The poem
Let the boy try along this bayonet-blade How cold steel is, and keen with hunger of blood; Blue with all malice, like a madman's flash; And thinly drawn with famishing for flesh.
Lend him to stroke these blind, blunt bullet-heads Which long to muzzle in the hearts of lads. Or give him cartridges of fine zinc teeth, Sharp with the sharpness of grief and death.
For his teeth seem for laughing round an apple. There lurk no claws behind his fingers supple; And God will grow no talons at his heels, Nor antlers through the thickness of his curls.
This poem is really good.....
I have just finished analysing this poem to a great extent. It is a passionate poem that is well constructed. I think it is one of Owen's finnest poems. Keep up the good work Owen....ohh
I could not believe the comments of tessa .J. This is one of his worst poems and i would also like to add the comment that Wilfred Owen is actually dead and has been since 1919. So if you had analysed this poem im sure these are some things you should know. I think there should be an IQ test for people that want to write comments. Seriously.
well ,this is the first time to write arms and the boy. owen coveys amessage to his readers by such apoem.owen was an anti war poet who suffer alot in war so he seems as if he write about his own exprience. he says that warmongers order thier people to teach thier children how to forget about their humanty ,how to be cruel.they want the children to turn into animals that have no mercy at all.owen says that such commandrs think of little children as devices not as humans . i do like this poem and i promise to give a useful comment on later as this is the first time to read it as i told you.
This poem is very deep. it explains how easily a child can be influnced by the people that surround him. for a child to stroke theses weapons is inappropriate but he is not described as the devil in the last stanza because he is sill young and it is not his fault that the way he is being brought up is violent. it just shows that it is so easy for a person to be raised to find killing acceptable. by the way janet, everyone has the right to their own opinion without being ridiculed for it!
The last stanza does not say that the boy is not a devil because he is innocent and young. It describes him as a pig, "For his teeth seem for laughing round an apple." A roasted pig is often seen as having an apple in its mouth. This is saying that he is to be slaughtered as a pig. Owen then goes on to contrast the boy with "fingers supple" to the images of animal-like warriors who have claws, talons, and antlers.
Owen may be anti-war, but I feel he is pro-humanity. "Let the boy try" war and killing, but God has not made a child prone to do so. A child is given "for laughing round an apple" with teeth to eat and enjoy -- not "fine zinc teeth, / Sharp with the sharpness of grief and death." The last stanza offers hope that though humans may attempt evil, God does not make humans for that purpose. In making living beings, both animals and humans, God makes distinctions in his creatures. I believe this aspect of evil is the difference.
i think there was irony intended in the '.....ohh' and Janet is the one who needs the iq test.
Janet Owen did not die in 1919 it was 1918 a week before the war ended so if you want to try and act smug try and get the dates right before bashing someones opinion
Owen
other guest from united kingdom, you were about 3 years, 3 months late in telling Janet when Owen died. You're right, but she may now be dead for all you know. Idiot lol. Though saying that I am 1 year late and I wonder if anyone will even ever read this....fk