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Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 8 Strange Meeting
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Strange Meeting
POETRY
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ANSWERS
A. Answer these Questions in one or two words.
1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans. A dead Solider.
2. When did the speaker realize that he was in hell?
Ans. The speaker realized that he was in hell when he saw his dead enemy (a war solider like the speaker) expressing a ‘dead smile’.
3. What does the poet mean by ‘chariot wheels’?
Ans. In the poem, ‘chariot wheels’ means wheels of progress of various nations.
4. What does the speaker discover in the underworld?
Ans. The speaker in the underworld discovered how senseless and futile wars are as they not only reverse the progress of development and create artificial barriers between nations but also cause endless pain, suffering and death.
B. Answer these questions in a few words.
1. What do you mean by war poetry?
Ans. War poetry is a literary genre originated during war time when hundreds of soldiers, and also civilians caught up in conflict, started to write poetry as a way of striving to express extreme emotion at the very edge of experience. War poetry is not necessarily ‘anti-war’. It is, however, about the very large questions of life: identity, innocence, guilt, loyalty, courage, compassion, humanity, duty, desire, death. War poetry, regardless of the era from which it originated, captures themes that carry across generations. It also seeks to create new language, which later generations use as a framework for understanding war history. Four of the most important themes are the abstract rhetoric of honor, injury, gender relations, and poetic formalism.
2. What are the poetic devices often used by Wilfred Owen in his poems?
Ans. Owen uses a plethora of poetic devices such as similes, personifications, metaphors, rhymes, hyperboles, onomatopoeias, irony as the essential trope, brilliant imagery, and direct address to express his views, ideas and philosophy of war.
3. Why is the meeting between the two soldiers called a ‘strange meeting’?
Ans. The title of Owen’s poem seems very much appropriate and justified for he presents his meeting with a strange man, who is his enemy in the battlefield and a man of unknown nationality. The meeting is “strange” because the person the poet meets is his enemy (“I am the enemy you killed, my friend…”). But that is not the only “strange” thing about this meeting. First, it takes place in a world that is like the battlefield, but also somehow other different. The meeting, of course, is not at all normal one between two acquaintances. This is rather an unexpected meeting between two persons, of course, soldiers.
4. What does the poet mean by ‘titanic wars’?
Ans. it means colossal or large-scale wars. By using the phrase ‘titanic wars, the poet wanted to mean that the world wars had been the mother of all wars that cauterized the psyche of entire humanity. And symbolically, Owen is most probably comparing the World War I with the mythological war fought by the Titans against the gods on Mt. Olympus.
5. ‘Let us sleep now’. What does sleep signify in the poem?
Ans. The final line of the poem seems like it should be the beginning of peace for these two soldiers, but we’ve got to remember that they’re in hell. When speaker number one first arrived on the scene the “sleepers” were all groaning in agony. You get the sense that even if they sleep, they’re still going to suffer. The ellipses at the end of the final line makes you think of that, too. He’s trailing off from his rant, but it’s hard to believe that he’s found peace.
| S.L. No. | CONTENTS |
| Chapter 1 | A Cup of Tea |
| Chapter 2 | The voyage |
| Chapter 3 | The Verger |
| Chapter 4 | The Martyr’s Corner |
| Chapter 5 | Bina Kutir |
| Chapter 6 | Ozymandius Of Egypt |
| Chapter 7 | Because I Could Not Stop For Death |
| Chapter 8 | Strange Meeting |
| Chapter 9 | The Solitude Of Alexander Selkirk |
| Chapter 10 | The Lake Isle Of Innisfree |
| Chapter 11 | Night Of The Scorpion |
C. Answer These Questions Briefly in your own Words.
1. What is the significance of the title ‘Strange Meeting’?
Ans. The title of Owen’s poem seems very much appropriate and justified for he presents his meeting with a strange man, who is his enemy in the battlefield and a man of unknown nationality. The meeting is “strange” because the person the poet meets is his enemy (“I am the enemy you killed, my friend…”). But that is not the only “strange” thing about this meeting. First, it takes place in a world that is like the battlefield, but also somehow other different. The meeting, of course, is not at all normal one between two acquaintances. This is rather an unexpected meeting between two persons, of course, soldiers. The poem ‘Strange Meeting’ is an imaginative recreation of a supposed happening after death or even a process in the imagination of a living man after death. It is a livid experience. In Strange Meeting, the dead man, however, is displeased with the cause of his death. The poem’s description of a soldier’s descent into Hell where he meets an enemy solider he killed lends itself to a critique of war. The dead men talk about the horrors of war and the inability for anyone but those involved to grasp the essential truth of the experience. Although there are so many twists and turns in this poem, the title never really abandons us. It’s echoed in the middle of the poem when they first meet with, “Strange friend” and as the drama builds to the very last line, we can’t help but the feel the explosive impact of the title long after the poem is over.
