“The Sentry” by Wilfred Owen (Class
Presentation Essay)
The poem is structured
into three stanzas; the first describes the external environment, the second
explains the encounter with the sentry and the third sees the poet grieving for
the sentry while introspecting. Thus it progresses from external to internal
conflict. As suggested by its concluding lines “"I see your lights!"
But ours had long died out” the poem has an initially grim, dark tone which
transforms into one of hopeless despair. A reference is made to loss of hope in
the line “ours (light) had long died out”.
The poet strives to create a distraught, violent mood which reflects the
war going on by using diction such as “shell on frantic shell”, “fumes of
whizz-bangs”, “their curse” and “dredged him up”. He specifically uses
personifications, which can be considered hyperboles, while describing the
conditions inside the trench, the position of his regiment and the way in which
he discovers the sentry. One can consider examples such as the phrases “rain,
guttering down in waterfalls”, “wild chattering”, “shrieking air” and “deluging
muck”.
In the first stanza we
are introduced to Owen and his men in “den”, [1]where they have just encountered “an old
Bauche”. [2]Interestingly the poet uses a German
soldier, who gives his regiment “shell on frantic shell” to introduce the poem
which he later juxtaposes with the pathetic condition in which the British
sentry is found. This is the first instance in the poem where juxtaposition is
used; Owen contrasts weakness and surrender with strength and resistance.
Notably this recurs throughout the poem; juxtapositions between dreams and
nightmares, hope and despair are made. These can be treated as important
psychological aspects of the war, as well as physical. It is important to note
that Owen speaks for all soldiers (including the enemy) while referring to
“those other wretches” who “left there curse in the den”. This is further
indicated by his use of sequential use of pronouns (“us”, “their”, “he”, “I”)
which strengthen the progression from external to internal conflict.
An important, unique
feature of this poem is the use of slang words. On two occasions Owen uses the
word “Bauche” which was WWI British slang referring to the Germans and on one
occasion he calls shells “crumps”. Furthermore the sentence structure of the
poem is fragmented throughout; perhaps indicative of the “shocked” mental state
the poet was in while writing it. The reader is exposed to sentenced like “shell
upon frantic shell, Hammered on top, but never quite burst through” where the
poet uses the capitalized “H” to begin a new sentence. Such a sentence
structure recurs across his poetry as does the poem’s rhyme scheme which is
also thoroughly disjointed. This reader believes that an ABC rhyme scheme is
followed as suggested by first seven sentences’ concluding words “knew”,
“shell”, “through” “slime”, “hour”, “climb” and “sour”. Frequently used
internal rhymes such as “gave us hell, shell on frantic shell”, “thud! flump!
thud!” and “mud in ruck on ruck” add to the fragmented sentence structure and
highlight the use of auditory imagery.
This poem has a blend
of all types of imagery which the poet uses to create and enhance the
atmosphere. Owen uses olfactory imagery to create the setting around him
writing about the “smell of men” which can also be seen as indicative of how
much time they have spent in the trenches. He refers to “rain, guttering down
in waterfalls of slime” which is an example of both visual and auditory
imagery. Perhaps the most horrific use of visual imagery is when Owen describes
the physical condition of the sentry: “Eyeballs, huge-bulged like squids” which
leaves a gruesome image in the reader’s mind. Incidentally, the sentry who Owen
met went blind too. Owen uses many words such as “shell”, “steps”, “slime” and
“steep” to create sibilance. There is also casual reference to nightmares which
“watch my dreams still’ which the poet was also being treated for at
Craiglockhart. It can be said that Owen uses horrific imagery to gradually
develop the feeling tragedy and guilt.
Guilt and internal
conflict are the primary sub-themes evolved in the poem. Owen’s literary critics
have suggested he uses the setting of a secluded trench, against the backdrop
of and external war to enhance the reader’s perception of internal conflict.
The line “The sentry's body; then his rifle, handles Of Bauche bombs” emphasize
the slow speed at which the body comes into view and to the reader is resembles
the image of plunging a dagger into a heart and slowly pulling it out. Moreover
it gives both Owen and the reader time to process the horrors of war and the
guilt which begins to settle onto Owen’s heart. It is when the poet is trying
to comfort the soldier that his guilt is most evident; he tells the soldier
that he is not actually blind if he can see a flicker of light. This shows the
medical negligence of the time and Owen’s desperate desire to appease his
conscience. There is a touch of cruel irony in the lines “Eyeballs, huge-bulged
like squids, Watch my dreams still; but I forgot him there, In posting next for
duty, and sending a scout, To beg a stretcher somewhere, and floundering about,
To other posts under the shrieking air” because it indicates that though the
experience left the poet “floundering about”, he wishes to forget the incident.
“The
Sentry” is unique in some respects, such as language, as highlighted above yet
it resembles many of Owens’s other poems both thematically and linguistically.
For example, he uses nightmares and disillusionment similarly in his poem
“Dulce Et Decorum Est”. It aims to highlight the internal conflict faced by
human beings in the face of a larger external conflict. Like in his poem
“Insensibility”, he refers to all kinds of soldier however choosing to create a
divide between enemy and friend instead of the various ranks of an army. He
defines the susceptibility and dependence of human cruelty on circumstance
which is highlighted by the difference in reaction to the condition of the
British and German soldiers. Owen also highlights how emotional investment can
lead to massive guilt by using his own example; literary critics have suggested
that he felt personally guilty at the sentry’s death because as a Junior Officer
he was responsible for deploying sentries at the front. In conclusion, “The
Sentry” explores the nuances of human condition while highlighting its frailty,
the worst of which is brought out, according to the poet, by “the pity of war”.
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