[Virtual Presenter] Hello everyone. Today I am going to talk about Wilfred Owen, one of the most renowned British war poets of all time. He wrote about his own experiences from the front line and dedicated his work to reveal the truth about the "Pity of War". He also had a influential friendship with fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon. Let's learn more about him.. 

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[Audio] Wilfred Owen is renowned as a British poet of World War I. His poems, such as 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' and 'Dulce et Decorum Est', are considered powerful indictments of war. Writing from his own experiences on the front line, Owen's objective was to demonstrate the physical and mental anguish that combat brings, with the overall objective of bringing to light what he referred to as 'the pity of War'. His work is still a vital piece of war literature, and he is honored for his dedication to being honest, his spirit and his fearlessness.. 

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Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest war poets. Writing from the perspective of his intense personal experience of the front line, his poems, including ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, bring to life the physical and mental trauma of combat. Owen’s aim was to tell the truth about what he called ‘the pity of War’.

[Audio] Wilfred Owen was an influential English poet, especially renowned for his powerful works regarding the horrors of warfare. His poem 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' is a hallmark of wartime literature, telling a tale of death and destruction through potent imagery and striking language. In the poem, Owen portrays the soldiers' struggles as they deal with a gas attack, the aftermath of a devastating shell blast, and the general misery of the mud-filled battlefield. His works particularly stand out due to their honest portrayal of the reality of warfare, expressing an unimaginable truth and conveying it to the reader in a manner not seen before.. 

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Here is one of Wilfred’s Poem (Dulce Et Decorum Est)

[Audio] Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 near Oswestry, Shropshire to Tom, a railway clerk, and Susan, from a devoutly religious family. He was the eldest of three siblings.. 

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Born into a middle-class family in 1893 near Oswestry, Shropshire, Owen was the eldest of three. His father, Tom Owen, was a railway clerk and his mother, Susan, was from a fervently religious family.

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[Audio] Wilfred Owen was a British poet known for his war poetry. In 1915, he enlisted in the British Army and was sent to France where he witnessed a range of brutal experiences. He detailed these to his mother in letters, mentioning long marches through water-filled trenches and constant threats of gas attacks. His experiences during this time profoundly influenced his poetry, and several of his works, including 'The Sentry' and 'Exposure', reflect his struggles on the front line.. 

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In 1915, Owen enlisted in the army and in December 1916 was sent to France, joining the 2nd Manchester Regiment on the Somme. Within two weeks of his arrival, he was commanding a platoon on the front line. In the midst of heavy gunfire, he waded for miles through trenches two feet deep in water with the constant threat of gas attacks. The brutal reality of war had a profound effect on him, as he recounted in letters to his mother. His poems ‘The Sentry’ and ‘Exposure’ record specific ordeals of this time.

[Audio] Wilfred Owen was a British soldier and poet renowned for his writings about the First World War. He suffered a psychological injury during the war and was subsequently sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh to receive treatment from Captain Arthur Brock. It was here that Owen composed several of his most famous war poems, as well as forming a friendship with fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, and being exposed to various literary figures of the time including Robert Graves and H. G. Wells. This experience and friendship would go on to have a profound influence not only on Owen's writing, but also on his life, which included homoerotic elements.. 

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In April, after being blown into the air by a shell, Owen spent several days sheltering in a hole near the corpse of a fellow officer and was shortly after diagnosed with shell shock. In June 1917 he was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital, near Edinburgh, where he spent four months under the care of the renowned doctor, Captain Arthur Brock. Here Owen wrote many poems and became editor of the Hospital magazine, Hydra. He also met fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon who gave him crucial support and encouragement in a literary friendship which transformed Owen’s life.

During the spring of 1918, while back with the Manchester Regiment in Yorkshire, Owen wrote or revised many of his most famous poems, including ‘Strange Meeting’, ‘Exposure’ and ‘Futility’. By now he had consolidated his use of ‘pararhymes’, a technique which contributed to the effect of solemnity and discordancy: eyes/bless; moan/mourn (from ‘Strange Meeting’).

Through Sassoon, Owen met some key literary figures of the time including Robert Graves, Robert Ross and H G Wells. Many of the members of this literary circle were gay, including Ross and Sassoon. It is now recognised that Owen himself was also gay, and his writing incorporates many homoerotic elements.

