War Poetry as Witness: Form, Meaning, and Experience in 20th-Century Literature

Understanding War Poetry: A Classroom Reflection and Creative Exploration 

This blog is assigned to us by  Prakruti ma’am. It deals with the topic of war poetry. M.A. Sem 2 syllabus deals with 20th century literature and it is incomplete without understanding wars. It's always a question of how soldiers used to share their emotions or their experience. We realize that literature is the best means to spread ideas/ emotions etc. Many civilians and soldiers have written various poems which depict the war periods and in this blog we will discuss a few questions related to it.

WAR POETRY

1) What is War Poetry? Discuss its significance in the context of our classroom discussion regarding the content and form of war poetry.

The term war poetry chiefly denotes writing under the direct impact of world war I. The genre which is directly influenced by war. This type of poetries was also written in the ancient Greek period but it was established as genre during world war I. Majorly the war poetries are Anti- war, that oppose war. The term was coined by Randall Jarrell in his essay “The Literature of War” (1961). Jarrell defines war poetry as “a poem that has as its theme war and that is written during or about a war”.

War poets are also known as trench poets. These are the poets who themselves used to participate in the wars and used to write their experiences in the form of poems. But it's not only that soldiers used to write, civilians too used to write war poetry.

The purpose of the war poetry was; firstly the soldiers needed a medium to express their feelings, emotions and poetry was the good medium for it. Another idea behind writing war poetry was to show the dark side and horrors of war and lastly, poetry was the best means to spend free time in the wars.

World war I continued for around 4 years and approximately 9 million people died. This brought the state of mental stress and degrading feeling in the people. Heroic ideals of war seemed meaningless. First the war poems were written to celebrate the sense of honor and glory of war but after world war I poets also realized that there is no honor and glory in the war. It is just settled by the ministries in order to gain power.

Characteristics of war poetry:

It used gruesome and shocking imagery.

It signaled a break off from the contemporary poetic tradition.

It uses the actual language of men engaged in war.

Realistic documentation of war with all its beauty.

War poetry is not only anti-war but it also deals with immediate answers to humanity, innocence, courage, loyalty, guilt, identity, duty, desire , health. War poetry has become an expression of historical and political conscience. It also deals with what we are and what we want to be.

Themes of War Poems

· The loss of innocence

· Brotherhood and friendship

· The horrors of war

· Disillusionment with religion

· Nature

· Irrationality of war

· Emotions and feelings

Note down the difference of all the War Poets.

The important war poets and their poem we are going to study are:

1) Dulce et Decorum Est - Wilfred Owen

2) The Soldier - Rupert Brooke

3) The Fear – Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

4) The Hero - Siegfried Sassoon

5) The Target - Ivor Gurney

As we discussed before, War poetry is not necessarily 'anti-war'. It is about the very large questions of life: identity, innocence, guilt, loyalty, courage, compassion, humanity, duty, desire, death. Every poet has a different vision to look towards war and they share varied emotions in their poem. Let us see the difference in the feelings of the poets in the same genre of poetry.

1) Wilfred Owen:-

Optimistic view: fear of war, horror, sacrifice, glory, questioning life's purpose, visions of ghastly suffering,  the waste & futility of war, Horror of trench, gas warfare, loss of faith and fear of death. 

2) Rupert Brooke:-

Idealistic war sonnets: Patriotism, Unbroken Glory and nationhood

3) Wilfrid Wilson Gibson :-

pity of war: anger at the cruelty and waste of war and his pity for its victims; to show the soldiers' emotions, as many committed suicide, unable to live with their regrets, Guilt, Madness, death, Injury and sense of identity.

4) Siegfried Sassoon :-

anti war poetry: a bleak and unflinching look at the horrors of combat, anti war poetry and for his fictionalized autobiographies, praised for their evocation of English country life, Death, Horror, sympathy for soldiers, Religious Authority and disillusionment with the war.

5) Ivor Gurney:-

mourning his loss and regretting that he will never have the pleasure of the dead soldier's company again, Style of monologue.

2)  What is the tension between message and form in “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen?

Understanding the Clash Between What the Poem Says and How It Says It

 The Central Message of the Poem

At the heart of the poem lies Owen’s attack on the long-celebrated Latin maxim:

“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”
— It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.

Owen calls this phrase “the old Lie,” exposing how far it is from the truth of actual battle. Instead of noble sacrifice, the poem reveals:

• Soldiers bent double “like old beggars under sacks”

• Men coughing and choking “like hags”

• The terror of a gas attack

• The haunting memory of a comrade dying in agony

Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” is widely recognized as one of the strongest indictments of war in English literature. Written during World War I and published after Owen’s death, the poem stands as a forceful rejection of the romanticised patriotism that dominated pre-war poetry and propaganda. The poem begins by challenging the heroic image of soldiers and instead presents them as physically broken, psychologically exhausted, and emotionally scarred. Through intense and disturbing imagery, Owen exposes the harsh reality of trench warfare and denies the idea that dying for one’s country is a noble or glorious act.

At the core of the poem’s message lies Owen’s attack on the Latin maxim, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”—which translates to “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” Owen famously calls this phrase “the old Lie,” pointing out how dangerously misleading such ideals can be when contrasted with the real suffering witnessed on the battlefield. The soldiers in the poem are not portrayed as heroic warriors but as tired, wounded, and degraded human beings. Owen describes them “like old beggars under sacks” and “coughing like hags,” stripping away any trace of glamour or heroism. The gas attack scene intensifies this depiction as Owen captures the panic, helplessness, and horror that soldiers experience in moments of life and death.

