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It seemed that out of battle I escaped Down some Which must die now. I mean the truth untold, The
profound dull tunnel, long since scooped Through pity of war, the pity war distilled.
granites which Titanic wars had groined. Yet also Now men will go content with what we spoiled. Or,
there encumbered sleepers groaned, Too fast in discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.
thought or death to be bestirred. They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress. None
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared will break ranks, though nations trek from
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes, Lifting progress.
distressful hands, as if to bless. Courage was mine, and I had mystery; Wisdom
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, was mine, and I had mastery:
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell. To miss the march of this retreating world Into vain

Wilfred Owen was one of the most significant British war poets of the early 20th century, best known for his stark and powerful
portrayals of World War I. Born on March 18, 1893, in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, Owen displayed an early talent for writing
and was deeply influenced by the Romantic poets, especially John Keats.

1--1e initially worked as a private tutor in France but enlisted in the British Army in 1915 to fight in the Great War. His direct
experience of the battlefield profoundly changed his view of war. Initially patriotic, Owen later grew bitter and disillusioned
with the glorification of combat. His poetry reflects the brutal realities of trench warfare, exposing the horrors, trauma, and
futility of war.

One of Owen's major literary influences was Siegfried Sassoon, a fellow poet and soldier whom he met while recovering
from shell shock at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland. Sassoon encouraged Owen to write poetry
With a thousand fears that vision's face was grained; citadels that are not walled. Then, when much
Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground, blood had clogged their chariot wheels,
I would go up and wash them from sweet wells, Even
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan. with truths that lie too deep for taint.
"Strange, friend," I said, "Here is no cause to mourn. I would have poured my spirit without stint
" But not through wounds; not on the cess of war.
"None," said that other, "save the undone years, Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Was my life also; I went hunting wild I am the enemy you killed, my friend.
After the wildest beauty in the world, I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair, But Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
mocks the steady running of the hour, I parried; but my hands were loath and cold. Let
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here. us sleep now...
For by my glee might many men have laughed,
And of my weeping something had been left,
rooted in truth and personal experience. 2. "Anthem for Doomed
Youth" — 1917
Major Works: 3. "Strange Meeting" - 1918
7.
1. "Dulce et Decorum Est" - 1917 6.
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4. "Futility" — 1918 8. 5. "Exposure" - 1917 9. "The Send-off" - 1918

10. "Arms and the Boy" — 1917
"The Parable of the Old Man and the "Insensibility" — 1918
Young" - 1918 "Spring Offensive" - 1918

Stanza 1 (Lines 1—10):

"It seemed that out ofbattle I escaped... " to "By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
Summary:
The poem begins with the speaker describing how he seems to have escaped the battlefield and descended into a
mysterious, dark, and silent tunnel — metaphorically a form of hell. The imagery evokes a war-ravaged underworld
carved out by the immense violence of battle. As the speaker explores this eerie space, he encounters sleeping or dead
soldiers, "encumbered sleepers," who lie in a sort of death-induced stupor. One of them suddenly rises and stares at the
speaker with a fixed, sorrowful expression. This haunting figure lifts his hand in a gesture that seems like a blessing or
a warning. The encounter is both personal and symbolic, and the speaker instantly recognizes from the dead man's smile
that they are in a version of Hell — not the religious Hell of fire and punishment, but a psychological, emotional Hell
caused by war.

Stanza 2 (Lines 11—32):

"With a thousandfears that vision 's face was grained... " to "The pity ofwar, the pity war distilled.
Summary:
The stranger, now a ghostly presence, begins to speak. He reflects on the "undone years" — all the life and possibilities
lost due to the war. He talks about his yearning for beauty and truth, things that were not to be found in superficial
appearances but in deeper human experiences. His hope was to express joy and sorrow through his poetry, to share his
truth. But war ended that. His ability to influence others through poetry — to inspire or comfort — has been cut short.
What he could have expressed will now die with him. He laments that soldiers like him were silenced, and that the
world will now continue in ignorance or suffering, repeating the same violent patterns. This stanza emphasizes the
tragedy of wasted potential and the power of poetry as a moral, humanistic force silenced by war.

Stanza 3 (Lines 33—51):

"Now men will go content with what we spoiled... " to "Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were. '
Summary:
The dead man delivers a prophetic and bitter vision ofthe future. He warns that people will either accept the lies left
behind by war or become enraged and spill more blood, continuing the cycle. He speaks of his own qualities
courage, wisdom, mastery — which were not used to destroy but could have been used to rebuild a better world.
Instead of violence, he could have offered spiritual truths drawn from deep human suffering "truths that lie too
deep for taint." But war didn't allow this. He would have rather shared healing wisdom than bear witness to suffering
and death. His final line in this stanza is particularly chilling: "Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were"
suggesting psychological trauma, or what we now call PTSD. Owen uses this line to show how war wounds the mind as
much as the body.

