Wilfred Owen, most famous for his war poetry, used his work to expose the horrors of war and the disastrous results that come from it, as seen in his most famous pieces – ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’,’ Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and ‘Exposure’. Owen’s preface states, “Above all I am not concerned with poetry”. This means it is not the poetry alone that is important to Owen, but the message he is trying to portray and emphasise. Owen more than anything wanted to reveal the truths of war hidden behind false propaganda and was able to achieve this though his poetic capabilities. Owen through his poetry was able to captivate his reader and create visual imagery to heighten the messages he wanted to convey, allowing us comprehend and understand the true horrors occurring on the front.
Wilfred Owens ‘Anthem for Doomed youth’, and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, are both anti-war poems, conveying similar messages about how ridiculous and meaningless war is, only bringing suffering and anguish to those involved. With direct experiences in the war himself, and first-hand contact with the traumas and horrific violence, Owen felt a sense of duty to inform people of the bloodshed and terrible conditions hidden by propaganda and lies. This is why he states, “Above all, I am not concerned with poetry”, because he believes the truths of war are more important than art, whilst he still is using his poetry to express his feelings, it is not the art of poetry which is his concern but the effectiveness of