Apologia Pro Poemate Meo

Apologia Pro Poemate Meo provides insight into Owen's intent when writing his poetry, which is to criticize "you" at home (contemporary reader for using war propoganda and images as a form of entertainment). He describes the various methods of propoganda throughout the poem with cynisism. There is much more than grief in this poem; he is blaming those who supported the war. It is almost a threat in the last couple of stanzas.

Wilfred Owens’s satirical Apologia utilizes religious diction, sarcastic tone and repetitive structure, to depict his vocal condemnation, trough contradiction and ridicule, an inadequate war that no longer holds his appeal.

Speaker – Owen 1st person – come back from war
Audience – Army commander/government official

Structure – I not We – Personal first hand account of his experience – I too saw god – replying
Intended to emphasize
Heroic couplet – Provide narrative account
Sarcasm- use of propaganda successful, promises fulfilled – pride, glory, heroic praise

(1) – I, too saw God through Mud – as Promised god will be with soilders in war….truth – god abandoned soldiers to die
(2) – Mud on Cracked checks – Soldiers put mud on checks for camoloflauge….mud cracked to due soldiers smiles – truth – mud cracked due to their pain and agony
Soldiers soul’s are contaminated with mud (metaphor) as murders….thou shall not kill, put mud on the name of Christianity
(3) – More Glory than Blood – glory doesn’t exist….blood shed of innocent
(4) – Laughs more glee than child – more laughter than excited child

Structure – I too saw God – in aggrence with other soilders – Indented to act as topic sentence…..personal account through contradictions
Dash – acts as topic sentence

Owen creating his own propaganda…contradictions used to create sarcastic tone….

(5) – Merry it was to laugh there – fun/frolic at trenches
(6) – Death absurd, Life absurder – Worse to be alive, than to be dead…absurd to kill, faceless war
(7) – Power was on us to slash bones – Politicians forcing soldiers to kill innocent lives… slash – violently kill
(8) – Not to feel sickeness or remorse – Politicians act as devil urging soldiers on

(9) – I too have dropped off fear – Argrees with other soilders…lost his soul/heart – can’t feel Fear anymore
(10) – Behind the barrage, dead as my platoon – Barrage – wall of bullets coming towards him, dead as my platoon – dead as my platoon – sarcastic tone no remorse of being dead like his other group soilders
(11) – Sailed my spirt surging light and clear –Religious diction - Sprit has left his body towards the religious light.
(12) – Past the entanglement where hopes lay strewn – contrast of entanglement of dead bodies scatted on ground and hope which is died, no longer with soldiers

(13) - And witnessed exultation – Religious diction – exultation – soldiers put on pedestal – worshiped for powerfully murdering - sarcastic
(14) – Faces that used to curse me, scowl for scowl – public/nation who used look down upon me
(15) – Shine and lift up with passion and oblation –Religious Diction - Publics face lights with shine, pride – Oblation – bow down to soldiers and offer bread and wine, as people bow down infront of church during mass. Bread – body, wine – blood. Sarcastic – people have no respect
(16) – Relgious Allusion/Diction – Seraphic for an hour, through they were foul – Seraphic – people treated him like angle like figure/mystical being – but are foul – poison filled


(17) – I have made fellowships – Developed comradery between soldiers
(18) – talks about love but makes clear this is real and true love not the frivolous romantic love of man with woman as described in love songs. (binding of fair lips- kissing a woman ).

(21)- Ribbon slips medal of honor held with ribbon is useless and worthless to a dead soldier
(22) - The soldier is wounded and medal of metal did not protect him as the sword of hard wire enters his heart his arm is wounded and bandaged and dripping with blood as the rifle bullet hits him and the bandage figuratively has been knit by the rifle as a metaphor for knitting needle. The effect of this is the uselessness of being honored by the government what use is a medal just to give up your life.

Talking about being in the trenches he sarcastically says he has seen beauty and found peace with the loud noises of bombs. He has found beauty in the oaths the soldiers make to pledge duty to their country, hoarse as signifies suffering no water dry throat. Describes music in the silence in between the gun fire. Silent means the soldiers have to obey and not question their commanders. Again sarcastic tone as truth is the soldiers are shell shocked and weary and not at peace mentally disturbed.

Soldiers after death abounded by god egged on by the devil (government) have to go to the darkness of hell religious diction heaven and hell. The world of the soldiers in this world before death is just watching the bombs (flare) and their only contact with heaven is a shell like a rocket traveling on a road upward to heaven (highway metaphor for the road to heaven). Accuses the government of being the devil residing in hell (you share with them) religious diction continues.

Final verse he taunts the government that now the soldiers are dead you cannot hurt or reach them anymore they are safe from your lies and propaganda. You cannot hear their laughter and joke (mirth) admits that owen has been sarcastic and is acting the court jester like in shakepeare as you like it. He has been taunting and insulting the government cleverly disguised by happy positive tone that states they have found all the false promises the government offered to soldiers to join the army (joy peace become heroes be loved by public honor medal etc). in a final line insult he says to the govt these men now dead were too good for you u are beneath them. You can only cry now that u have lost soldiers to fight your battle but u are useless and should not be given access to the joy and peace (merriment) they might find in death.