Owen's ultimate views of the horrors of war are clearly illustrated in the colorful imagery of his poems. Some of the techniques Owen uses to achieve this are figurative language, similes, metaphors, alliteration, tonality and the idea of juxtaposition. These are presented in the bluntest and ‘to the point' ways. Some examples of this include quotes from his poems such as ‘dying like cattle', ‘the rifles rapid rattle', ‘guttering chocking and drowning', the juxtaposition example of the soldiers and beggars and the metaphorical sounds of war and a funeral. Examples such as these show us that Owen's view on war was one of hatred and disgrace. With quotes such as these, the tonalities reflected in his poems are sad, depressing and miserable.

Another one of the ways Owen reflects his message to the reader is through the ingenious structure and punctuation marks in his poems. Owen's stanzas in each of his poems are carefully written to complement the mood or emotion of the stanza. This adds extra meaning to the ideas Owen is presenting to us in each stanza. Owen carefully uses punctuation marks to bring out important words or imagery in his poems. He also uses rhetorical questions to leave the reader thinking about Owen's thoughts on war. Own uses hyphens to add extra information to a sentence. This allows Owen to tell us as much as he can about the mayhem at war. An example of this is the sentence ‘Move him into the sun-
Gently its touch awoke him once'

The overall realistic representation of war Owen portrays to us through his poems leads us to assume that Owen is an anti-war poet. Owen's message is strongest in the sense that these poems were recounts of his experiences at war. Poems such as Owens can provide an outlet to war sufferers of widows. One of Owen's most realistic representations of war is in the poem ‘Spring Offensive'. The graphic moods and tonality of the soldiers marching up the hill opens us up to the world of war. From this we see the message Owen puts forward to us. As an anti-war poet, Owen is direct in the use of his words and techniques of his poems.

Owen has a strong religious backing to the notion of war and fighting. This is represented in the deep metaphorical meanings in the ‘futility' poem. Hints of Owen's religious views are also found in the narration of his poems. Owen speaks directly to us in the second person to literally tell us of the significance of his poems. This is what allows Owen to really put out his anti-war notions to prove that it is not sweet to die for your country.

In conclusion, Owen's message to the reader is that war is wrong and should be put to an end. Owen achieves this point of view in his poems through the use of figurative language, narration, tonality and mood, structure, language and word choices. These are what captivate us into reading his poems and learning Owen's message on war.

As the Great War was the first international military confrontation in a time of universal literacy, most of a nation's population were subject to a barrage of propaganda promoting the war. Men as well as women were the targets for these campaigns which attached to war such labels as nobility, honour and self-sacrifice. Nationalism, patriotism and heroism were deemed to be the greatest feeling one could have for one's country. To prove this, many men willingly enlisted and women happily fared them well tot he battlefront. However, these men soon experienced the abhorrent and sickening conditions of trench warfare. They realized that it was a useless exercise which caused mass destruction and was a waste of many young lives. Determined that the deception of propaganda would not continue, such men like Sassoon and Owen wrote poems to counter it.

Sassoon's poem "Glory of Women" is written in the form of a sonnet. The form used is clearly ironic in that sonnets are traditionally used to express love. "Glory of Women" also speaks of love - "You love us when we're heroes" but this is a love of heroism and honour which is revealed to be a love enforced by propaganda. Women are shown to be both victims of pro-war propaganda and perpetrators of it. The poem is structured into an octave where the attitudes of women towards war are described, such as their ignorant fascination in it - "You listen with delight at tales of dirt and danger fondly thrilled." A volta marks the end of the eighth line where there is a shift in subject. The image created of the British soldiers breaking into a fear-induced stampede when faced with heavy enemy fire, trampling the bloodied corpses is powerful in dispelling any illusions that war is a noble pursuit.

On the other hand, "The Send-off" has been structured differently according to a rhyme scheme of aba ab cdccd efe ef ghggh. The rhyme scheme co-incides with the building up of descriptions, culminating in use of symbolism in the two-line stanzas. The first stanza describes the men heading off to battle. Then the second two-line stanza with the rhyme of ab contains a striking symbolic comparison - "Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray/ As men's are, dead." Here, these living men with farewell wreaths and confetti on their uniforms are likened to the deceased with funeral wreaths placed on their breasts.

Similar to Sassoon's poem, Owens also relates to the role that women hold in the continuation of the lie - "Nor there if they yet mock what women meant who gave them flowers." Patriotism and courage so valued and encouraged by the womenfolk will soon be proven false in the view of the soldiers. Although Owen does not specifically address women as does Sassoon, he still is able to appropriately convey the negative nature of their conscious desire to water the propaganda for war set by the government.

Several ironies are produced in Sassoon's choice of diction. These serve to define even more clearly the aspects of society and human behaviour he is criticizing. His ironic title is an example. Because women are not faced with the reality of war, they cannot possible fathom the death and destruction it produces. That they glorify and hold in high esteem such mindless, wanton acts of killing is ironic. Also, phrases such as "… chivalry redeems the war's disgrace…" and "… crown our distant ardours…" give connotations of knighthood and hence again, great nobility and bravery.

