Secondary 2

Second Term
Poetry

‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’

By Wilfred Owen

‫هيداء‬
‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’
By Wilfred Owen

1 ‫هيداء‬
 What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

Word meaning:

Word Meaning ‫المعنى‬

Anthem National song ‫نشيد وطنى‬
Doomed Condemned to death ‫محكوم عليه‬
Monstrous Absurd ‫مشوه الخلقة‬
Stutter Unable to talk properly <‫يتهته‬
Rifle Hand guns ‫بندقية‬
Rattle Short sharp knocks ‫يجلجل‬
Patter Repeat in a sharp way ‫يبطبط‬
Orisons Prayers ‫دعوات‬
Mockeries False representations ‫استهزاء‬
Mourning Grief of dead people ‫سخرية‬
Choir Group of trained singers ‫الكورال‬
Shrill High pitched sound ‫صرخة‬
Demented Sad ‫حزين‬
Wailing Making a loud ‫عويل‬
Bugles Horns ‫بوق‬
Shires Counties ‫ مقاطعات‬..

Paraphrase:

2 ‫هيداء‬
 The poet is against war and he condemns it by describing it as horrible and
disgusting. As we always see, when young people die in the war, there is
always the horrible noise of guns. The poet asks about the bells that should
announce the death of those soldiers. We hear guns instead of prayers. The
death of young people is like the death of cattle. They die in huge numbers
and those cattle don’t know why they die in that horrible war.

 The only sound that shows their death is the angry roar of guns. The sound
of rapid firing of gun is the only thing they will hear instead of prayers.

 The poet asks people not to mock the dead people by the sound of choirs
who sing for the dead because there will be the sound of bursting shells
and he horns of the British countryside calling for them.

Stanza 2

What candles may be held to speed them all?

Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing – down of blinds.

Word Meaning ‫المعنى‬

Glimmers Lights ‫اضواء‬
Pallor Pale colour ‫لون شاحب‬
Pall White clothes spread over coffins ‫غطاء الكفن‬
Dusk Beginning of nightfall ‫الغسق‬
Drawing down Lowering ‫تنزل‬
Blinds Screens for windows ‫الستائر‬

3 ‫هيداء‬
 Where are the candles that are lit at funerals? There will be no candles
but their love will be there in the eyes of boys.
There will be sadness on the faces of girls when they hear about the
death of those poor soldiers. The only flowers to be laid on their coffins will
be the gentle unspoken thoughts of those left behind. Finally, as houses pull
down their blinds as a sign of mourning, the world will be sad when darkness
controls the world at the close of every day.
Commentary
1- There is contrast in the poem between the peaceful atmosphere that should
be there when death takes place and what actually happens when we hear
terrible noise of guns. At funeral time, there should be only prayers and
silence.

2- The stanza consists of an Octet (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). Each of the
Octet and the Sestet begins with a question. This makes the reader
interested and involved in the poem.

3- The octet is devoted to the sounds surrounding death and the sestet to
visual rituals.

4- The first line show the poet’s idea towards death in battle. He likens death
of soldiers to that of animals.

5- The comparison with cattle brings out at least three points about war
deaths.
The soldiers don’t understand what they are dying for.
They die in great numbers.
Those lost lives are treated by responsible officials as having no or little
value.

6- The sounds around death are hated by the poet and are depicted negatively
as follows:
a) Guns are angry
b) Rifles stutter
c) Shells shrill and are demented

4 ‫هيداء‬
7- There is contrast between the (Should be) and what (is). For example:
A) The choirs should be serene and gracious, the shells shrill and are
demented.
B) The prayers should be gentle but rifles stutter quickly.

8- The last line contrasts with the preceding ones. It leaves battle field and
returns to Britain. We return to the peaceful places which are the homes of
those soldiers where horns mourns the dead.

9- The sestet follows the same pattern as the octet. It opens with a question
but the images are all visual and the effect of soundless contrast s with the
octet. The image in tender which contrasts with the brutality in the octet.
There is hope as it describes the sorrow of the living for the dead

10- The rhyme is (ab ab cd cd) The octet is (eff egg)

11- There is alliteration (rife – rapid – rattle) (glimmer – goodbye)
12- Owen’s poem is a good example of how form, meaning and sound can
work together to achieve a powerful total effect.

General Comments
The poem is divided into two units: an eight-line octet and a six-line sestet.
The octet lists a number of noises associated with battle and war, contrasting
them with the respectful funeral sounds: the ‘passing bells’ mournfully
announcing someone’s death are mutated into the sounds of gunfire; the
‘rapid rattle’ of the ‘stuttering rifles’ constitutes the only prayers (i.e.
‘orisons’) these poor doomed soldiers will hear.

5 ‫هيداء‬
 Exercises:
1- What is the title of the poem?
The poem is called ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’.
2- Who is the poet?
The poet is written by Wilfred Owen
3- How do soldiers die in the war?
They die as cattle.
4- What is the only noise they hear?
The noise of the guns and rifles.
5- What does the noise of the guns do?
They are louder than the sound of prayers.
6- What is the difference between the octet and sestet?
The octet is concerned with the sounds of the guns and rifles. The sestet
is drawing visual pictures.
7- Why does the poet mock the presence of candles?
He decided that the only love will be in the eyes of boys and the love in
the eyes of the girls who are sad for the poor soldiers.
8- What flowers will be thrown on the coffins?
The only flowers to be laid on their coffins will be the gentle unspoken
thoughts of those left behind.
9- How will the world be sad for the dead people?
As houses pull down their blinds as a sign of mourning, the world will be
sad when darkness controls the world at the close of every day.
10- What is the contrast in the poem?
There is contrast between the peaceful atmosphere that should be there
when death happens and what actually happens. There shouldn’t be any
noise, there should be prayers and silence.
11- How are stanzas divided?
The stanza consists of an Octet (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). Each of the
Octet and the Sestet begins with a question. This makes the reader
interested and involved in the poem.
12- What is the difference between the octet and the sestet?
The octet is devoted to the sounds surrounding death and the sestet to
visual rituals.
13- What does the first line show?
6 ‫هيداء‬
 The first line show the poet’s idea towards death in battle. He likens
death of soldiers to that of animals.
14- Why does the poet liken the death of soldiers to that of animals?
The comparison with cattle brings out at least three points about war deaths.
a) The soldiers don’t understand what they are dying for.
b) They die in great numbers.
c) Those lost lives are treated by responsible officials as having no or
little value.
15- How are the sounds around death hated by the poet?
The sounds around death are hated by the poet and are depicted
negatively as follows:
a) Guns are angry
b) Rifles stutter (unable to speak properly)
c) Shells shrill and are demented (gated)
16- What is the contrast in the poem?
There is contrast between the (Should be) and what (is). For example:
A) The choirs should be serene and gracious, the shells shrill and are
demented.
B) The prayers should be gentle but rifles stutter quickly.
17- How does the last line contrast with the rest of the poem?
The last line contrasts with the preceding ones. It leaves battle field and
returns to Britain. We return to the peaceful places which are the homes
of those soldiers where horns mourns the dead.
18- How are the octet and sestet alike?
The sestet follows the same pattern as the octet. It opens with a
question.
19- How are the octet and sestet different?
The images of the sestet are all visual and the effect of soundless
contrast with the octet. The image in tender which contrasts with the
brutality in the octet. There is hope as it describes the sorrow of the
living for the dead
20- What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
The rhyme is (ab ab cd cd) The octet is (eff egg)
21- Give an example of alliteration in the poem?
There is alliteration (rife – rapid – rattle) (glimmer – goodbye)

7 ‫هيداء‬