Rationale

My written task for Part 1, “Language in Cultural Context”, shows a poem from 1917 rewritten in
2018, what intrigued me about Wilfred Owen’s poem was the title, “Anthem for doomed youth”, I
felt it relate to one of the English worksheets I did in class, “Generation in despair: Britain’s lost
youth” this sparked the idea of writing a new version of the hundred-year-old poem on the myriads
of problems the youth including myself, a victim of sexual harassment, face now like; drugs and
suicide.

Rather than the poem being rewritten in the form of a pastiche, I wrote it with my own personal
touches and added modern age references showing how language is shaped by culture. I made sure
not to focus on the piece of literature rather the language and the effect it creates.

I chose to write an educational forum, to help “analyse the impact of language changes”, a learning
outcome of Part 1, using comments. I wanted to be able to explore the text I wrote with more than
the superficial comments one sees on blogs. I was able to explore different perspectives and analyse
under the guise of not being myself, I tried to branch out and become more open-minded. The
forums had a compilation of different areas of context from experiences to opinions.

I tried to give modern references from books (“@dontaskalice”), slang (“Chevy”) and television
shows (“13 reasons why”) to show how language and thoughts are shaped by modern influences. I
was also able to show two interpretations of Owen’s poem in terms of suicide and drugs and the
differences in styles of two people of the same century. With careful organization and planning I
believe I was able to meet all the learning outcomes of Part 1 through showing understanding of the
evolution of language.

Word Count: 300

Free verses of the Free People
- An educational forum for aspiring poets

Posted by @ohbeautifulannabellee 4:20 27/6/18

The original “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen is one of my favourite poems as it
connects something as brutal as war with spiritualism. It intrigued me and I wanted to see how a
poem from 1917 could be translated into a 2018 version.

New Anthem for Doomed Youth

What passing-bells for those who resolved to die?

—Because of the boisterous desires of their tormentor.
Because of which their loved ones stand and cry
upon a mound of earth with a tombstone in the centre.
No mockeries now for them; no voices calling them heavy;
Nor will the pleas and apologies of the flouter ever bring them back, —
Unwanted hands had roved their bodies on the back seats of leery Chevys;
Before which a “plop” into their drinks turned their whole world black.

What are those sores and scratches on their breasts?

Fingerprints from the predators' hands
evil and violating as they reach inside their prey's pants
will the tyrants stop their non-consensual conquests?
Are lives enough to bring guilt to the oppressors' hearts and minds
or will the monsters inside shut them out and draw the blinds

Comments
@Krystianna_Rodrigues 9:12 27/6/18

Did you know that every 40 seconds a person dies because of suicide and it is said that by 2020
suicide rates will rise by one death per 20 seconds doubling the suicide rate in 3 years? 1 Suicide
has become a serious issue and in my opinion taking your own life has become “cool” with shows
like “13 Reasons Why” glorifying suicide. It is extremely saddening to see that the youth think that
suicide is an option to solving their problems, the easy way out. What they don't understand is
that the people they are hurting are themselves and their loved ones though it might cause guilt
in another person for a short time, they will move on. Is pain and sadness the legacy anyone
wants to leave behind? I feel this was the message conveyed by the poet and while I enjoyed the
original this poem was more relatable to me.

@constructivecriticism 21:39 1/7/18

The differences in both poems are quite obvious though the aspiring poet's efforts are noted, it
couldn't be compared to the emotion and style of Wilfred Owen. The language itself is quite
different where Owen used archaic language, “orisons” 2 which has long since been out of use, the
1
https://www.befrienders.org/suicide-statistics
2
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
 other poet used relatively new language like “Chevy”.
Though the poem maintains the same rhyme scheme of a hybrid sonnet, the syllable count is
completely different. There is a certain sophistication to Owen's poetry that isn't found in the new
one. I suppose in a way it shows how English's poetics has eradicated over time now it is all “LOLs”
and “OMGs”. What was once an art is now designed for comfort.

@annie.non.mous 23:07 1/7/18

I was raped a month ago by my best friend’s brother, he took me into his room when I was
waiting for my friend, at the beginning I had no idea what was happening then when I realized I
kicked screamed and punched trying to escape. When he was done he told me that if I told
anyone he would say I was lying and his sister would never talk to me again. I felt dirty, trapped
and I hated myself. I feigned illness and didn't go to school for a week and when my friend tried to
talk to me I wouldn't answer her calls or let her in. I couldn't tell my family because I was
ashamed. I wanted to die. Why not take the simple route?

tell me… what do I have left.. this isn’t for him I am doing for me… to escape myself….my
thoughts.. those episodes I have late at night.. a blade in one hand digging into my thighs… you
say suicide doesn’t help.. but atleast I will escape this pathetic realit.. where rapists caN GET away
with anything..

i need to die

@samster_da_king 1:25 21/7/18

This is a joke you all think you saying something with your fancy words.

@dontaskalice 14:11 29/10/18

Hii! @ohbeautifulannabellee I am a huge fan of your poetry and am constantly amazed by your
work I tried to write my own poem inspired by your take on the poem but I chose to do it on a
topic I have struggled with. Drugs.

What passing-bells to those who let go to cannabis

Only the past feelings of blissful euphoria
It is a pity your body ain't that magnanimous
to those tampered brownies in the cafeteria
Everything is intensified not just sight and sound
All your darkest thoughts and deepest sensations
are stuck in the endless spiral going around and around
Now who got any time for conversations

What can we do but face the truth?

Losing themselves, are our dearest doomed youth
forsworn to serve and die to the drug
less damaging to surrender to a mug
You have been warned put that into your minds
Wait! Is that smoke coming through your bedroom blinds?

year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=7&case_insensitive=on&content=orisons&direct_u
rl=t4%3B%2Corisons%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Borisons%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BOrisons%3B%2Cc0%3B
%3BORISONS%3B%2Cc0
 @Daniel.A.Wing 20:18 13/2/19

An anthem for doomed youth, I remember when I first read it, it was about 20 years ago and I
then marvelled at the language and the sorrow that emanates from it. I was so thankful to be
born in this century where teenagers didn't have to be sent to fight a useless war that they may
have not believed in because of the temper and egos of their countries rulers. Now I don't feel the
same, this poem made me question how evolved are we. Maybe our youth are always doomed let
it be suicide, drugs, school shootings or war.

Word Count 974

Bibliography

Simcox, Kenneth. Wilfred Owen: Anthem for a Doomed Youth. London, England: Woburn Press,
1987. Print.