3) Creative Engagement with War Poetry: An AI-Generated Poem on the Indo-Pak War of 1971

Prompt Given to the Poetry Generator

As part of this assignment, I gave the following prompt to a poetry generator (AI bot):

“Write a war poem on the Indo-Pak War of 1971 in the style and tone of Wilfred Owen.”

Wilfred Owen was chosen because his poetry focuses on the harsh realities of war, the suffering of soldiers, and the rejection of patriotic glorification—key ideas discussed in our classroom.

AI-Generated War Poem (1971 Indo-Pak War)

“Shadows on the Border”

Bent beneath the weight of rifles and regret,

They crossed the fields where rice once breathed in peace,
The sky was torn by thunder born of steel,
And prayers dissolved in smoke that would not cease.

A boy still clutching dreams not yet outgrown
Lay staring at the stars he could not reach,
His breath was lost in cries of wounded men,
While orders drowned the truths they could not teach.

No songs of glory followed fallen boots,
Only the stench of fear and broken land,
For victory wore a mask of silent grief,
And death obeyed no flag, no strict command.

If those who praise the honour born of war
Could hear these nights still screaming in the bone,
They would not speak of sacrifice with pride,
Nor send the young to die for tales alone.

Reflection on the Generated Poem

The generated poem clearly attempts to imitate the tone and moral stance of Wilfred Owen. Like Owen’s war poetry, it rejects heroic celebration and instead focuses on physical exhaustion, emotional trauma, and the quiet horror of death. The soldiers are shown as burdened individuals rather than triumphant heroes, which closely reflects Owen’s portrayal of soldiers in poems such as “Dulce et Decorum Est.”

One striking similarity is the emphasis on youth and lost innocence. The image of “a boy still clutching dreams not yet outgrown” echoes Owen’s repeated concern with how young men are sent into war before fully understanding life itself. This aligns with classroom discussions where war poetry was described as deeply concerned with innocence, guilt, and humanity.

Comparison with Poems Studied in the Unit

When compared to the war poems studied in this unit, especially those by Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and other World War I poets, the AI-generated poem shares several thematic elements. Like traditional war poetry, it explores death, duty, courage, loyalty, and loss, but it deliberately avoids glorifying these concepts. Instead, it exposes the emotional cost of war and questions the idea of honour attached to it.

However, there is also a noticeable difference. Poems written by real war poets carry the weight of personal experience and psychological trauma. Owen’s imagery—such as the gas victim “guttering, choking, drowning”—is more disturbing and immediate because it comes from lived experience. The AI-generated poem, while effective in tone, remains more controlled and symbolic. It suggests suffering rather than forcing the reader to confront it directly.

Critical Evaluation of the AI-Generated Poem

This exercise highlights both the possibilities and limitations of using a poetry generator. The AI can successfully replicate style, tone, and thematic concerns, producing a poem that aligns with the conventions of war poetry. It demonstrates awareness of key war poetry characteristics discussed in class—identity, innocence, guilt, humanity, duty, and death.

Yet, the poem lacks the raw emotional intensity found in authentic war poetry. Unlike Owen, who wrote as a soldier witnessing death first hand, the AI relies on imitation rather than experience. As a result, the poem feels reflective rather than visceral. This difference reinforces an important classroom insight: war poetry derives its deepest power from lived suffering and moral urgency, not merely from poetic technique.

The AI-generated poem on the Indo-Pak War of 1971 successfully mirrors the anti-war tone and reflective style of Wilfred Owen, making it a useful creative tool for understanding war poetry. When compared with the poems studied in this unit, it becomes clear that while artificial intelligence can reproduce form and theme, it cannot fully capture the emotional authenticity and trauma that define true war poetry. This comparison deepens our understanding of why war poetry remains such a powerful literary genre—it speaks not only through words, but through experience, memory, and moral witness.

Conclusion

This blog has explored war poetry as a powerful literary genre that captures the harsh realities of conflict while questioning the moral, emotional, and human costs of war. Through classroom discussions and textual analysis, it becomes clear that war poetry is not merely a record of historical events but a deep reflection on identity, innocence, guilt, loyalty, courage, humanity, duty, desire, and death. By examining the characteristics, themes, and varying perspectives of major war poets such as Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, and Ivor Gurney, the blog highlights how poets within the same genre express contrasting attitudes toward war—from idealism and patriotism to disillusionment and protest.

The detailed analysis of “Dulce et Decorum Est” demonstrates how Wilfred Owen creates a powerful tension between message and form. His rejection of romanticized patriotism, combined with disrupted poetic structure and graphic imagery, transforms poetry into a medium of truth and moral resistance. The poem does not glorify sacrifice but exposes the physical and psychological devastation of modern warfare.

    

Voices from the Battlefield: An Infographic on War Poetry

     

War Poetry Video

Reference :

Smith, Leonard V. “Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory: Twenty-Five Years Later.” History and Theory, vol. 40, no. 2, 2001, pp. 241–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2678033. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025

Peter De Vries. “Poetry and the War.” The English Journal, vol. 32, no. 10, 1943, pp. 531–38. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/807737. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

Matalon, Avi. “Difference at War: Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, U. Z. Grinberg, and Poetry of the First World War.” Shofar, vol. 21, no. 1, 2002, pp. 25–43. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42944017. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

BROGAN, JACQUELINE VAUGHT. “Stevens in History and Not in History: The Poet and the Second World War.” The Wallace Stevens Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, 1989, pp. 168–90. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44884759. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.