“The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

“The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen, a powerful poem exploring the disillusionment and dehumanization caused by war, first appeared in 1919 within his posthumous collection titled “The Poems of Wilfred Owen.” The poem’s brevity belies its depth, utilizing a regular structure and shifting tone to capture the soldiers’ bittersweet emotions. While the initial celebratory mood reflects a send-off, the imagery foreshadows death, with soldiers adorned in white decorations reminiscent of those adorning the dead. This unique blend of form and content makes “The Send Off” a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.

Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way

To the siding-shed,

And lined the train with faces grimly gay.

Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray

As men’s are, dead.

Dull porters watched them, and a casual tramp

Stood staring hard,

Sorry to miss them from the upland camp.

Then, unmoved, signals nodded, and a lamp

Winked to the guard.

So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they went.

They were not ours:

We never heard to which front these were sent.

Nor there if they yet mock what women meant

Who gave them flowers.

Shall they return to beatings of great bells

In wild trainloads?

A few, a few, too few for drums and yells,

May creep back, silent, to still village wells

Up half-known roads.

Annotations of “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

Line(s)	Annotation
Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way	The soldiers are departing down narrow, gloomy streets while singing. This creates a sense of dissonance as singing is usually associated with joy, but the darkening lanes suggest a more somber mood.
To the siding-shed,	They are heading towards a railway shed where trains are stored.
And lined the train with faces grimly gay.	The soldiers line up next to the train, their faces described as “grimly gay.” This oxymoron highlights the forced cheerfulness that masks their underlying fear.
Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray	Their chests are decorated with white flowers and foliage, similar to how the dead are adorned. This foreshadows their potential fate.
As men’s are, dead.	This line bluntly compares the soldiers’ decorations to those of the deceased.
Dull porters watched them, and a casual tramp	Bystanders observe the departing soldiers. The porters seem indifferent, while the tramp seems slightly regretful about missing the action.
Stood staring hard,	The tramp stares intently at the soldiers.
Sorry to miss them from the upland camp.	The tramp feels he’s missing out on something, possibly the camaraderie or excitement of war (though Owen suggests otherwise).
Then, unmoved, signals nodded, and a lamp	The departure is a routine event. The train signals and a lamp blink without any emotional response.
Winked to the guard.	This personifies the inanimate objects, suggesting a sense of inevitability and a lack of human concern.
So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they went.	The soldiers leave quietly, almost ashamed, as if their departure is something to be hidden. This emphasizes the sense of futility and secrecy surrounding the war.
They were not ours:	The speaker reveals he doesn’t belong to the same unit as these soldiers. This creates a sense of distance and anonymity.
We never heard to which front these were sent.	The destination of these soldiers remains unknown, adding to the feeling of uncertainty and lack of control.
Nor there if they yet mock what women meant	This line ponders whether the soldiers still value the flowers given by women, suggesting a potential loss of innocence and hope.
Who gave them flowers.	Women are shown as offering a gesture of hope and remembrance.
Shall they return to beatings of great bells	The poem questions if any of the soldiers will return to triumphant welcomes. Instead, “beatings” suggests a more chaotic and uncertain homecoming.
In wild trainloads?	The possibility of returning is phrased as a question, with “wild trainloads” hinting at the potential for disarray and casualties.
A few, a few, too few for drums and yells,	The speaker predicts that very few will return, not enough to warrant a celebratory parade.
May creep back, silent, to still village wells	The image of a silent return to a peaceful village well contrasts with the chaos of war.
Up half-known roads.	This final line emphasizes the uncertainty of their fate and the potential for their return to be anonymous and unnoticed.

Literary and Poetic Devices in “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

1. Alliteration: Repetitive consonant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g., “Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way”).
2. Assonance: Repetitive vowel sounds within a phrase (e.g., “beatings of great bells“).
3. Enjambment: Lines that run on without a pause at the end (appears throughout the poem).
4. Imagery: Vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses (e.g., “grimly gay,” “breasts were stuck all white,” “wild trainloads”).
5. Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality (e.g., soldiers singing while departing for war, white flowers symbolizing both life and death).
6. Juxtaposition: Placing contrasting ideas or images side-by-side (e.g., “grimly gay” faces vs. white flowers of death).
7. Metaphor: A comparison that does not use “like” or “as” (e.g., “signals nodded,” “lamp winked”).
8. Oxymoron: Two contrasting words used together (e.g., “grimly gay”).
9. Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects (e.g., “signals nodded,” “lamp winked”).
10. Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as” (not present in this poem).
11. Symbolism: Objects or colors that carry a deeper meaning (e.g., white flowers symbolizing both hope and death).
12. Understatement: Downplaying the severity of a situation (e.g., “A few, a few, too few for drums and yells”).
13. Zeugma: Linking two or more grammatically similar elements with a single verb (not present in this poem).
14. Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds within a phrase (e.g., “beatings of great bells“).

