Wilfred Owen, like many other men, joined the war mainly because he was persuaded by this everlasting façade of war. Owen felt he was targeted by the propaganda of the media and the government to be enlisted into the army. The patriotic soldiers, like Owen, had been told that they would be home by Christmas; that war would be like an adventure- a passage to becoming a well-known, respected hero. Owen had his youth taken away from him, leaving only the bitterness of the war and the memories of home behind. Owen was one of the most well-known anti-war poets, unfortunately he died a week before the Great War had ended and his poetry had never been published until after his death. Owen’s poetry challenged the earlier poetry where poets would only write about the glory of fighting for one’s country. This patriotic view was deeply permeated into previous British literary heritage. Owen’s view would have been seen as controversial and due to censorship, his opinions would be very much suppressed. It was a tragedy that he was unable to find closure or recognition in his lifetime. However, after a century, Owens’ poetry lives on as a constant reminder of the sacrifice given by millions of soldiers and the true reality and horrors faced by the soldiers. Perhaps, through his poetry Owen was able to express his feelings of isolation and lack of belonging at war. His constant references to life at home convey his emotions of the need for safety and a sense of belonging and how these can only be fed when in a homely environment.
The first poem in which Owen explores his feelings of war and continuous references to life at home are evident in ‘Disabled’, written in 1917. This poem is centred on how a young boy had joined war for reasons which were unclear but mostly vain. The young soldier, upon returning injured, was tormented with thoughts of home in the past, his reasons for