Glorifying the Gun: Owen's subtle jabs at jingoism Byron Kellett 12th Grade

It is often argued that Owen's biggest typicality within his poetry is not a disdain for war and conflict, but a 'pity' for the soldiers that endure it. This strong sentiment of a united struggle that transcends class, status, and even beyond enemy lines is one I feel resonates in most of his poetry. However, it is a fair compromise that Owen was once appreciative of the power of combat, especially as the War started. Like many other soldiers in the first years of the War, there was a shared excitement for the oncoming War - especially when the fight was to be 'over by Christmas'. The poem "The Artillery Sonnet" on the surface appears to reflect these early commonly held views of the War; however, its appraisal of the War is facetious. Unlike "The Last Laugh" or "Dulce et Decorum", two far-more typically blunt Owen poems with the targets, The Artillery Sonnet uses a far greater level of subtlety to overall mock the power and status the gun has, the role it will come to play within the War, and beyond that questions the importance of the weapons of warfare.

The speaker’s role within the poem is atypical of Owen’s writing; unlike the traditionally omniscient narrators featured within his poems, the Speaker acts as if he is...