Comparison of Two Sonnets: Anthem for Doomed Youth and Peace

During World War One, many poems were written about the war. Two of these poems are Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen, and Peace by Rupert Brooke. Anthem for Doomed Youth is a comparison of the way funerals for men who die in battle should be held, and how they are actually held. Owen uses a tone of despair to describe what happens during a battle that takes the place of traditional funeral rituals. The theme of Anthem for Doomed Youth is death. Peace by Rupert Brooke is about dying in battle, and the peace that comes with it. In a tone of tranquility, Brooke describes the feelings of peace and serenity one experiences after dying in a battle. The main theme in both Anthem for Doomed Youth and Peace is death. Both poems talk about what happens when a soldier dies in battle. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, Owen says, What passing bells for these who die as cattle. That one simple line lets us know what the entire poem is about: dying. In Peace, Brooke states, And the worst friend and enemy is but Death. Just like Owens poem, Brookes is about death. Both Anthem for Doomed Youth and Peace are about dying in battle. The themes of Owens and Brookes poems may be the same, but the tones are incredibly different. The tone of Anthem for Doomed Youth is despair. Owen despairs over the fact that the soldiers are dying like cattle without even getting the proper funeral rights. The tone of Peace is tranquility. Brookes describes how death is the ultimate form of peace. There is no sadness in death, only restfulness and serenity. In his poem, Owen says, What passing bells for these who die as cattle? No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells; nor any voice of mourning . . . Owen obviously views death as a horrible, violent thing, especially death in battle. In Brookes poem, he says Glad from a world grown old and cold and weary . . . Oh! We, who have known shame, we have found release there, where theres no ill, no grief, but sleep has mending . . . Brooke sees death much differently than Owen. Brooke sees death as leaving a cold, hard world, and entering a place of peace and happiness. The tones of Owens and Brookes poems are incredibly different. Anthem for Doomed Youth has a tone of despair, while Peace has a tone of tranquility. I believe that the tone of Anthem for Doomed Youth is more effective, because it is much darker than the tone of Peace. People tend to want to believe that things are happy, especially during not so happy times. They tend to ignore sad things. The despairing tone of Anthem for Doomed Youth would have shocked people into realizing the reality of the situation: that times werent very good, and that tragic things were happening in the war. The tone of Anthem for Doomed Youth is very effective because it forces people to realize the realities of life. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, Owen uses words and phrases such as passing-bells, die as cattle, monstrous anger, shrill, demented, and glimmers of goodbyes to create his tone of despair. While reading Owens poem, people realize the true horrors of battle and the tragedies of death. In Peace, Brooke uses such words and phrases as God be thanked, glad, found release, no ill, no grief, and peace to create a tone of tranquility. While reading his poem, people feel as if death is not such a bad thing, but simply a release from this harsh world.

Reflection Piece

My reviewer helped me a lot with the writing of the comparison of two sonnets. She not only helped me improve the general quality of my writing, but she helped me fix little spelling and grammar mistakes as well. Some of my reviewers suggestions were to go into more detail about the two similarities and differences of both poems, and to fix my spelling and grammar errors. I followed this advice because it made a lot of sense and I wanted to improve my paper. Going into more detail, helped me to better prove my point and to make my paper easier to understand. Im glad that I followed my reviewers advice. Because of the things that I fixed, the final draft of my comparison of two sonnets is much better than the rough draft. It is much clearer, and much easier to understand. I also think that my point is better proven. Also, all of my spelling and grammar errors have been fixed. The final draft of my comparison of two sonnets is, I believe, well written and deserves a good grade.