Stanza 4 (Lines 52—End):

"1 am the enemy you killed, myfriend... " to "Let us sleep now...
Summary:
In the most powerful and intimate moment of the poem, the ghost reveals the ultimate irony — he is the enemy the
speaker killed. The man recognizes the speaker's face from the battlefield, where they met as soldiers on opposing
sides. There is no hatred, only a deep, tragic recognition of shared humanity. The tone becomes quiet and mournful. The
poem ends with a haunting, ambiguous invitation: "Let us sleep now." This could imply death, peace, or resignation. It
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is a call for rest from the horrors of war physical and emotional. The closing lines stress the futility and sorrow of
killing someone who, in another context, might have been a friend. Owen strips war of its patriotic glamour, replacing it
with pity, guilt, and loss.

1. "It seemed that out of battle I escaped"

Suggests the speaker has either died in war or had a near-death experience. This line sets the surreal, dream-like tone
of the poem.
2. "Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped / Through granites which Titanic wars had
groined."
The tunnel symbolizes death or the afterlife. "Titanic wars" references the vast, ancient scale of conflict not just World
War I, but war throughout human history.
3. "By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell."
Not 1--lell in the religious sense, but a psychological and emotional Hell— the horror and aftermath of war.
4. "Strange friend," I said, "here is no cause to mourn."
Ironically spoken; the speaker tries to comfort the other, unaware of the tragedy yet to be revealed.
5. "The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours / Was my life also."
The dead soldier speaks ofthe lost potential dreams, hopes, and ideals stolen by war.
6. "I went hunting wild / After the wildest beauty in the world."
The speaker was once idealistic, searching for truth, beauty, and meaning — an allusion to Owen's own poetic
ambitions.
7. "I mean the truth untold, / The pity of war, the pity war distilled."
One of the most quoted lines from Owen. It encapsulates his central message: that war dehumanizes and silences the
suffering of individuals.
8. "Courage was mine, and I had mystery; / Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery."
Reflects the lost greatness — qualities that could have been used for peace and art, wasted in violence.
9. "Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were."
A chilling description of psychological trauma — soldiers suffering invisible wounds, like shell shock (now PTSD).
10. "I am the enemy you killed, my friend."
A deeply ironic and poignant line. The enemy is not a monster, but a mirror of the speaker a fellow human being.
11. "Let us sleep now..."
The final line is ambiguous. It can mean peace in death, an end to suffering, or an eternal pause from the brutality of
war.

1. Metaphor
• Example: "It seemed that out ofbattle I escaped / Down some profound dull tunnel'
The "tunnel" metaphorically represents death or the descent into the underworld (Hell), not a literal tunnel.

• Example: "Foreheads ofmen have bled where no wounds were.

This is a metaphor for psychological trauma—mental wounds that are not visible.
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2. Irony
• Example: "I am the enemy you killed, myfriend.
This line is a powerful example of irony: the man killed in battle calls his killer "friend," emphasizing shared
humanity.
3. Alliteration
• Example: "Encumbered sleepers groaned"
Repetition of the "s" sound enhances the mood of heaviness and sorrow.
• Example: "Dull tunnel ", "wildest beauty in the world" Adds a rhythmic flow and emphasizes the grim tone.
4. Assonance
• Example: "Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Repetition of the short "o" sound creates a hushed, reflective effect.
5. Personification
• Example: "The pity ofwar, the pity war distilled.
"War" is personified as something that can "distill" pity giving war an almost alchemical, active role in
destroying humanity.
6. Paradox
• Example: "I am the enemy you killed, myfriend.
The paradox reveals the absurdity of war—how those we are taught to kill may be just like us.
7. Symbolism
• "Tunnel" — symbolizes death, the subconscious, or passage to the afterlife.
• "Hell" — symbolizes the emotional and moral devastation caused by war. "Sleep" — symbolizes both
death and peace.
8. Enjambment
• Used throughout the poem. Lines run over into the next without pause, mimicking natural thought and creating
a flowing, dream-like quality.
9. Oxymoron
• Example: "Dead smile '
Combines contradictory terms to evoke the haunting image of a lifeless face still expressing recognition.

