Greater Love is a poem in which Wilfred Owen expresses his
admiration for brotherly love. Soldiers' love is repeatedly glorified
with honorifc words like "fierce","pure", "exquitsite" who evidently
suffered and sacrificed their lives for their countrymen. Yet, Owen
criticisizes the countrymen for their disability to understand this kind
of sacrificial love and "touch them not". Due to their lack of
experience and exposure, society will never understand by just knowing
and reading about soldiers' love.
The soldiers' love is seen to be "greater" than erotic love. The soldiers' love, in fact, is compared to Christ's agape love for sinners. similarly, soldiers sacrificed their lives for ignorant society. Hence, compared to erotic love, brotherly love suffered more killings and injuries like "knife-skewed" and "stained stones". Yet, the conflict and sacrifices faced by soldiers made their love more "greater" in beauty and more real. even erotic love "seems shame to their love pure". Ironically, even if erotic love is more gentle and "dear", violence, fighting and killing invited by soldiers' love - still raised Owen's qualification of this love as "greater". Irony is that violence could be the strong bond of sufferings shared by soldiers and thus, made this love "greater".
Since brotherly love carries violence, their love is seen to be ugly and gruelsome. yet, despite the overwhelming beauty and exquisitness of erotic love, brotherly love is honored by Owen as more "greater". this is because erotic love only brings pleasure and hopes for return but brotherly love sacrificed their lives without question for countrymen. worse still, for people who are ignorant.
There are several comparison made by Owen between erotic love and brotherly love. the differences which set these two kinds of love apart is attraction/lure (Verse 1), physical connection (Verse 2), sounds (Verse 3), and sincerity, which (Verse 4) compares and contrast to bring forth the question of the permanance and sincerity of erotic love. to emphasize that, Owen introduces eortic love as weak and temporary with feminine words, in contrast to brotherly love which is portrayed as strong ad everlasting with masculine words.
Lastly, despite soldiers' love being more "greater" and beautiful, Owen criticises society for not being to understand. Society not only do not care, they failed to experience and be exposed to the same sufferings of war which formed the agape love of soldiers for their countrymen, for their comrades and for their country. Owen brings readers to understand that even if they were to read the poem and know about the sacrificial love of soldiers, they'll not truly understand. it is not sufficient to just know about their plight but also to experience and share their sufferings to truly understand. in addition, by saying so, Owen reveals that brotherly love is so great that it couldn't be truly expressed in just printed words.
The soldiers' love is seen to be "greater" than erotic love. The soldiers' love, in fact, is compared to Christ's agape love for sinners. similarly, soldiers sacrificed their lives for ignorant society. Hence, compared to erotic love, brotherly love suffered more killings and injuries like "knife-skewed" and "stained stones". Yet, the conflict and sacrifices faced by soldiers made their love more "greater" in beauty and more real. even erotic love "seems shame to their love pure". Ironically, even if erotic love is more gentle and "dear", violence, fighting and killing invited by soldiers' love - still raised Owen's qualification of this love as "greater". Irony is that violence could be the strong bond of sufferings shared by soldiers and thus, made this love "greater".
Since brotherly love carries violence, their love is seen to be ugly and gruelsome. yet, despite the overwhelming beauty and exquisitness of erotic love, brotherly love is honored by Owen as more "greater". this is because erotic love only brings pleasure and hopes for return but brotherly love sacrificed their lives without question for countrymen. worse still, for people who are ignorant.
There are several comparison made by Owen between erotic love and brotherly love. the differences which set these two kinds of love apart is attraction/lure (Verse 1), physical connection (Verse 2), sounds (Verse 3), and sincerity, which (Verse 4) compares and contrast to bring forth the question of the permanance and sincerity of erotic love. to emphasize that, Owen introduces eortic love as weak and temporary with feminine words, in contrast to brotherly love which is portrayed as strong ad everlasting with masculine words.
Lastly, despite soldiers' love being more "greater" and beautiful, Owen criticises society for not being to understand. Society not only do not care, they failed to experience and be exposed to the same sufferings of war which formed the agape love of soldiers for their countrymen, for their comrades and for their country. Owen brings readers to understand that even if they were to read the poem and know about the sacrificial love of soldiers, they'll not truly understand. it is not sufficient to just know about their plight but also to experience and share their sufferings to truly understand. in addition, by saying so, Owen reveals that brotherly love is so great that it couldn't be truly expressed in just printed words.
please proof read your posts before sharing them with the entire internet. Though I disagree with your points, the main problem I have is the lack of coherencey throughout. Sorry, but that is my honest opinion. ye dumb ass.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point of view!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this analysis. Very different but "coherent" and well thought of.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you could perhaps add some details about the biblical references and the religious allusions Owen has embedded in this poem to get his points across.