Futility

            The poem, “Futility” by Wilfred Owen was one of the five poems published during his lifetime. In the poem, there is the depiction of various soldiers moving a fellow deceased comrade into the sun in hopes of reviving him. During this war, the young men were dying before their lives even started. The reality Owen faced everyday was death and the wounding of fellow soldiers. In the second stanza, there is a transition from mourning and hope to a sense of depression and questioning. Owen’s personal experience is exemplified in his questioning the “futility” of nature. How could nature create life but watch as it wastes away? If the sun has the ability to awake the seeds, how can it not help this soldier, “Full-nerved, still warm too hard to stir?” (line 11).  The creation of an experience within this poem, is felt through the author’s emotions and firsthand involvement.