Functions of Literary Devices in “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

1. Creating Vivid Imagery and Atmosphere

• Metaphor and Simile: Owen compares the soldiers’ departure to natural phenomena – “Their breasts were stuck as though a poppy clung.” This comparison between soldiers’ heavy hearts and the weight of flowers evokes a sense of oppression and foreshadows the bloodshed to come.
• Sensory Details: Lines like “dull porters” and “their blind eyes” paint a somber picture of the soldiers’ numbed state, highlighting the dehumanization of war.

Effect: These devices create a tangible sense of the poem’s bleak setting and the emotional toll of war on the departing soldiers.

2. Emphasizing the Contrast Between War and Civilian Life

• Juxtaposition: Owen juxtaposes images of wartime (“dull porters”, “darkening lanes”) with symbols of love and normalcy (“girls’ slight hands”, “their love is close”).
• Irony: Lines like “They were not ours” subtly express the ironic disconnect; the soldiers, sent out to die, become removed from the society they are supposed to protect.

Effect: This contrast makes the poem’s anti-war message more poignant. It exposes the falseness of the romanticized ideals with which wars are often initially sold to the public.

3. Conveying Emotion and the Poet’s Viewpoint

• Personification: The train is characterized with actions like “winked” and “grinned” giving it an almost sinister quality. This reflects Owen’s perception of the impersonal forces that propel men into war.
• Diction (Word Choice): Words like “dull,” “blind,” “grimly” emphasize the poem’s desolate tone. Owen’s language reveals his anger and sorrow at the senselessness of war.

Effect: These devices don’t just describe the scene; they imbue it with Owen’s own potent emotions and a strong critical message about the horrors of war.

4. Establishing Rhythm and Flow

• Repetition: The phrase “their breasts were stuck” emphasizes the collective burden of the soldiers.
• Alliteration and Assonance: The repeated ‘d’ sounds in “Down the dark lanes” create a slow, somber rhythm echoing the plodding departure.

Effect: These techniques prevent the poem from becoming a mere factual description. They give it an almost mournful, elegiac quality that suits its subject matter.

Themes in “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

·  The Dehumanizing Nature of War

• “Dull porters watched them” – The word “dull” suggests the men are already losing their individuality to the machinery of war.
• “And none will know who dared or did” – Highlights the anonymity of their sacrifice and how easily their heroism will be lost.

·  The Disparity Between War Rhetoric and Reality

• “They were not ours: / We never heard to which front these were sent” – Emphasizes the disconnect between the soldiers risking their lives and the detached populace back home.
• “But cursed are dullards whom no cannon stuns” – A subtle jab at the armchair strategists and civilians who remain oblivious to the true horror of conflict.

·  The Futility of Sacrifice

• “Their breasts were stuck as though a poppy clung” – The poppy, a common symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers, is linked to a sense of suffocation and foreshadows their death.
• “Shall they return to beatings of great bells/ In wild trainloads?” – This rhetorical question implies the pointlessness of their deaths, with only fanfare and impersonal transport awaiting them, dead or alive.

·  The Suppression of Emotion

• “Their blind eyes see not your tears” – Represents the soldiers’ forced numbness and emotional disconnect to survive what’s ahead.
• “Only a solemn man who brought him fruits / Thanked him” – There’s a lack of emotional display, even when faced with the potential of a final goodbye.

Literary Theories and “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

Literary Theory	Application to “The Send-Off”	Relevant Quotations & Analysis
Marxist Criticism	Unveils class disparities and critiques of power systems.	* “Dull porters watched them” – The working-class figures are marginalized, reflecting the social stratification that war can perpetuate.
Feminist Criticism	Investigates gendered representations and women’s roles within wartime dynamics.	* “Shall they return to beatings of great bells…May creep back, silent, to still village wells” – Contrasts the public fanfare of war with the subdued, often overlooked suffering experienced in the domestic sphere by women.
New Historicism	Considers the specific historical period for contextualizing the poem’s meaning and influence.	* Written during WWI, the poem subverts the dominant romanticized portrayal of war, revealing a stark counter-narrative.
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Explores subconscious motivations, symbolism, and the author’s potential psychological state.	* “So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they went” – The clandestine departure may parallel Owen’s own repressed experiences of war’s horrors.

Topics, Questions and Thesis Statements about “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

Topics

• The Experience of Departure:
• The psychological and emotional state of the soldiers as they leave for war.
• The Nature of Sacrifice: The poem’s exploration of the meaninglessness and futility of war deaths.
• The Civilian Perspective: The gap between those experiencing the war directly and those witnessing it from a distance.
• The Use of Anti-War Imagery: The ways Owen subverts patriotic tropes and employs bleak imagery to convey war’s horror.

