Expl. (1) And no gains thumped… was my life also.
These lines occurred in Wilfred Owen’s famous poem Strange Meeting. The poet has the vision that he has descended the hell to feet the German soldier whom he killed in the battle. His pains are unbearable when he sees his enemy in utter hopelessness. He tries to console him and makes every effort to sooth his moaning sound. But he fails. Though the war is over, the picture of its damages and holocaust is still visible. He asks the secret of breaking out of wars, he is felt unanswered. The poet is forced to realize that during war an enemy has no chance of getting sympathy. Brutality on him is inevitable. But in peace the enemy has a dim hope for getting sympathy. War is the most savage of all things. It blunts our reasons and stripes on our wisdom. War makes both sides a sufferer. Suffering is the keynote of war. There is no explanation after war is done. War gives us lessons to prevent another war from coming out.
Expl. (2) I mean the truth …………. and be spilled.
These lines have been extracted from Wilfred Owen’s poem entitled Strange Meeting. Owen represents war as a tragic and pitiful experience. His approach is realistic and he stresses the waste and devastation caused by war. He probes into the breaking out of war. He imagines his meeting with a German soldier whom he killed in war. He wants to know for him the mystery of war. War is a grim reality and people often fall victims to it, but never thinks over it. War brings about both victory and defeat. To the poet, it seems both as a common thing and ‘pity”. War is a slur on the name of civilization. Mankind should be warned against its damages. We rejoice in achieving victory over the enemies. This is our beastly characteristic. Discontent leads to violence and violence ends in bloodshed.
Also Read :
- Compare Hamlet with Macbeth, Othello and other Tragedies
- “The Pardoner’s Tale” is the finest tale of Chaucer
- Prologue to Canterbury Tales – (Short Ques & Ans)
- Confessional Poetry – Definition & meaning
- Line By Line Explanation Of The Poem The Eve of St. Agnes
Expl. (3) Courage was mine…………….. that are not walled.
These lines occur in Wilfred Owen’s poem entitled Strange Meeting The poet wants to know the mystery of war from his German enemy whom he had killed. He is unanswered. The poet moves ahead in quest of truth. The conventional thinking is that those who possess courage wins a war. But for the poet this idea is wrong. He rules it out on the basis of wisdom. Wisdom is always superior to annihilating courage. It is wisdom that formed our great civilization. One must have clear stream of wisdom. The sense of supremacy over others by either means-courage and wisdom is futile. It is like stepping back cowardly to the fortress of weakness and insecurity. Ideologies that run counter with one another are like weak walls that can support a fort.