This "noble" image of war is a misconception also protrayed by Owen in his description of the departing men's feelings - "… with faces grimly gay." This is an oxymoron. Owen has managed to transmit the meaning that the men were grim because they were leaving their family and home but were happy at the prospect of becoming a much praised and courageous hero. "… mourn our laurelled memories when we're killed" is starkly contrasted with "His face trodden deeper into the mud." The imagery produced from "laurelled memories" can be related to the crowning of a wreath of laurel leaves on the victor in the ancient Greek Olympic games. This image of victory in "glory of women", however, crushed by the ignominy of the soldier's death. He is buried into the mud, not with respect or ceremony, but by the blind trampling feet of soldiers fleeing from enemy fire.

In Owen's poem, this idealism of victory is also discussed, leading to a direct contrast with what will be real. The last stanza does this, beginning with the rhetorical question - "Shall they return to beatings of great bells in wild train-loads?" The fanfare and wild rejoicing represent the image of a triumphal return. However, it is quashed in the next verse with the repetition - "A few, a few, too few…/ May creep back…" The repetition draws emphasis on the numerous other young men who will never again see their home. That those who do survive "creep" back shows the lies of propaganda.

The slow rhythm of both poems is reflective of their tone. Their slow pace is necessary to display the heavy the heavy ironies that exist when comparing the artificial glorified picture of war with its reality. Sassoon addresses women directly with the use of the "you" point of view - "You love us when we're heroes…/ You worship decorations…" In saying this, his tone is cynical and bitter, especially towards the end when he wants to drive the reality home - "O German mother…/ While you are knitting socks to send your son/ His face is trodden deeper into the mud."

Owen's work contains a quiet regret and lament at the sending of so many lives to their premature ends. He comments on the tragedy that those on the home front - the women, should encourage patriotism when they are not aware of the true ramifications of war. Objects such as the signals and lamp at the train station are personified - "… signals nodded and a lamp/ Winked to the guard" to indicate that they are more animated than the humans whose behaviour and attitudes have been dictated by propaganda.

The purpose of these poems is to expose war as an ignoble, brutal and inhuman activity. Sassoon and Owen have achieved this aim through their different writing styles but using the common poetic techniques. They first commented on propaganda's portrayal of war and then contrasted this with the experiences they had on the battleground. Their common medium was experience. They knew first-hand what war encompassed and were appalled by the way human life has been demeaned and the mindless slaughter both sides had committed.

“Orion's Belt and sworded hip” is a reference to constellations and draws a link towards the soldier. Descriptions of the soldier's' resting place include “woodlands that stand together” and “kestrel hovering by the day” provide the reader with a generally positive view of peace and tranquility. The blackbirds' song can be viewed as tender and reassuring. The speaker encourages war in this respect as there is no mention of negative consequences of war but has more emphasis on the essence of life and glorifies the soldier through the mention of a resting place after death.

Compared to typical mentions of bodies lying unburied or being ripped apart by shrapnels in war, the speaker suggests of a quiet resting place that the soldier can look forward to. The mention of horses stresses the romantic ideals of early poets like Grenfell and the reliance on cavalry. It is also noticeable that there is no mention of gunpowder. The second passage from the 35th line is directed towards the excitement of battle, and this is demonstrated by “And only the Joy of Battle takes him by the throat.”

The use of “neither lead nor steel” indicates that the soldier's death shall not be at gunpoint or because of the sword. There is more of an inclination to the slow embracing of death as seen by “in the air Death moans and sings.” The quotation “And Night shall fold him in soft wings” presents a gentler version of death which can be perceived to be almost welcome.

The speaker of Wilfred Owen's “Spring Offensive” introduces a more pessimistic view of death and warfare in general. The introductory line indicates of a break with “they” meaning the soldiers and that they had “halted against the shade of a last hill.” The lack of discipline for some soldiers is highlighted as they “carelessly slept,” but the mention of other soldiers on the alert gives an indication of danger.

The “careless sleeping” of some soldiers might also be an indication of the soldiers' indifference in death. Instead of a frontier of defense or action, the gloominess can be sensed since the battlefield is regarded as “the end of the world.” Like the first poem, there is also mention of outside creatures like wasps and midges. Similarly, there is also mention of trees in this poem, but in this context they are used to describe the insects' breathing rather than a resting place.

The mention of the insects also bring a gloomier quality to the poem as they portray a better life than a soldier's. The quotation “And tighten them for battle” gives the reader proof to realize that the insect is actually a metaphor of soldiers. The “whole sky burned” is an indication of the sky being full of bombs from fighter planes.

The use of “soft sudden cups opened in thousands for blood” refers of craters appearing due to bombings and its devastation. Death has a gloomier perspective and is illustrated by the mention of hell instead of a peaceful end. In the final stanza “why they speak not of comrades” portrays essentially the forgetting of fallen soldiers in war by the community and the later generations.