1. Who is the author of "Strange Meeting"? 14. What figure of speech is used in "dead
smile"?
Wilfred Owen. Oxymoron.

2. What is the central theme of the poem? 15. What does the phrase "undone years" imply?
The pity and futility of war. Lost potential and unfulfilled futures due to early

3. What is the setting of the poem "Strange death in war.

Meeting" ? 16. Who edited and published Owen's poems

after
A surreal or hellish underworld, symbolizing the his death?
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afterlife. Siegfried Sassoon.

4. What does the tunnel in the poem symbolize? 17. Which war inspired "Strange Meeting"?
Death and the descent into the afterlife or Hell. World War 1.

5. Who does the speaker meet in the tunnel? 18. What does "Titanic wars had groined" mean?
A dead enemy soldier whom he had killed. Massive, destructive wars shaped or carved human

6. What is the tone of the poem? history.

Sombre, reflective, and mournful. 19. What does Owen criticize through the poem?

7. What literary device is used in "I am the enemy The glorification and romanticism of war.

you killed, my friend"? 20. Why is the meeting called "strange"?

Irony and paradox. Because it occurs between two enemies in the

8. What does the line "Foreheads of men have afterlife who find mutual understanding.

bled where no wounds were" mean? 21. What poetic technique is prominent in the

It refers to psychological trauma and emotional poem's structure?

suffering caused by war. Enj ambment.

9. What poetic form does "Strange Meeting" use? 22. What does the speaker realize about his
Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter). enemy?
10. What does "Let us sleep now" signify at the end That they are not so different and share a common

of the poem? humanity.

A peaceful surrender to death and the end of 23. What does the enemy mean by "truths that lie
suffering. too deep for taint"?
l l. How does Owen portray war in this poem? Some deep emotional truths cannot be corrupted

As a tragic and wasteful experience devoid of by war.

glory. 24. What is meant by "distressful hands"?

12. What is meant by "the pity of war"? A gesture of helplessness or pleading from the

The deep emotional and spiritual suffering caused dead man.

by warfare. 25. How does the poem reflect Wilfred Owen's

13. What is the dead soldier's main regret? view of war?

That he could not warn others about the horrors of It emphasizes loss, pain, and the moral damage

war. caused by conflict.

26. What does "courage was mine, and I had 38. What is significant about the speaker's
mystery" express? realization in the poem?
That he possessed bravery and insight before He understands the enemy is not evil, but another

death. victim like himself.

27. What is Owen's tone toward the idea of 39. Why is the word "friend" shocking in the line
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patriotism in war? "1 am the enemy you killed, my friend"?

Cynical and critical. It shows deep irony and a shared fate, challenging

28. Why is the enemy soldier forgiving to the the idea of enemies.

speaker? 40. What does the poem ultimately call for?

Because death has brought understanding beyond Empathy, reflection, and the rejection of war.

national boundaries. 41. How is the soldier's voice described in the

29. What does "groined" suggest in the poem? poem?
Carved or constructed, linking war to historical Calm, sorrowful, and hauntingly wise.

legacy and burden. 42. What does Owen mean by "1 parried; but my
30. How does the poet use imagery? hands were loath and cold"?
To create a vivid, haunting atmosphere of the He fought reluctantly and with fear, highlighting

afterlife and battlefield trauma. the horror of killing.

31. What role does memory play in the poem? 43. What mood is created by the poem's setting?
It preserves the emotional truths lost in the noise Bleak, sombre, and surreal.

of war. 44. How does the poem portray death?

32. What does the poem suggest about the cost of Not as a heroic end but a sorrowful and reflective
conclusion.
It costs lives, potential, truth, and humanity itself. 45. Why is the poem still relevant today?
33. Why does the dead man speak of the "wildest It highlights the universal tragedy of war and

beauty in the world"? human loss.

It symbolizes the poetic and spiritual ideals lost in 46. What is the "truth untold" in the poem?
war. The real emotional and spiritual cost of war never

34. What does the line "Men will go content with fully acknowledged.

what we spoiled" imply? 47. Why is the title "Strange Meeting"

Future generations accept peace built on the appropriate?
destruction caused by war. Because it presents an unexpected, moving

35. How does Owen use symbolism in the poem? encounter between two former enemies.

The tunnel symbolizes death; sleep symbolizes 48. How does Owen use personification?
eternal rest. War is given the ability to "distil pity" — war acts

36. What poetic feature reflects the emotional like a conscious destroyer.

intensity of the poem? 49. What is the message of the poem about future
Use of blank verse and lack of rhyme, focusing on wars?
tone and rhythm. That only by understanding the past and feeling

37. Why is there no glorification of military action empathy can future wars be prevented.

in the poem? 50. How does Owen's style enhance the poem's
Because the focus IS on internal suffering and shared impact?
humanity.
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Through haunting imagery, paradox, and a tone of

sorrow and realism.