Futility by Wilfred Owen
"Futility" is a poignant exploration of the profound contradictions that war presents. Owen masterfully juxtaposes the nurturing aspects of nature with the sheer devastation of war.
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen was born on March 18, 1893, in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Throughout his early life, Owen displayed a deep love for poetry, especially that of John Keats and the Romantic poets. Although he initially pursued a career in the church, by the time World War I began, he felt compelled to join the military. Owen's firsthand experiences with the brutalities of trench warfare deeply impacted him, providing much of the inspiration for his later poetic works.
In 1917, after experiencing shell shock, Owen was hospitalised at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh. It was here that he met Siegfried Sassoon, a fellow poet who would greatly influence Owen's style and thematic focus. Sassoon introduced Owen to a more direct, unsentimental style of war poetry. Tragically, Owen was killed in action on November 4, 1918, just a week before the war's end. Despite his short life, Owen's posthumous collections have solidified his reputation as one of the foremost British war poets.
Contextual Background of the Poem
"Futility" is one of the best-known poems written by the British poet Wilfred Owen during World War I. Owen, who was both a soldier and a poet, experienced the horrors of trench warfare firsthand. This short but powerful poem, written in 1918, captures the devastating impact of war and the profound disillusionment it caused. The poem grapples with the incomprehensibility of a young soldier's death, contrasting the vitality of youth and nature with the stark reality of war. In the wider context of Owen's oeuvre, "Futility" is one of many poems that challenge the then-popular notion of war as a glorious and noble endeavour. Instead, Owen's work often showcases the pointless suffering and the deep psychological scars that combat leaves behind.
Stanza-wise Explanation
Stanza 1
The poem opens with the poignant action of soldiers shifting a fallen comrade into the sun. This seems to be a desperate and hopeful act, reflecting the thought that the sun's warmth might miraculously bring the dead soldier back to life. The mention of the sun "touching" and awakening the seeds in cold fields serves a dual purpose. First, it captures the life-giving power of the sun, emphasising its role in creation and sustenance. Second, the soldiers' gesture of moving their friend into the sunlight shows their clinging to any semblance of hope, even in the face of obvious death. They might be thinking of simpler times when the sun's warmth could awaken them from sleep, and they hope it might do the same for their deceased comrade.
Stanza 2
The mood shifts from hope to deep contemplation and despair. The speaker reflects on the sun's immense power, which has historically been the force that "woke" all life on Earth. By using the image of the sun awakening the cold clay of Earth, Owen might be referencing the biblical story of God creating Adam from clay. This connection between the sun's power and divine creation amplifies the tragedy. If the sun, with all its celestial might and symbolic significance, cannot revive a single soldier, then what hope is there against the vast devastation of war? The repeated question, "O what made fatuous sunbeams toil to break earth's sleep at all?", conveys a profound sense of disillusionment. It implies that the senseless slaughter of war renders the cycle of life—of birth, growth, and death—pointless.
Analysis of Important Themes
The Fragility of Life: Owen juxtaposes the vastness of the universe and the powerful sun with the frailty of human life. The soldier's death is a stark reminder of how fleeting and fragile life can be, especially during times of war.
The Pointlessness of War: The title "Futility" aptly sums up the poem's central theme. Owen expresses the senselessness of war, where young lives are snuffed out for seemingly no reason. The act of moving the soldier's body in hope captures the human desire for meaning in a chaotic and often cruel world.
Nature vs. Man-made Horror: Nature, symbolized by the sun, is shown as nurturing and life-giving. It brings about seasons, harvests, and life itself. However, the horrors of war, a man-made disaster, counteract nature's life-giving properties, rendering it powerless.
Existential Crisis: The poet's questioning of the purpose of life and the sun's inability to revive the soldier underscore a deeper existential angst. The poem delves into the philosophical debate on the meaning and transient nature of existence.
Literary Devices
Imagery: Owen uses vivid imagery to depict both the beauty of nature and the bleakness of war. The sun "touching" fields, "waking" seeds, and "clays of a cold star" evoke contrasting pictures of life and death.
Metaphor: The sun is a recurring metaphor representing life, hope, and the cyclical nature of existence.
Alliteration: Phrases such as "fatuous sunbeams" lend a musical quality to the poem, making its bleak message even more haunting.
Enjambment: Owen uses enjambment to allow the poem's thoughts to flow seamlessly, mirroring the continuous flow of life and its inevitable end.
Conclusion
"Futility" is a poignant exploration of the profound contradictions that war presents. Owen masterfully juxtaposes the nurturing aspects of nature with the sheer devastation of war, underscoring the tragedy of young lives lost. Through sharp imagery and deep introspection, he challenges readers to confront the true costs of conflict. In an era that often glorifies war, Owen's voice stands out, reminding us of the human toll and urging us to question the very nature of existence and the fragility of life. "Futility" is not just a war poem but a profound philosophical reflection on life, death, and the often incomprehensible nature of human suffering.
Read the full poem here: Futility
Written by Pooran Chandra