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. . . .”

Y10 2020 Annotations and Analysis

Charlie

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

By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.

Half rhyme and repetition.

The word hall and the word hell half rhyme. This half rhyme creates an effect of the uncanny, where something is the same but slightly different. 

This creates a strong bond between the two words which is very effective within the poem as the hall and "hell" are in fact the same place and it is only the change of the man's smile that seemingly transports them. The repetition in these two lines of "smile, I knew" also strengthens this bond which, to the reader, solidifies the idea that the hall is in fact hell as stated by the poet.

Courage was mine, and I had mystery;

Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery: 

Repetition and rhyming. 

He uses repetition and rhyme here to link these two lines together as they have like themes and are building upon the character. 

Lifting distressful hands as if to bless.

And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall;

Personification

Wilfred Owen uses personification in this line to refer to the hall as sullen. This helps to create a more vivid description of the halls atmosphere. 

Sriram

But not through wounds; not on the cess of war

Caesura

Wilfred Owen uses caesura in this line to break it into two different phrases whilst still being structured into the same line. This technique helps the poem feel ‘sharp’.

Alex

Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.

Metaphor

This is in reference to the biblical idea of ‘Greater love’. The idea of ‘Greater love’ is that there is no ‘greater love’ than to lay down ones life for ones friends. This is a reference to the soldiers on the battlefield laying down their lives for their fellow soldiers.

Anilson

my glee might many men have laughed

Alliteration

Owen utilises alliteration and emphasises the “m” noise to illustrate the mighty atmosphere of war. It demonstrates how men during war were confident and acting tough before the hard hitting reality affects them.

Lenie

And by his dead smile I knew we stood in hell

Metaphor

Shows the reader that the soldiers thought they were in hell when their comrades around them died in the middle of doing something, like smiling

Gigi

“Let us sleep now….”

Ellipsis

The line “Let us sleep now….” which ends the poem, uses the technique ellipsis. Ellipsis is often used to omit the author's thought and instead imply or suggest something to the audience. It invites the reader to fill in the gap. At first, when the first soldier entered Hell, he saw that “encumbered sleepers groaned”. Those encumbered sleepers seem to be other men who have not come to terms with their deaths. The ellipsis, placed after the phrase “Let us sleep now” suggests that both soldiers have come to terms with their deaths after their reconciliation with each other about their past lives and the war. The ellipsis, in the context in which it is inserted, also suggests that their “sleep” will be ongoing and eternal.

Julian

Whatever hope is yours, was my life also;

Metaphor

Owen uses metaphor to relate the hopes of the living soldier or other living human to what he hoped for in his past life. This is done to show that during his life, the character which Owen writes in the perspective of was a normal person who hoped for simple things such as life and the end of the war. 

Naomi

They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress.

Simile

Owen uses a simile to compare the speed to the people to that of a tigress. The writer is contrasting their swiftness to create an image of how they looked while moving, compared to the grand nature of a tigress. He gives this simile as imagery to create a picture of their speedy journey.

Minnie

Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.

Oxymoron

The use of the words truth and lie used together create an oxymoron because he is using opposites to create a deepr meaning

Micky

Much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels, I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,

Metaphor

Chariot-wheels is a metaphor for the machinery used in war. The blood clogging them is however not figurative, it is the literal blood spilled by the guns and artillery. The washing from the sweet wells is a biblical metaphor for washing away the horror and purifying the bloodshed of battle, as many soldiers wished they could do.

Gordon Huang

"I am the enemy you killed, my friend"

Contrast

This use of the technique reveals how the speaker viewed the other side as the same. This refers to the same suffering of weeping, spilling blood and grief for both victims of the war. From this, it shows how both sides couldn’t escape the clutches and reality of war, regardless if they’re on the losing or winning side. 

Jayden Quach

“With a thousand fears that visions face was grained…”

Extra Syllable in first line + Personification in further lines. 

This stanza's opening line has an extra beat (11 syllables) suggesting that the vision of the dead soldier's face is extraordinarily wounded given that it is purposefully followed by the scenery of the battlefield and its noises which is presented in further lines. This contrast is to establish that he is finally at peace from war and he will no longer be hurt wherever he is, as well as give us evidence he sustained these injuries from war. The extra syllable helps to emphasise this giving irregularity to the poem in order to properly highlight the irregularity of the soldiers wound, with thousands of scars and bullet holes. It also further emphasised the harsh wounds that the soldier has sustained while participating in the brutal nature of war by following this quote with personified descriptions of war to describe to the reader how the soldier got to where he is now.

