Spring+Offensive

== =‘Spring Offensive’= =Wilfred Owen=

===In a letter dated 25th April 1917, Wilfred Owen recalls a day in which //“we were rushed up into line. Twice in one day we went over the top, gaining both our objectives. Our ‘A’ company led the attack and of course lost a certain number of men. I had some extraordinary escapes from shells and bullets”//.=== ===Owen’s poem “Spring Offensive” is an account of the action, its prologue and aftermath and the men involved in it. The poem is composed of six stanzas; each describes a different phase of the attack – the scene, the pause before the attack, the tension, the attack, the casualties, and the survivors.===

IMAGERY AND LANGUAGE
“Like an injected drug” **simile** //Emphasises the dramatic healing effect of the sun.// “sky burned / With fury” **personification** //Suggests the intensity of the bombardment – as if they were being attacked by a vengeful god.// “like sorrowing arms” **simile** //Perhaps relating to Christ’s crown of thorns, the brambles create an image of sacrifice// “like trees unstirred” **simile** //Emphasises how silently the men breathe, creates a sense of man in communion with nature// “like a cold gust” **simile** //The May breeze becomes a cold gust, emphasizes the manner in which the men stiffen and brace themselves in preparation for battle.// “earth set sudden cups /In thousands for their blood” **metaphor** //The cups are metaphors for the craters left by shells, filling with the blood as the men die. A graphic image of the blood shed and lives lost.// “surf of bullets” **metaphor** //Creates an image of bullets being fired in waves.// “hell’s upsurge” **Personification** //Suggests that the war has created hell on earth.//

RHYTHM AND STRUCTURE
The poem’s structure reflects the different stages of the offensive:
 * 1) sets the scene;
 * 2) pause before the attack;
 * 3) tension;
 * 4) attack;
 * 5) casualties;
 * 6) survivors.

The majority of the lines are composed of 10 syllables. The rhythm of the poem is broken by irregularities in the number of syllables in some of the lines and by the irregular rhymes. Owen uses rhyming couplets to create and emphasise tension.

THINKING POINTS
Trace what actually happens to the soldiers by rearranging the following sentences into the right order. a. As they attack they are exposed on an open stretch of ground. b. The soldiers who survive cannot speak of those who died. c. The soldiers have a chance to rest d. The enemy opens fire e. A “Little word” sends them into battle f. But many soldiers just stare at the place they will attack g. Many of the soldiers are shot or blown up.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For an annotated version of this poem, click here: To view the original draft of this poem, click here: For the original draft of Owen's letter to his mother in which he describes the battle which inspired 'Spring Offensive', click here:; And for a military description of that same battle, click here: