Anthem for Doomed Youth

by Wilfred Owen

What passing‑bells for these who die as cattle?

Summary of Anthem for Doomed Youth

Background and Context: Wilfred Owen, one of the most important war poets of the First World War, wrote this sonnet in 1917 while serving on the Western Front. The poem reflects the brutal realities of trench warfare and the absence of traditional mourning for the soldiers who perished in the conflict.
Central Theme: The poem contrasts the ordinary rituals of a funeral with the chaotic sounds of war. Owen questions whether any passing‑bells can accompany the deaths of those “who die as cattle,” and he shows how the usual symbols of grief—bells, prayers, and mourning—are replaced by the noise of artillery and the silence left by the dead.
Imagery and Tone: Owen uses stark, vivid imagery to emphasize the dehumanisation of the soldiers. The poem’s tone is mournful and critical, exposing the senselessness of war and the failure of society to honour the fallen properly.

Wilfred Owen masterfully employs a range of literary devices to convey the poem’s emotional weight and to strengthen its critique of war.

Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds create a musical quality that echoes the rhythmic clatter of artillery. For example, the repetition of the long “a” sound in “passing‑bells” and “cattle” creates a sense of inevitability.
Consonance: The repeated “s” sound in “shining” and “shells” provides a subtle hiss that recalls the sound of gunfire.
Alliteration: The alliterative pairing of “shining” and “silence” in the final stanza underscores the contrast between hope and loss.
Enjambment: The poem’s sentences often continue across line breaks, giving the passage a fluid, relentless rhythm that mirrors the forward march of battle.
Imagery: Owen’s visual and auditory images—such as “the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells” and “the monstrous anger of the guns”—paint a vivid picture of a battlefield where humanity is reduced to objects.
Rhetorical Question: The opening line itself is a rhetorical question that challenges the reader to recognise the absence of traditional mourning rites.
Simile: In describing the soldiers as “cattle,” Owen draws a powerful comparison that highlights the dehumanisation of war.
Personification: The poem attributes life to the guns, describing them as having “monstrous anger,” which suggests a malevolent presence that dominates the battlefield.

Beyond literary devices, Owen uses specific poetic techniques that shape the poem’s form and impact.

Sonnet: The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet, divided into an octave and a sestet, which allows for a clear shift in focus between the lament for the fallen and the lamentation of those left behind.
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows a traditional Petrarchan pattern of ABAB CDCD EFFE GG. This consistent scheme enhances the musicality of the poem and reinforces its formal restraint amid chaotic content.
End Rhyme: The pairing of sounds such as “cattle” and “rattle” and “blacks” and “sacks” creates a subtle echo that reminds the reader of the violence that underpins the poem’s imagery.
Volta (Turn): The turn occurs at the end of the octave. It shifts from the battlefield’s noise to the quiet lament of those left to remember, emphasising the psychological impact of war.

The following lines from Anthem for Doomed Youth capture the poem’s powerful critique of war and the sense of loss felt by those who endured it:

What passing‑bells for these who die as cattle?

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells,

And the monstrous anger of the guns.