Wilfred Owen (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) is considered one of the most important poets of the First World War, and his work is celebrated for its vivid and realistic portrayal of the horrors and brutality of war.

Owen was a soldier himself, serving in the trenches of France during World War I. He was deeply affected by what he saw and experienced there, and his poetry reflects this firsthand knowledge of the war's devastating effects on soldiers and civilians alike.

In his poetry, Owen sought to expose the realities of war and to challenge the prevailing myths and propaganda that had been used to promote it. He wrote about the physical and emotional toll of combat, the senseless waste of human life, and the psychological trauma that soldiers experienced.

Among his best-known works – most of which were published posthumously – are "Dulce et Decorum est", "Insensibility", "Anthem for Doomed Youth", "Futility", "Spring Offensive" and "Strange Meeting". Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918, a week before the war's end, at the age of 25.

Overall, Owen's work as a war poet is notable for its raw and unflinching honesty, its powerful imagery, and its unrelenting critique of the horrors of war. His poetry has had a profound influence on subsequent generations of writers and artists, and it continues to be widely read and admired today.

 

Strange Meeting

 

It seemed that out of battle I escaped

Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped

Through granites which titanic wars had groined.

 

Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,

Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.

Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared

With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,

Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.

And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,—

By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.

 

With a thousand fears that vision's face was grained;

Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,

And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.

“Strange friend,” I said, “here is no cause to mourn.”

“None,” said that other, “save the undone years,

The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,

Was my life also; I went hunting wild

After the wildest beauty in the world,

Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair,

But mocks the steady running of the hour,

And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.

For by my glee might many men have laughed,

And of my weeping something had been left,

Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,

The pity of war, the pity war distilled.

Now men will go content with what we spoiled.

Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.

They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress.

None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.

Courage was mine, and I had mystery;

Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery:

To miss the march of this retreating world

Into vain citadels that are not walled.

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.

I would have poured my spirit without stint

But not through wounds; not on the cess of war.

Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.

 

“I am the enemy you killed, my friend.

I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned

Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.

I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.

Let us sleep now. . . .”

Explanation of strange meeting

‘Strange Meeting’ is a poem by the English poet Wilfred Owen, who was known for his powerful and realistic portrayal of the horrors of World War I. The poem is a dialogue between two soldiers who meet in a surreal and hellish landscape that resembles the aftermath of a battle. The soldiers recognize each other as enemies, but as they begin to talk, they realize that they have more in common than they thought. The poem is a powerful commentary on the tragedy of war and the human cost of conflict.

The poem begins with the soldier narrator describing his journey through a dark and terrifying landscape that he compares to hell. He is weary and disoriented, and he stumbles upon another soldier who seems equally lost. The two soldiers recognize each other as enemies, but the narrator senses a deeper connection between them.

The second soldier, who is unnamed, reveals that he is dead and that they are now in an afterlife where there is no war or conflict. The two soldiers continue to talk, and the second soldier tells the narrator that he was the soldier who the narrator killed in battle. The narrator is overcome with guilt and horror at the realization of what he has done.

As the poem continues, the two soldiers discuss their experiences in the war and the toll that it has taken on them. They realize that they are both victims of the war and that their hatred for each other was based on a false and arbitrary division. The second soldier offers the narrator forgiveness and understanding, and the poem ends with the narrator's realization that he too is dead and trapped in this strange and hellish landscape.

‘Strange Meeting’ is a powerful anti-war poem that emphasizes the human cost of conflict. Through the encounter between the two soldiers, Owen suggests that war is a futile and senseless endeavor that ultimately achieves nothing but the destruction of human life. The poem also emphasizes the need for compassion and empathy, even in the midst of the horrors of war.

Summary

"Strange Meeting" is a poem by Wilfred Owen that describes a meeting between a soldier who has died in battle and the enemy soldier whom he killed. In the afterlife, the two soldiers talk and discover that they are not enemies, but rather victims of a senseless war that has destroyed their lives. The poem reflects on the tragedy of war and the futility of violence, and ends with the soldiers embracing each other in a moment of shared humanity.

Theme of the poem

The main theme of Wilfred Owen's poem ‘Strange Meeting’ is the tragedy and futility of war. The poem depicts the senseless destruction and loss of life that war brings, and the way it dehumanizes and degrades those who participate in it. The meeting between the two soldiers, one of whom has killed the other, highlights the fact that war creates false divisions between people and obscures the shared humanity that unites us all. Ultimately, the poem suggests that war is a pointless and destructive enterprise that leads only to suffering and despair.

Important questions of the poem

1. What is the significance of the title ‘Strange Meeting’? How does it reflect the themes and ideas of the poem?

The title ‘Strange Meeting’ reflects the surreal and unexpected nature of the encounter between the two soldiers, as well as the larger theme of war as a dehumanizing force that creates false divisions between people.

 

2. What is the setting of the poem, and how does it contribute to the overall mood and tone?

The setting of the poem is a hellish underworld, which contributes to the overall mood of despair and hopelessness. The use of dark, apocalyptic imagery creates a sense of terror and confusion.