[Audio] Wilfred Owen is renowned for his poetry and service in World War I. He is one of the most renowned poets to come out of the war, and his works reflect the grimness of the conflict and the futility of war itself. His poetry has connected to many, and serves to remember the tragedy of warfare. His companion Siegfried Sassoon, another renowned poet, stands in Owen's shadow, yet his writing further honors Owen's memory.. 

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[Audio] Wilfred Owen was a renowned soldier in the First World War, deserving the Military Cross for his bravery on the front line. He unfortunately met a tragic end, dying only a week before the Armistice was declared. His legacy endures in his writing, in which he strove to alert future generations to the grim realities of war and to avoid resorting to such acts in the future.. 

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In September 1918, Owen returned to the front during the final stages of the war. He fought a fierce battle and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery. He was killed, at the age of 25, while leading his men across the Sambre and Oise Canal near Ors, on 4 November – just one week before the Armistice was declared.

Virtually unknown as a poet in his lifetime, most of Owen’s poems were published after his death. Aware that his work could do nothing to help his own generation, he succeeded in warning the next, his poetic legacy having a major impact on attitudes to war.

[Audio] Wilfred Owen was a poet, soldier and one of the greatest of the First World War. Born in Oswestry, his war experiences significantly influenced his poetry - most notably, 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth', which express his indignation at the war's atrocities. Sadly, Owen passed away in 1918, aged 25, just weeks before the war ended, and was laid to rest in Ors Communal Cemetery, France. His grave stands as a moving reminder of his ultimate sacrifice.. 

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Wilfred Owen

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Wilfred Owen is renowned as a British poet of World War I His poems, such as 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' and 'Dulce et Decorum Est', are considered powerful indictments of war

Writing from his own experiences on the front line, Owen's objective was to demonstrate the physical and mental anguish that combat brings, with the overall objective of bringing to light what he referred to as 'the pity of War'

His work is still a vital piece of war literature, and he is honored for his dedication to being honest, his spirit and his fearlessness.

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Wilfred Owen was an influential English poet, especially renowned for his powerful works regarding the horrors of warfare

His poem 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' is a hallmark of wartime literature, telling a tale of death and destruction through potent imagery and striking language

In the poem, Owen portrays the soldiers' struggles as they deal with a gas attack, the aftermath of a devastating shell blast, and the general misery of the mud-filled battlefield

His works particularly stand out due to their honest portrayal of the reality of warfare, expressing an unimaginable truth and conveying it to the reader in a manner not seen before.

Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 near Oswestry, Shropshire to Tom, a railway clerk, and Susan, from a devoutly religious family

Wilfred Owen was a British poet known for his war poetry

In 1915, he enlisted in the British Army and was sent to France where he witnessed a range of brutal experiences

He detailed these to his mother in letters, mentioning long marches through water-filled trenches and constant threats of gas attacks

His experiences during this time profoundly influenced his poetry, and several of his works, including 'The Sentry' and 'Exposure', reflect his struggles on the front line.

Wilfred Owen was a British soldier and poet renowned for his writings about the First World War

He suffered a psychological injury during the war and was subsequently sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh to receive treatment from Captain Arthur Brock

It was here that Owen composed several of his most famous war poems, as well as forming a friendship with fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, and being exposed to various literary figures of the time including Robert Graves and H G  Wells

This experience and friendship would go on to have a profound influence not only on Owen's writing, but also on his life, which included homoerotic elements.

Wilfred Owen is renowned for his poetry and service in World War I He is one of the most renowned poets to come out of the war, and his works reflect the grimness of the conflict and the futility of war itself

His poetry has connected to many, and serves to remember the tragedy of warfare

His companion Siegfried Sassoon, another renowned poet, stands in Owen's shadow, yet his writing further honors Owen's memory.

Wilfred Owen was a renowned soldier in the First World War, deserving the Military Cross for his bravery on the front line

He unfortunately met a tragic end, dying only a week before the Armistice was declared

His legacy endures in his writing, in which he strove to alert future generations to the grim realities of war and to avoid resorting to such acts in the future.

Wilfred Owen was a poet, soldier and one of the greatest of the First World War

Born in Oswestry, his war experiences significantly influenced his poetry - most notably, 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth', which express his indignation at the war's atrocities

Sadly, Owen passed away in 1918, aged 25, just weeks before the war ended, and was laid to rest in Ors Communal Cemetery, France

His grave stands as a moving reminder of his ultimate sacrifice.