... beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge". The image is one of exhaustion and despair. It is easy for the reader to visualize this scene and the dreadful conditions from the power of the speaker's description. The reference of old beggars seems so out of place, as these ... the author's attempts to remove the glory from their situation. The second stanza starts immediately with a shock. "GAS! GAS!" The words jolt the reader from the stupor induced by the monotonous suffering of the first stanza. "Ecstasy" seems a strange word to describe the sold...

• Word Count: 1459
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... - "My friend you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory" was written probably because many of the young men who Owen was suffering with signed up because of the belief that war was glorious and noble. Owen is saying that if only the parents knew what would happen to their children if they fought in a war like this ... . Another factor, which I particularly admire in this poem, is how well the poet conveys the tone and feeling of the piece. In the first stanza, the poet does not express any of his own emotions, only stating their appearance and motio...

• Word Count: 1779
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School