In the poem Owen uses imagery to show how violent and unsafe the environment is that Abram is in and to make it obvious Abrams prideful decisions are. There is great imagery used in lines eight and nine that show how dangerous the environment is that Abram is fighting in, when it says, “and builded parapets and trenches there and stretched forth the knife to slay his son.”

Also imagery is used in lines thirteen fourteen and fifteen, when it revels Abrams prideful decision lead to his death when it says, “A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns: offer the ram of pride instead of him. But the old man would not so, but slew his son.” Pride affected Abram in a great way but pride also has a major affect on my life.

Being to prideful in my life about some things have some great and costly consequences to both me and my family. There are some times in my life where my parents tell me to do something but I don't because I am to prideful. This year my parents told me not to ride my quad so fast but I was to prideful and thought I knew better then I flip my quad and ended up in the hospital for a week. Also when my parents tell me not to walk without help from either my mom or my dad and I did not listen and walked alone I fell and get a cracked tailbone. That is how prideful decisions take a toll on me and my family's life.

A prideful decision that's what made a good and honest man sacrifice his one and only son. This poem shows that pride does not only affect me but it affect Abrams so much as it even lead to his death but that could only be shown with the superb use of imagery by Wilfred Owen. So remember prideful decisions are bad and have negative effects on people's lives.

'The Road Not Taken' by Frost portrays the fact that physically journeys result in change and a sense of understanding of yourself. The poem is a metaphor for life in the fact that we have to make decisions where the consequences of our actions seem to be unknown this is shown when the speaker shows his regret about the decision that has confronted him through "And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler" this shows the responder that the persona knows that both roads will lead to the unknown results that will force the persona to come to a realization about himself. The poems rhyming scheme suggests a sense of regularity and direction in the physical journey of the persons yet as the persona is confronted with change this rhyming scheme changes providing the responder with a sense of uncertainty towards this new direction in life. With Frost using future tense in the final stanza of the poem there is an impression of reassurance and confidence in the personas final decision to take the road less traveled. The last line of the poem "And that has made all the difference" implies that the actual physical journey does not matter but what you experience and learn that is important.

This text is similar to “Away” in that Frost and Gow use a variety of techniques to show the characteristics of physical journeys like dialogue, plot and image are to express ideas regarding the difficulties in make choices, the underlying fear of the unknown. They both also show the responder that physical journeys can lead to significant physical or mental awareness. Frost and Gow both show that journeys can provide opportunities for development of a character

'Away' a play by Michael Gow set in the summer of 1967-68 in Australia. This play is about three Australian families who each aim resolve their issues through going on a holiday. "Away" confronts the reader with an emphasis on the impacts of the physical journeys on the traveler; it also deals with the fact that there are physical, emotional and intellectual aspects of journey.

The play starts of with the last words of the play "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare. Tom plays the character Puck, the restorer, which represents his character in the play "Away". “Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends” These are last words of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" this statement tells us that he will fix all of the problems faced by the three families portrayed in "Away"

During the play the three families arrive at the same physical location due to the storm. The storm which destroys all of Gwen and Jim's possessions which allows them to experience who they are and take the time to become aware of the world around them.

Another text that reflects that physical journeys lead to a greater understanding is a cartoon called “You and Me” by Michael Leunig. The cartoon is a picture of identical cars and drivers heading towards one direction which is identified as “grave” by a signpost as opposed to traveling in the opposite direction which is labeled “cradle”. The background is covered by skyscrapers and the moon is the only natural element in the cartoon.

Leunig uses humor to criticize our journey through life with the main message in the cartoon being to be an individual and not conform to society; this is shown through the fact that all the cars and drivers are identical; this suggests society is overpowered by conformity also the idea of conformity tells the responder that physical journeys have become meaningless due to society's obsession with material objects. The fact that everyone is racing towards their grave shows Leunig's own ideas towards people traveling towards death and destruction. The miserable expressions of the cartoons reveal an unhappy and depressed consumer that is too focused on arriving to the final destination of the “grave” to discover the better option of the “cradle” which is symbolic of love and support. The fact traffic is so heavy it symbolizes the frustration in society's everyday life. The crowded skyline which is dominated by artificial skyscrapers reveals a merely visible half moon which is the only form of optimism created by nature this image focus' on the artificial aspect of today's world.

Leunig's sarcasm as achieved through exaggeration, he clearly ridicules modern life. He encourages the responder to be critical of the journey not the destination, to challenge not accept and not to be overwhelmed by society's influences.

This text, like “Away”, and “The Road Not Taken”, depicts journeys with techniques that emphasize the impact of physical journeys on the traveler.

Life is the journey as Leunig demonstrates the destination is the same the roads traveled, the decisions made through the journey as described in "The road not taken" and the interaction of people and events in "Away" are the pattern of life. Enjoy the journey, expect twists and turns and even some potholes but remember to take in the view.