What caught my attention in Owen’s “Smile, Smile, Smile” was how the sound of the poem as it is read out loud elevates the meaning of the poem. I thought it sounded bouncy, like a song, since all of the lines are decasyllables. The rhyme scheme was somewhat confusing to me, because it does not follow a specific pattern. For example, the first eight lines follow an ABBA CDDC pattern. Lines 9-12 follow an EFEF pattern, while 13-16 follow a GGGG pattern. I think both the rhyme scheme and the syllable count add to the slightly jovial way the poem sounds when it is read out loud, which in turns contributes to the sarcasm Owen uses while trying to point out the ignorance of the people and paper.
I find that these patterns empower Owen’s poem since the sarcasm is his way of approaching the public’s view of war. The newspaper focuses on the superficial things such as the “Vast Booty”, while undermining “the casualties” which are “typed small” (2, 3). It speaks lightly about the “dead” and how “Victory” is the only thing “worthy” for the ones “who fought” (9, 13, 16). The soldiers also know that when the newspaper speaks of the “integrity” of the “nation” that it is simply for the public and that they know the real “secret”- all of England’s “integrity” “had fled to France” (17, 20, 22). The last three lines also demonstrate the superficiality of the newspaper and its readers, while it prints “pictures of… broad smiles…each week”, and the people who say “How they smile!” (24, 26.) Owen uses the rhyme scheme and the syllable count to make the poem sound cheerful, just as the civilians who read the newspaper feel towards the veterans – “They’re happy now, poor things (26)”.
In reading "Smile, Smile, Smile," a question came to mind- do you think Owen is accusing the press and people of intentionally obfuscating the truth, through treating "the sunk-eyed wounded" like something to be "happy" about, or do you think he simply sees them as misguided, "they smile" when there is nothing to smile about (1, 26)? The fact that the papers talk of "Cheap Homes, not yet planned" indicates a cynical attitude towards the war, or a purposeful covering-up of the reality (4). However, the fact that "real feeling rings" in their exclamations would suggest that they genuinely believe that war is something to celebrate. Also, the reference to the "poor things" makes me think that the readers are implicit in the lie they are being sold, as they know that someone who has experienced war can never really be "happy now" (25)
ReplyDeleteI too, noticed the rhyme scheme. The sing-song patterns emphasize the aforementioned abstraction, willful or not, of the grim price with which "Victory" was "bought" (12). One can draw parallels to the treatment of the current Iraq War in U.S. newspapers. Any withdrawal of forces is treated as a "wrong" against the dead, who might "regret they died" if the battles they fought in were lost (10,16). The irony here is readily apparent- the dead cannot regret their death- and again works toward displaying the falseness of the popular attitude towards war.
I think that rather than accusing the media of tampering with the truth, Owen sees them as ignorant to reality and focused on the unimportant things such as the "Vast Booty" and "Cheap Homes" (3, 4). The "people" who "voice real feelings" say that the "sunk-eyed wounded" "smile", and that "they're happy now" (1, 25, 26). I think that there is a twist in these "real feelings" because I think like Sassoon, Owen is trying to demonstrate that many of the non-combatants don't know what "real" actually is (25). Now that you mention it this way, the reference to “poor things” does seem to imply that these “people” have understood that the “sunk-eyed” and “half-limbed” who have been in war cannot be happy, even if new “broad smiles appear each week” (1, 18, 24, 25, 26).
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure I understand how you’re connecting the rhyme scheme with the irony of the dead feeling “regret they died” (10). I think that you are right to a certain extent – the “falseness” of the general feeling towards war is that “Victory” is the only thing “worthy” (13). The newspaper says that the people “must be solidly indemnified”, and that there is no way they should lose. When the statement about the ones who “might regret they died” refers directly to “the sons”, then I understand where you see that this would not make much sense. They do acknowledge, though, that “the greatest glory will be theirs who fought” (17). I believe that this is not something the soldiers would “smile at one another” thinking that the paper has it wrong.
Though I do think the press and civilians have an understanding that there is nothing of "glory" or "integrity" in the war survivors' condition, the line "the half-limbed readers... smiled at one another curiously, like secret men who know their secret safe" seems to me to mean the soldiers themselves do not want the reality of war to be public (16,17, 19-21). I'm not sure why this is- one would think that, like Owen did, a veteran would want to reveal the truth to others, so as to waste no more lives buying "worthy Victory" (13). Instead, it is almost as if they want to perpetuate the lie of "greatest glory" (17).
ReplyDeleteMy meaning was that a false dilemma has been set up: either one supports the destruction of war, despite the "casualties" and "wounded," or one is being disrespectful to "the sons we offered" (1,2,10). Of course, just because one does not want to see more youths turned "sunk-eyed," "head to limp head," does not mean one is betraying the act of keeping the "nation in integrity" (1,17), and the papers contort this choice through everything from how large words are printed to calling the anti-war position one of betrayal.