The effect of personification as well as the extra syllable work hand in hand to provide an effect that not only highlights the brutality of war, but gives us insight into the peace that the dead soldier can now experience. It is strange to the reader as they can empathise to a dead person, however the effect of personification which emphasises the usual nature of war in, “... or the flues made moan,” help give insight that perhaps death was wanted and seeked by the soldier who’s everyday life was just a constant struggle. 

Tilly 

“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.”

Metaphor

This metaphor emphasises that the speaker will not be there to see the inevitable decline of the world from humanity. The world is now leaving him behind, and they will be very vulnerable, a reference to ‘citadels that are not walled’.  The speaker then goes on to suggest that the war will become too bloody, and it will grind to a halt in a way, because of all the blood that has been spilled, and lives lost. The lives lost, he predicts, will stop the world’s motion and would not allow them to continue moving forwards. 

He would have washed it, and cleaned the world with truth. He even would have poured out his spirit to help the ailing world. However, he would not go to war, because this was too harmful an action. There are also many biblical references in this quote, for example washing something with truth, and pouring out one’s spirit. This is possibly a reference to how unchristian the war was, and how it was at odds to gospel truth.  

This quote, overall shows the fact that he will miss out on the world retreating, and going back to the primal. However, the world has lost someone who would have gladly helped them. 

Oscar

”mocks the steady running of the hour”

Personification and metaphor

This line personifies the mocking nature of beauty which is related with the metaphor of time running out. This adds emphasis on how nature’s beauty is just passing by.

Luke

“The pity of war, the pity war distilled”

Repetition and Caesura

The effect is Owen playing on the idea that the truth of war is the pity of it, dodging all the bullets, avoiding the gassing, seeing your friends die, and how he wanted to reveal that pity to those who weren’t on the front line. 

Pingting

“Strange friend”

Irony or oxymoron

The use of the phrase ‘strange friend’ allows the readers to interpret that the two are not that familiar with each other. Whilst close friends can also call each other strange, in this context, it is interpreted that they call each other friend for comfort rather than actual familiarity as in the eyes of death they are forced to rely on each other to keep sane. 

Ronan

“I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.”

Personification

Personification of his hands.

This can be taken as a description of how his hands really felt in this situation, due to the cold, however it can be seen as personification. His hands, which were cold and most likely tired and weary from the battle, had essentially 'given up' due to the hopelessness of the situation and had accepted their owner's fate and their own, by not completely blocking the weapon.

This use of personification emphasises the hopelessness of war, and how exhausting it is. This line also adds to the atmosphere generated by the poem, by describing the last feelings that were felt by this soldier; cold, and despair (as he has given up on trying to save his own life).

Michael

“Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair

Rhyme

Rhyming lies and eyes enforces the idea that this “wildness” does not lie dormant in our minds 

William Y

“Now men will go content with what we spoiled, Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled

Alliteration 

These two lines show two images of what men might be like. The first is of men who are satisfied with how the war went, most likely the enemies of Britain. The second image is of men who are discontent of the idea of war and the pity of war. The phrase “boil bloody” emphasises the anger in which the other men feel. This elevates the description of the second type of men, as well as emphasising Owen’s opinion on the war. 

Maya

“...encumbered sleepers groaned”

Oxymoron

This line is an oxymoron, as Owen uses the phrase "encumbered sleepers" to describe the dead people. Sleep is supposed to be freeing or relaxing, usually calm and silent, so the way he describes the dead people as sleepers is ironic. Additionally, he uses auditory imagery to imply that the sleepers are not peaceful, they are "groaning", and in pain. Owen uses an oxymoron to describe how death is not a peaceful escape from the horrors of war for these soldiers, rather an overburdening, painful nightmare.

Michael Do

“And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.”

Repetition.

The repetition of the word “grieves” emphasises the tragic aspects of war, allowing the reader to develop a better understanding of Wilfred Owen’s message about the horrors and misfortunes of war.

Jasmine Yu

I would have poured out my spirit without stint

Metaphor

This quote is a metaphor, referring to the sacrifices the soldier is willing to make in order for freedom. 

Diyon Flavel

Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.

Metaphor

The quote is a metaphor describing the psychological effects of war. It is used to emphasize the suffering that comes to not only the body but the mind during war, implying that this constant loss of life makes a man’s forehead bleed like as if it were a real wound.