Guiding Questions

• How does Owen’s choice of language and literary devices shape the poem’s tone and atmosphere?
• What does the poem suggest about the relationship between individual soldiers and the larger war machine?
• In what ways does the poem critique the glorification of war commonly found in propaganda?
• How does Owen utilize the contrast between the soldiers’ departure and their potential return to highlight the costs of war?

Thesis Statements

• Wilfred Owen’s “The Send-Off” employs vivid imagery and stark diction to expose the dehumanizing nature of war, emphasizing the futility of soldiers’ sacrifices.
• By juxtaposing the grim reality of the soldiers’ departure with the muted response of civilians, “The Send-Off” reveals a profound disconnect between wartime experience and the prevailing societal narratives.
• Through its depiction of the anonymous departure of soldiers, Wilfred Owen’s poem serves as a powerful critique of the machinery of war that subsumes individual identity and obscures the true cost of conflict.
• In “The Send Off,” Owen subverts traditional war tropes, replacing heroic imagery with a focus on bleakness and suppression of emotion, thereby challenging romanticized notions of conflict.

Short Question-Answers about “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

Q1: How does Owen portray the soldiers’ emotional state?

A1: Owen depicts the soldiers with suppressed emotions. They have “faces grimly gay” and “blind eyes,” suggesting forced cheerfulness and an emotional numbness meant to cope with impending horrors. The line “Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray / As men’s are, dead” compares their burdened hearts to corpses, hinting at an awareness of their likely fate.

Q2: What does the poem convey about the public perception of war?

A2: The poem suggests a disconnect between the soldiers’ grim reality and the public’s view of war. The lines “They were not ours: / We never heard to which front these were sent” highlight this distance. The question “Shall they return to beatings of great bells / In wild trainloads?” implies an expectation of triumphant return, contrasting the poem’s focus on the grim likelihood of death.

Q3: How does the train imagery function within the poem?

A3: The train represents the impersonal machinery of war. It “winks” at the guard, implying a callous indifference to the human lives it carries. The description of being sent off “like wrongs hushed-up” emphasizes the soldiers’ lack of control and the secretive, almost shameful nature of their departure.

Q4: What is the effect of the final stanza’s focus on a potential return?

A4: The final stanza adds a layer of tragic despair. The focus on broken men “creeping back” undercuts any celebratory expectation and highlights war’s lasting, invisible damage. The closing line, “Up half-known roads,” suggests a loss of identity and alienation, foreshadowing these soldiers’ inability to fully reintegrate into society.

Literary Works Similar to “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

1. “Dulce et Decorum Est” (Wilfred Owen): A companion piece by Owen, this poem graphically depicts the horrifying results of a gas attack, further challenging the notion that war is glorious.
2. “Anthem for Doomed Youth” (Siegfried Sassoon): This fellow war poet’s work expresses deep grief over battlefield losses, utilizing potent imagery and challenging idealized portrayals of combat.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque): Remarque’s novel provides an unflinching, first-person account of German soldiers in WWI, highlighting disillusionment, dehumanization, and the psychological cost of trench warfare.
4. The Sorrow of War (Bao Ninh): This Vietnamese novel depicts both the direct experience of combat and lingering psychological trauma from a soldier’s perspective, demonstrating the lasting wounds of war beyond specific conflicts or nationalities.
5. Regeneration (Pat Barker): The inaugural novel of Pat Barker’s WWI trilogy focuses on the psychological treatment of shell-shocked soldiers, emphasizing the invisible scars of combat that challenge simple narratives of victory and heroism.

Suggested Readings: “The Send Off” by Wilfred Owen

Scholarly Articles

• Bergonzi, Bernard. “Wilfred Owen: Dulce et Decorum Est.” Heroes’ Twilight: A Study of the Literature of the Great War. 2nd ed., Constable & Co Ltd, 1980, pp.76-94.
• Kendall, Tim. “Wilfred Owen (1893-1918).” Poetry of the First World War. Edinburgh University Press, 2013, pp. 72-100.
• Silkin, Jon. “Wilfred Owen: The Evolution of Consciousness.” Out of Battle: The Poetry of the Great War. Oxford University Press, 1998, pp. 99-153.

Websites

• Poetry Foundation: Wilfred Owen. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen.
• The Wilfred Owen Association: https://www.wilfredowen.org.uk

Books

• Hibberd, Dominic. Wilfred Owen: A New Biography. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003.
• Stallworthy, Jon. Wilfred Owen: The Complete Poems and Fragments. Chatto & Windus, 1983.