Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen
"Strange Meeting"through its haunting setting, and poignant encounter between two soldiers, the poem underscores the shared humanity of those on opposing sides and the senselessness of their conflict.
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.
The contextual background of the Poem
"Strange Meeting" was written in 1918, the final year of World War I and the year of Owen's death. This poem offers a vision of hell where two soldiers, enemies in life, meet again in death. It is a haunting reflection on the horrors of war, the senselessness of conflict, and the shared human experience of soldiers on both sides. The poem challenges the prevalent notion of war as a glorious and noble endeavour, emphasising its devastating human cost.
Detailed Analysis
The title itself, "Strange Meeting," indicates an unexpected or unusual encounter. As readers, we're led into a world where boundaries blur between life and death and enemy and friend, highlighting the absurdities and tragedies of war. The poem, structured as a dramatic monologue, narrates a soldier's encounter with a dead enemy combatant in a hellish landscape, likely representing the afterlife or the soldier's subconscious.
Owen starts with a depiction of escape: "It seemed that out of battle I escaped." The word "seemed" already casts doubt on the reality of the situation. This escape leads the soldier down a tunnel, an image that recalls the trenches of World War I. The environment is described as being formed by "granites which titanic wars had groined," suggesting that this place has been shaped by massive, historic conflicts. The tunnel becomes emblematic of the cyclical and unending nature of war.
Within this eerie setting, the soldier encounters fallen comrades described as "encumbered sleepers." Their groaning introduces a palpable sense of suffering. One of these figures rises and confronts the narrator. Their interaction forms the heart of the poem. Through dialogue, Owen unveils the true cost of war, delving into themes of death, shared humanity, and the devastating consequences of violent conflict.
As the two figures lock eyes, there's a "piteous recognition." This shared sorrow suggests that beyond the uniforms and the lines of war, there lies a shared human experience. The realisation that they are in Hell comes not from flames or devils but from a "dead smile." Hell, in this poem, is not just a religious or mythical construct but a psychological and emotional state, intensified by the agonies of war.
The twist arrives when the rising soldier reveals that he was killed by the narrator. Yet, there's no animosity. Instead, there's a tragic acceptance of their intertwined fates. This absence of animosity underscores Owen's argument against the dehumanisation that war often involves. By turning the 'enemy' into a speaking character who shares emotions, dreams, and pains, Owen humanises him, urging readers to see beyond the dichotomies of 'us' and 'them.'
The dialogue between the two soldiers provides a haunting chronicle of the war's impact. The dead soldier speaks of the "purgatory shadows" and the dreams he had before they were snuffed out by death. He laments the missed opportunities to bring about change or to alert others to the horrors of war: "I would have poured my spirit without stint." The mention of "the truth untold" further emphasises the gap between the realities of war and the sanitised versions often presented to the public.
Analysis of Important Themes
Shared Humanity: One of the most striking themes is the shared humanity between soldiers on opposing sides. The enemy soldier bears no ill will towards the narrator, emphasising the commonality of their experiences.
Futility of War: The poem underscores the senselessness and waste of war, where young men kill each other for reasons often beyond their comprehension or control.
The Aftermath of Violence: The meeting in the underworld suggests the lasting consequences of violent actions and how they linger beyond death.
War's Reality: Owen, through the eyes of the two soldiers, provides a raw, unfiltered perspective on the realities of war, countering the romanticised narratives that were prevalent at the time.
Literary devices
Pararhyme: Owen uses half-rhymes or slant rhymes (e.g., "groined" and "groaned," "hall" and "Hell") throughout the poem. This gives a discordant sound, mirroring the unease and dissonance of war.
Imagery: Vivid descriptions, like "encumbered sleepers," create haunting images of death and the aftermath of battle.
Allusion: The setting and structure of the poem allude to Dante's "Inferno" from "The Divine Comedy," where Dante meets lost souls in hell.
Dialogue: The poem uses dialogue to create a sense of immediacy and to present different perspectives on war.
Conclusion
"Strange Meeting" remains one of Wilfred Owen's most powerful works, a testament to the futility and tragedy of war. Through its vivid imagery, haunting setting, and poignant encounter between two soldiers, the poem underscores the shared humanity of those on opposing sides and the senselessness of their conflict. Owen, with his personal experience of war's horrors, gives a voice to the countless young men who lost their lives. In doing so, he challenges and deconstructs the romantic narratives surrounding war, offering instead a raw, unvarnished portrayal of its brutal reality.
Read the full poem here: Strange Meeting
Written by Pooran Chandra