Wilfred Owen: Poems
anthem for doomed youth
why anthem?
why anthem?
An anthem is "a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause". It is also difined as "a choral composition based on a biblical passage, for singing by a choir in a church service." Owen combines both definitions in his poem. It is a sad ode to the men who die by the thousands while suggesting organized religion cannot offer much consolation to those dying on the front.