Futility Flashcards
1
Q
what does “futility” mean?
A
for something to be pointless of useless
2
Q
context
A
- born in 1893
- written shortly before his death in 1918
- marks a change in Owen’s attitude towards war
- explores the death of a soldier from hypothermia that Owen witnessed first-hand
3
Q
themes
A
- politics and justice
- futility of war
- waste of life
- questioning God
4
Q
why is there different line lengths?
A
to create a sense of incompleteness, mourning and questioning
5
Q
what quote is “TBESAA?”
A
“to break earths sleep at all?”
6
Q
analysis of “to break earths sleep at all?”
A
- personification
- “sleep” links to death, soldiers escape from reality - lost hope
- last line of the poem is cut short to mimic the soldiers life was cut short
7
Q
what quote is”MHITS”?
A
“move him into the sun”
8
Q
analysis of “move him into the sun”
A
- “him” is a vague pronoun - allows readers to make connections
- hopeful tone
- religious allusion - the light of the sun represents God’s power to give life
9
Q
what quote is “WOTCOACS”?
A
“woke once the clays of a cold star”
10
Q
analysis of “woke once the clays of a cold star”
A
- assonance of “k” sound - desperate, jarring, evokes harsh coldness with the warmth of first stanza
- moves from “seeds” in the previous line, to “clays” - connotations of lifelessness
- “star” - connotations of distance and lifelessness. earth before life - shows suns power
11
Q
who is the poet?
A
Wilfred Owen
12
Q
poet intentions
A
highlight the inhumanity and pointlessness of war
13
Q
reader reaction
A
realise the senselessness and pointlessness of war
