War in Owen's Dulce et Decorum East and Sassoon Base DetailsThe First World War brought about a revolution in the ideas of the masses. The people of nations at war would no longer apathetically support their governments and armies. A concerted and public effort by a literary circle turned the soldiers into attacks on government propaganda. Questioning the glories of war and the necessity of nationalism, an "anti-war" literary genre developed in the trenches of Europe during the First World War. Horrific images juxtaposed with everyday events brought war to the pages of literature. Despite the formation of this new "anti-war" literary genre, few popular poets chose to address the theme of war and its objective. Of the few poets, only two, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, made a sincere attempt to convey their reactions to the war in the modernist style. Both Sassoon and Owen write about the glorification of life and the detestability of war; However, while Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" depicts the universal perception of war, Sassoon's "Base Details" intellectualizes war in a more subjective manner through its melodramatic efforts. Owen's objectivity creates an immortal image of war while Sassoon's subjectivity renders his works anachronistic. The backgrounds of Sassoon and Owen shed light on their respective styles as poets. Unlike Sassoon, Owen only posthumously achieved a certain level of stature in literature. Born in 1893, Wilfred Owen had an almost Dickensian childhood, marked by a devout mother and a “rough cut” father. Sent for his first year of study to a very disciplinary academy, Owen learned to escape into the world of literature. He later joined the 5th Battalion of the British Army and, a few months later, fought on the battle front. During ...... middle of paper ...... bitter criticism of his prose today. Owen, as a modernist poet, far surpassed Sassoon stylistically in the eyes of critics and readers. Works Cited Cohen, Joseph. "The roles of Siegfried Sassoon": Rpt. in poetic criticism. Ed. Jane Kosek. Flight. 12. Detroit: Gale Research Inc, 1995. 248-250. Magill, Frank. "Wilfred Owen": Rpt. in Critical Investigation of Poetry. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Flight. 5. New Jersey: Salem Press Inc, 1982. 2157 - 2163. Murry, John M. "Mr. Sassoon's War Verses." »: Rpt. in Poetic Criticism. Ed. R. Cobden. Flight. 12. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. 1997. 75-84. Murry, John M. “The War Poet”: Rpt. in Poetic Criticism. Ed. Carol Gaffke. Flight. 19. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. 1997. 705-707. Parsons, IM “The Poems of Wilfred Owen”: Rpt. in Poetic Criticism. Ed. Carol Gaffke. Flight. 19. Detroit: Gale Research Inc.. 1997. 658.