of a soldier willing to protect his homeland. In stories told, it seems that the thought going through most soldiers head’s is death and when they are going to die. In Wilfred Owen’s poem, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, the theme of realism is described throughout the poem. Like Brookes, Owen wrote this poem during the era of World War I. The poem is written from the perspective of a soldier that tells of the realism of war and the troubles it causes. The soldier describes a scene of absolute chaos, the kind of scene found in a journal, not a letter home. “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?/ Only the monstrous anger of the guns./ Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle/ Can patter out their hasty orisons./ No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells” (321). The soldier explains the death that is happening in the war and the bodies that are surrounding him. He approaches the issue of the dying and can only come to the conclusion that if they keep fighting it will stop. The soldier also notices the lack of mourning and acknowledgement for the dead. This shows the realism of war because even though people are dying, the fighting must continue in order to win. In war there is no time to mourn the death of soldiers until after the fighting is over, and Owen reveals this immensely. Accepting your own death is very hard to do, but most people know that they are going to die. Knowing that you are going to die soon is almost impossible to accept. In William Butler Yeats’ poem, “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”, destiny plays a major role in war. Also like Brookes and Owens, Yeats wrote this at the time of World War I. The poem is written from the point of view of an Irish pilot who accepts the fact that it is his destiny to die in battle. The soldier describes what he will think will happen. “I know that I shall meet my fate/ Somewhere among the clouds above;/ ....
