated r, we know it uses alliteration. Alliteration can produce beautiful speech sound. In this poem when we read rifles rapid rattle we seem to hear shells and guns send shrill and sad song. It is very vivid. The use of onomatopoeia strengthens further the effect of the song. The poet puts the onomatopoeia and alliteration together to show such effect. For example: stuttering rifles rapid rattle, we seem to hear the rifles rapid ratter in the batter. This sentence is just like a quotable quotation of providing striking key points to make wretched war atmosphere and to mix profound artistic conception together with it, which achieves the unity of song-meaning-feeling-scene. 3.2 Figures of speech in Anthem for Doomed Youth At the figures of speech aspect, in order to exaggerate relentless slaughter in the battle and convey his grief and indignation to this unjust war, the poet uses simile. For example: In the first line, what passing-bells for these who die as cattle, who die as a cattle take us to the slaughter house. At there thousands of cattle are slaughtered. Before us the battle is just like a slaughterhouse, thousands of soldiers were slaughtered as cattle in this unjust war, which make reader, fill with righteous indignation. In the second line, we notice this sentence the monstrous anger of the guns. Here is a metaphor, through which the poet likens guns to angry devil, and the song of guns in the battle just like the roar of devil that is the passing-bells for the death. These two examples seem to bring us to the battle and lead us into the artistic conception of this poem. In this poem, simile and metaphor appear in several places. Here the author doesn t want to list one by one, but just gives these two examples to make reader know the importance of simile and metaphor (Trope) for understanding the poem s artistic conception. The use of symbol is also important to the poem. In the last line of this poem, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. This numb endurance is symbolized by closing the curtains over their windows at sunset each day, closing the curtains of a house is also a symbol of a death in the family, and the soldiers are dying every day. By using symbol the poet describes the relatives numb to show death to the soldier is a common thing. From another aspect, the poet expresses his voiceless anger against the war, and sympathy to people who lose their relatives, which work in harmony with the theme. 61

4 3.3 Image is the soul of Anthem for Doomed Youth To poem, image is the soul. When we read through Anthem for Doomed Youth, it is easily recognized that image is used in every line. Image in poem can excite our sense organ and hint certain of feeling that can make reader follow the orientation of the image into the artistic conception of poem. In the Anthem for Doomed Youth the poet uses a series of images. For example: Visual image: die as cattle, the monstrous anger of the guns, candles, not in the hands of the boys, but in their eyes, girls, brows, pall, flowers etc. These images act as our visual organ, which make readers produce the feeling of being personally on the scene. It seems that we see the battle with our own eyes. In the poem the poet also uses some auditory images, such as the stuttering rifles rapid rattle, patter out, hasty orisons, passing-bells, voice of mourning, and the shrill demented choirs of wailing shell, bugles calling. Through these auditory images we seem to hear the furious booming of guns and hasty orisons. In fact, there will not even be a quick prayer spoken and no bells for the dead soldiers; there is only the furious booming of guns and the sound of rapid rifle fire. The poet uses visual images and an auditory image together to act upon our visual and hearing organ again and again, which make us feel the relentless war and tragic people. In a truthful picture we follow poets emotion to step into the wretched artistic conception. It will arouse us to long for the peace and oppose to the war. There is another kin aesthetic image in the poem a drawing-down of blinds, which means closing the blinds. This common movement exposes the truthful war scene where the soldiers are dying everyday, because closing the curtains of a house is a symbol of a death in the family. The poet is full of sympathy to the dead soldiers and their relatives. In the poem we can find the visual image, auditory image and kin aesthetic image mingle together and appear repeatedly, which brings us to the battle of the First World War, we seem to be personally on the scene and the sight strikes a chord in our heart. The poet s anger at the cruelty and waste of that war, and his pity for those who died in it, urge him to use these images to convey his emotion. When we follow this kind of emotion to be involved in the poet s artistic conception by these images, we can strike a sympathetic chord with him. Here the thought and emotion of the reader and poet achieve a perfect unity. 3.4 The use of contrast in poem structure In this poem, the poet put an emphasis on the contrast. The poet has an ingenious conception in conveying his emotion. He takes the customs of western religion for mourning for the dead and the reality of the battle as a strong contrast, which plays up the war terror and exposes the poet s righteous indignation to this unjust war. e.g. contrast passing-bells and the monstrous anger of the guns prayers and the stuttering rifles rapid rattle. We know passing-bell is the custom in English villages to ring the church bells slowly as a sign of mourning for a villager who has died, and usually, a quick prayer will patter out their hasty orisons. But in fact, there are no bells for these soldiers and there will not even be a quick prayer spoken for the dead soldiers. Only the furious booming of guns and the sound of rapid rifle fire, the poet takes the furious booming of guns as passing-bells for mourning for the dead soldiers, and takes the sound of rapid rifle fire as a prayer s orisons. The poet plays up a wretched war atmosphere by contrast, and gives us a great shock to bloody battle of the First World War. In the line 5-8, we can notice the contrast of voice of mourning, choirs and the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells, bugles calling. In religion custom the choirs will sing songs to mourn for the dead, but in the battle nobody mourns for them, only the sad sound of bugles for commemorating the death by their home countries, resembles the sound of singing in a church. The poet sets off further the bloody war atmosphere by contrast and 62