3. How does the meeting between the two soldiers challenge the idea of the enemy as a dehumanized other?

The meeting between the two soldiers challenges the idea of the enemy as a dehumanized other by revealing the shared humanity of both sides. The soldier who killed the other realizes that they are both victims of the war and that their hatred for each other was based on a false and arbitrary division.

4. How does the poem use imagery and language to convey the horrors of war and the suffering of the soldiers?

The poem uses vivid and visceral imagery to convey the horrors of war, including descriptions of blood, mud, and shattered bodies. The language is often blunt and direct, emphasizing the brutal reality of the soldiers' experiences.

5. What is the significance of the soldier's realization that ‘the pity of war, the pity war distilled’ is the true enemy?

The soldier's realization that ‘the pity of war, the pity war distilled’ is the true enemy underscores the idea that war is a destructive and senseless force that dehumanizes and destroys those who participate in it.

6. What is the role of memory and remembrance in the poem, and how does it relate to the larger themes of war and humanity?

Memory and remembrance are central themes of the poem, as the soldier reflects on his life before the war and the legacy that he will leave behind. This focus on memory highlights the enduring impact of war on individuals and society as a whole.

7. How does the poem use form and structure to enhance its meaning and impact?

The poem's form and structure contribute to its impact by creating a sense of fragmentation and disorientation that mirrors the soldiers' experiences. The use of repetition and parallelism emphasizes the themes of unity and shared experience.

8. What is the effect of the poem's ending, with the soldiers embracing each other in a moment of shared humanity?

The effect of the poem's ending, with the soldiers embracing each other, is to offer a moment of hope and redemption in the midst of the despair and violence of war. The embrace suggests a shared humanity that transcends national and ideological boundaries.

9. What is the message or lesson that the poem conveys about war and its impact on individuals and society?

The message or lesson that the poem conveys is that war is a destructive and dehumanizing force that must be avoided at all costs. The poem suggests that the true enemy is not the enemy soldier, but rather the forces that promote and perpetuate war.

10. How does ‘Strange Meeting’ relate to Owen's other poems about war and its effects, and how does it fit into the larger tradition of war poetry?

‘Strange Meeting’ is typical of Owen's war poetry in its focus on the human cost of war and its condemnation of the glorification of violence. The poem fits into the larger tradition of war poetry by highlighting the tragedy and futility of war and the need for remembrance and reconciliation.

Figure of speech

Wilfred Owen uses several figures of speech in his poem ‘Strange Meeting’ to create vivid and powerful imagery that conveys the horrors of war and the suffering of the soldiers. Here are some examples:

Metaphor: Owen uses the metaphor of a ‘hell’ to describe the setting of the poem, creating a sense of terror and despair. The soldiers are trapped in a surreal and nightmarish landscape that mirrors the horror of the war they have just left behind.

Personification: The soldiers' surroundings are personified as active agents of destruction, with the ‘grinning’ rifles and the ‘angry’ shells suggesting a malevolent force that is out to destroy the soldiers.

Simile: Owen uses similes to convey the brutality and violence of war. For example, he compares the sound of the guns to ‘bells’ that ‘knell’ for the dead, suggesting a mournful tolling of death.

Imagery: Owen uses vivid and often gruesome imagery to describe the soldiers' experiences. For example, he describes the ‘shattered’ bodies of the dead and the ‘ghastly’ faces of the soldiers who are still alive. These images create a sense of horror and revulsion that underscores the senseless violence of war.

Allusion: Owen alludes to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel to highlight the tragedy of brother fighting brother. The reference to "the hand of the other" recalls the story of Cain, who killed his brother Abel, suggesting that war is a continuation of this ancient and tragic pattern.

Irony: The poem contains several instances of dramatic irony, where the soldiers' expectations are contradicted by the reality they encounter. For example, the soldier who killed the other expects to be punished, but instead finds sympathy and understanding. This irony underscores the senselessness of the war and the false divisions that it creates between people.

War as a theme of the poem

The theme of war is central to Wilfred Owen's poem ‘Strange Meeting’. Through his vivid and powerful imagery, Owen conveys the horror and senselessness of war and the toll it takes on those who participate in it. The soldiers in the poem are trapped in a hellish landscape that reflects the brutality and violence of the war they have just left behind. They are haunted by memories of the conflict and the loss of their comrades, and they are forced to confront the reality of their own mortality.

Owen's poem challenges the traditional idea of war as a heroic and noble pursuit by emphasizing its dehumanizing effects. The soldiers are depicted as broken and shattered by the war, with their humanity stripped away by the violence and destruction they have witnessed. The poem also suggests that war is a futile and senseless endeavor that ultimately achieves nothing but the destruction of human life.

Through the encounter between the two soldiers, Owen suggests that the true enemy of war is not the enemy soldier, but rather the forces that promote and perpetuate war. The soldier who killed the other realizes that they are both victims of the war and that their hatred for each other was based on a false and arbitrary division. This realization underscores the need for reconciliation and understanding, even in the midst of the horrors of war.

Overall, the theme of war in ‘Strange Meeting’ is a powerful condemnation of the violence and destruction that war brings. Owen's poem highlights the human cost of war and the need for compassion and empathy in the face of suffering and loss.