FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND HUMANITIES EDUCATION

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND

LANGUAGE)

LHE3252-1: PENGAJARAN BAHASA PUISI

( TE AC H IN G TH E LA N G U A G E O F P O E T RY )

SEMESTER 2 2019/2020
THEME PAPER OF POEM STRANGE MEETING
BY WILFRED OWEN
PREPARED BY:
NAME: NUR NABILA NATASYA BT RAZIF
MATRIC NUMBER: 197897

PREPARED FOR:
MADAM JURIDAH BINTI MD RASHID
 Strange Meeting
BY WILFRED OWEN

It seemed that out of battle I escaped

Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.

Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,

Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,— 
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.

With a thousand fears that vision's face was grained;

Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.
“Strange friend,” I said, “here is no cause to mourn.” 
“None,” said that other, “save the undone years,
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Was my life also; I went hunting wild
After the wildest beauty in the world,
Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair,
But mocks the steady running of the hour,
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.
For by my glee might many men have laughed,
And of my weeping something had been left,
Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.
Now men will go content with what we spoiled.
Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress. 
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.

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Courage was mine, and I had mystery;
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery: 
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.
Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels, 
I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,
Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.
I would have poured my spirit without stint
But not through wounds; not on the cess of war.
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.

“I am the enemy you killed, my friend.

I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let us sleep now. . . .”

Picture source: http://rytir.info

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 The theme that identified in the Strange Meeting poem by Wilfred Owen is the horror
of war. War is one of the massive unsettled equation in the world of politics. It is a worrisome
pandemic and curse upon society and nation. War has always been the manifestations of
power relations between nations and it has actually caused more harm than good toward a
society. Wilfred Owen is a well-known poet where his writings often involves wars and
death. He is a second-generation war poet who participated in the First World War. In the
strange meeting, he poignantly highlights the horror of war and the numerous cruelties faced
by the soldiers during war which completely opposite the heroic tales from the folks.
Roughly as I went through the poem, my mind keeps on replaying the horrifying scene of
wars where soldiers were suffering and dying. This poem is describing a story between two
soldiers who met at the battlefield.

It seemed that out of battle I escaped

Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.

From the title of the poem itself, Strange Meeting, we can get a bit of hint regarding
on what the poem is all about. There will be no ordinary meeting and the opening two words
add further uncertainty about the coming encounter, the persona or I can say the poet himself
was saying that  he came straight from the battle and entered the tunnel that brought him to a
curious landscape. In line 3, Titanic wars is the description of the scale of the war that he
involved. Titanic means massive and large which famous from the actual Titanic ship that
sank in 1912. The word “titanic” also reflects the enormous number of deaths caused by the
war.

Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,

Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.

Based on above stanza, we see how the poet is trying to describe the scene and
situation that he was in. In line 4 to 10 the poet was transported to a very severe and shocking
environment where never on his life he would imagine that. This stanza is showing the

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beginning of the storyline when he first transported to the battlefield. Lines 4 showing that he
came across other soldiers who are having difficulty 'sleeping', who are stuck in their minds
or are dead. This give a very clear description of how cruel and scary war actually is. This
can be seen as he mentioned how the soldiers even after a tiring and hard day, could not fall
asleep due to fear and grieves.

Being in the frontline in the war is very scary. Can you imagine anything scarier than
going to the battlefield knowing you might die and not able to return home? That is what the
soldiers in "Strange Meeting" have experienced the horrors of battle up close and personal.
We might have the brave and heroic impression om the soldiers but deep inside they are
human just like us. The main reason why some soldiers even suffered some psychological
and mental damage are due to the horror of killing another man, and the fear of imminent
death.

The soldiers stuck permanently in a state of fear. This can be seen in lines 4 where
even in their sleep which is the most peaceful moment throughout their day. Even though
there is no sign of gunshots or bombs, the war plays in their minds non-stop like a nightmare
that they have no way of waking up from. This is the horrifying truth of war. Even after the
war had ended, the side effect of the war which causing the young healthy soldiers to suffer
both physically and psychologically. The situation was completely different from the tale and
the heroic story that we had heard before. They only told everyone the glory and heroism but
no one actually told how brutal it was at the battlefield. How young soldiers battle against
their fear knowing that there might be no tomorrow for them. In lines 6, the poet stated how
he tries to rouse his fellow soldiers but one springs up, a sad and knowing look in his eyes,
hands held as if in benediction.

And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,— 

By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.

By lines 9-10, we can clearly see the horrific and disastrous environment that the poet was in.
He even uses hell to describe his situation. Hell is the last place that a living person would
want to go and the poet uses ‘hell’ to picture the setting. Hell means ‘end’ where after
judgement day, sinful person would be punished in hell and by saying that they stood in hell
means that he knew that the war might be the end of their life. Moreover, he uses ‘hell’ to
portray the suffering the soldiers did in war because there are no different with the suffering
entails them in hell. The suffering in hell is just a continuation of the suffering they
experienced in war. The soldiers have no choice. They have suffered enough and should be
able to rest in peace but now that they are in hell, they can never escape that fear.

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 With a thousand fears that vision's face was grained;
Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.
“Strange friend,” I said, “here is no cause to mourn.” 
“None,” said that other, “save the undone years,
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
my life also; I went hunting wild
After the wildest beauty in the world,
Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair,
But mocks the steady running of the hour,
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.