5 arouses our sense organ to realize this strong contrast, which can make us know clearly the terror and cruelty of war and this unjust war bring people more sufferings. In the second stanza of the poem, the poet contrasts candle and holy glimmers of good-eye in their eyes; the pall and the pallor of girl s brows; flowers and the tenderness of the patient mind. The poet slows down the rhythm of the poem. There are not bloody battles or the sound of artillery shells. It plays an important role in adding the sad atmosphere and expressing grief for the dead soldiers. According to the Christian custom to hold candles at a funeral, symbolically lighting the way for the departed spirit, and the dead will step into Heaven. But in the battle the dead soldiers have no right to enjoy it. There is no candle light. Only a holy light in the eyes of the living soldiers who recognize their comrades-in-arms have departed in death. Instead of a white pall to cover the dead soldiers coffins, there are only the grieving, white faces of the girls who loved them. Instead of funeral flowers, there are only kind thoughts and memories in the minds of people who patiently endure the war. We can find the candles, pall and flowers should have been given for the dead soldier to express the grievance, but in the battle nothing could be for the dead. This unjust war makes the girl lose her lover and make many persons lose their relatives. In fact England lost a whole generation of its most promising young men. The war only brings sufferings and misery to people. In the poem, the poet describes a wretched, sad battle scene for reader by contrast. We feel the poet s anger at the war and pity for the dead soldiers in the battle. We can understand further poem s main idea by detailed contrast. The poet creates the artistic conception of the poem which is different from other scene poems. What he creates is profound and makes us produce great anger to the war. At the same time, the poet also arouses us to long for peace. 4. Conclusion In short, the poet uses the means of artistic expression such as contrast, image and trope in order to create profound artistic conception, which is worth learning. Besides, we can notice this poem has 14 lines and divides into 2 stanzas. We also can see this poem is modeling the meter of sonnet by its rhyme. The rhyming word that ends a line of verse is abab, cdcd, effe, gg. Here the poet uses an irregular, broken rhythm like normal speech, rather than a distinct poetic metric pattern. We should pay attention to the beginning of every stanza, which uses the question and then gives the answer. Firstly, the question in the beginning of every stanza can attract us and lead us to think why the poet asks this. Then the poet gives the answer. We seem to suddenly see the light, and follow the poet s emotion to read through the whole poem and realize the wretched artistic conception. The artistic conception of the Anthem for Doomed Youth is analyzed from song beauty, figures of speech, image, contrast etc. When we read it, we seem to be personally on the scene and see the bloody battle and hear the song of artillery shells, which makes us realize the profound artistic conception. The war only can bring people suffering. The First World War broke out 90 years ago. Now, we read this poem that can still arouse our desire for long peace. We know peace and development are the two major trends in the modern world. We should treasure the peace and devote our youth to building our beautiful motherland. From another aspect, we should pay attention to the diction of words and contrast in Anthem for Doomed Youth. Good diction can effectively convey poet s emotion. Especially the use of contrast can further deepen our impression on this poem and thorough understanding of this poem. To appreciate other poems, we also should pay attention to it. 63

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