Jeremy Paxman explores the context and importance of the famous historical figure Wilfred Owen, known for basing his poetry on the horrific reality of war compared to the public view on war and soldiers. Paxman talks about the hardships faced by Owen, through his character and changes, to the experiences he faced throughout.
The famous “war poet” Wilfred Owen was especially known for poetry being very detailed, horrific and realistic compared to the image that the government attempts to create for war. The author of the article Paxman uses humour to draw in the reader as he describes Owen as a “bitter, jaundice pacifist”. This shows that the author understands the motive and message behind the Owen’s poetry and agrees with the message to the point where he would consider Owen the “greatest of all war poets”. As Paxman recollects the change in character of Owen after he joined the army, using the only source of evidence Owen’s …show more content…
Paxmen labels Owen as a “true military hero” as he had become the “advocate” of the soldiers in the first world war. The horrors of trench and chemical warfare left a mark on Owen and his affected his style and subject of his poetry such as “Dulce et Decorum Est” mentioned within the article by Paxman. One particularly important event in Owen’s experience as a soldier is his first hand experience in the midst of a German bombardment resulting in his “lying amid the remains of a popular fellow officer” for days consequentially resulting in him being diagnosed with shell shock. Paxman touches on this, as this is an important turning point of the subject of his article’s life and affected his poetry the most, persuasively using sympathy to make the reader understand the reality of World War