Lines 11 and 12 suggesting that the vision of the dead soldier's face is extraordinary
given that there is no connection to the real world up above, the battlefield. People might not
even know that they died there. Death is scary but dying alone in pain is even scarier. Dying
in battlefield is not as glorious as the folk’s tale. It is scary and lonely. In lines 14, ‘no cause
to mourn’ because of the waste of his years. This is because his death in the battlefield is
nothing but a total waste of his undeveloped possibilities and talents. Even if the soldiers
survive the war, his life will never be the same. He will live in constant fear for his life and
for the lives of the fellow soldiers. In addition, the soldiers have to endure the guilt for all of
the killing even though they had to do, which sort of equates to experiencing the worst
punishment. Over and over again.

Lines 14 consists of dialog between two soldiers, both annihilated in action, meet
each other in hell, they do not nurse feelings of animosity anymore, even though they are
enemy but in unison, they aware of the truth untold. They are aware of the pointlessness of
war and realise that the truth needs to be expose to the people of the world. Why is war ever
exist? This mockery can be seen in lines 14 to 15 where the second soldier’s identity as the
enemy does not lessen the pain he suffered in war, and in fact places the poet in exactly the
same position.

Lines 16-17 are showing how cruel war has been until the two men converse as
friends when they were really enemies in life, the poet emphasizes that the pain is universal
for both sides. Even though they are from opposite sides, but the pain, misery and fear are the
same. In the dialog, we can see the poet allow the second soldier to speak before revealing his

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identity. This show that the poet wants to give exposure and highlighted the similarity
between two soldiers even when they are enemy, their thoughts are the same. It is also
significant that both men are in Hell, for both meet the same fate as a consequence for their
involvement in the war. Thus, the poet ousts the myth that war is glorious, and he paints an
ironic picture of two enemies consoling in Hell as a result of war.

For by my glee might many men have laughed,

And of my weeping something had been left,
Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.

From lines 23 to 26, the poet is stating on how the soldiers suffering for their nation,
families and loved one but the war had stripped men of any control over their lives. By
emphasizing on the soldier’s loss of control over his life as a result of war. The war brings
destruction to it participants and they only suffer helplessly in regrets and silent as every pain
and misery left untold. The horrifying facts and actual setting of war remained buried with
the fallen soldiers. They will be celebrated and mourned but their pain, misery and sufferings
remain untold until the end of their life.

Now men will go content with what we spoiled.

Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress. 
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.
Courage was mine, and I had mystery;
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery: 
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.

In lines 27 to 28, the poet is predicting about the future after the war. There are two
different scenarios that predicted by the poet. First, the future generation might learn about
peace and decided live in serenity or join in this madness of destruction that the war had
started. In line 29, the poet described the future generation might become more aggressive,
stubborn due to war. The ambitious and greedy politician will keep on wanting more power,
money and land causing others to suffer. The war is not the end of suffering but the causes of

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it. Lines 31 to 32 are the poets himself thought that he was brave and wise at first, to try and
explore the unknown and master his own fate but he believes that now, the history is leaving
him behind. In line 33 and 34, he stated that the world will be more vulnerable due to the
effect of the war. He is displeased of the caused of his death. It is a noble act to die in the war
as the life is sacrifice for the sake of others.

Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels, 

I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,
Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.
I would have poured my spirit without stint
But not through wounds; not on the cess of war.
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.

Line 35 and 36 is an allusion in bible. The wheels of the war machine grind to a halt
in the blood that's been spilled; I will clean them, purify and heal with water from the deep
well. The water is actually the symbol of the holy spirit. The poet is saying that he tells the
truth regarding on the war. By doing this, perhaps he would have been able to undo the
destruction brought about by the war. He mirrored and reflecting upon himself who takes part
in war kills and become killed which had sacrifices the possibilities of a noble achievement
for pursuing a vain, inhuman, disastrous end.

“I am the enemy you killed, my friend.

I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let us sleep now. . . .”

Lines 41 to 45 are where the poet share his guilt with the world. He disgusts himself
for killing many lives even though they were his enemy, but they are just like him. Fight for
the sake of nation. He predicted that the future will be miserable, as those having blood on
their hands are condemned to an everlasting sleep. Greed over power has causes so many
lives sacrificed. In lines 42, we can see how the soldiers are heavily wounded, frowning and
groaning in pain till their last breath. Is this the cost of peace? Is this the sacrifice that we
have to make in order to attain peace? The poet is trying to show the horrifying fact of war
that had been hidden behind the heroic and glory. In lines 41, the poet uses the words

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“enemy” and “friend” to reassures the readers that there would be no animosity in hell. Their
fight ends here.

In conclusion, the theme which can clearly be seen in the Strange Meeting is the
horror of war. Wilfred Owen use the idea of exposing the soldier’s misery, sacrifices and fear
to describe the cruelty of war. he wanted to expose how war bring nothing but death and
frustration. Even when the young soldiers survived the war, they will be tormented with guilt
for the rest of their life. War has caused the soldiers to be affected physically and also
psychologically. Some even diagnosed with PTSD which causing them trouble to sleep and
phobias. The poet also describes his surrounding to give us clear view on the setting of the
war. He also shares how he keeps watching the corpses of his fellow soldiers. The cadaverous
look which definitely will cause huge impact and horrors to the witness. Lastly, he tells
everyone that he is sad that he has been snatched away by death before he could expose to the
world on the truth of the war. The hidden and untold truth of the terrifying experience of the
battlefield.

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