2. Write a brief note on Wilfred Owen’s representation of the underworld to explore the horrors of war in ‘Strange Meeting’.
Ans. In ‘Strange Meeting, Wilfred Owen represents the underworld as a dark, desolate place that serves as a metaphor for the horrors of war. The “profound dull tunnel” and the soldiers’ description of it as a “sullen hall” or “Hell” conveys the bleakness and despair resulting from the violence and suffering of war. The underworld symbolizes the psychological and emotional aftermath of the battle, where soldiers are trapped in a perpetual state of trauma and remorse.
3. ‘I parried; but my hands were loath and cold. Let us sleep now.’
What is the significance of the last two lines in ‘Strange Meeting’?
Ans. In the last two lines of the poem, Owen provides us the physical combat between the two dead soldiers where one of them attempted to block the other from attacking him but his hands seemed unwilling. In the last part, the speaker admits to the listener – we can assume that this is Owen himself – that he is ‘the enemy you killed, my friend’, and that he recognizes him. Despite the fact that they were on different sides, there is no animosity on the part of the man who died – it seems as though the war has spent all his anger and his violence, if there ever was some. Strange Meeting ends on a melancholy note, almost Keatsian, where the speaker invites the listener to sleep with him, and it is assumed that they both have died. If anything is at all obvious it’s that war solves no problems. By the end of Strange Meeting, nothing has been resolved; war still carries on, and the men are still dead.
D. Answer these Questions in detail.
1. Bring out the central idea of ‘Strange Meeting’.
Ans. Strange Meeting is a dramatic war poem with a difference. Almost all of the poem is set in an imagined landscape within the speaker’s mind. And what dialogue there is comes mostly from the mouth of the second soldier, killed in action by the first. Owen broke with tradition, using pararhyme, enjambment and subtle syntax to cause unease within the form of the heroic couplet. In doing so, he helped bring the cruel war to the forefront, the poetry in the theme of pity within war. Strange Meeting is a poem themed on war where, although the end of the war had seemed no more insight than the capabilities of flight, it is widely assumed by scholars that neither side had any enmity between them – at least on the level of the common soldier. Both British and German soldiers lived in terrible conditions, suffered from similar, if not exacting, diseases, and were, on occasion, treated at the same hospitals.
The speaker escapes from battle and proceeds down a long tunnel through ancient granite formations. Along his way he hears the groan of sleepers, either dead or too full of thoughts to get up. As he looks at them one leaps up; the soldier has recognized him and moves his hands as if to bless him. Because of the soldier’s “dead smile” the speaker knows that he is in Hell. On the face of the “vision” the speaker sees a thousand fears, but the blood, guns, or moans of above did not reach into their subterranean retreat. The speaker tells the soldier that there is no reason to mourn, and he replies that there is – it is the “undone years” and “hopelessness”. The soldier says his hope is the same as the speaker’s; he also tells him he once went hunting for beauty in the world, but that beauty made a mockery of time. He knows the truth of what he did, which is “the pity of war, the pity war distilled”, but now he can never share it. The soldier/vision continues, saying men will go on with what is left to them, or they will die as well.
They will not break their ranks even though “nations trek from progress”. He used to have courage and wisdom. He would wash the blood from the wheels of chariots. He wanted to pour his spirit out, but not in war. Finally, he says to the speaker that “I am the enemy you killed, my friend,” and that he knew him in the dark. It was yesterday that the speaker “jabbed and killed” him, and now it is time to sleep. That war, of course, is WWI – the central element in all poems in Owen’s relatively small oeuvre. The poet Ted Hughes noted in his writings on “Strange Meeting”: “few poets can ever have written with such urgent, defined, practical purpose.” Thus, the poem’s description of a soldier’s descent into Hell where he meets an enemy soldier he killed lends itself to a critique of war. The dead man talks about the horror of war and the inability for anyone but those involved to grasp the essential truth of the experience. There is more than meets the eye, however, and many critics believe that the man in hell is the soldier’s “Other”, or his double.
2. Whatever hope is yours, Was my life also; I went hunting wild After the wildest beauty in the world…’
How does the poet portray the hopelessness of war in ‘Strange Meeting’? Illustrate your answer in context of the above lines.
Ans. A soldier in the First World War, Owen wrote “Strange Meeting” sometime during 1918 while serving on the Western Front (though the poem was not published until 1919, after Owen had been killed in battle). Owen does not shy away from depicting the horrors of war. He makes his reader confront the atrocities on the battlefield and the indignities of life back home. He presents readers with soldiers who have lost their limbs and been victims of poison gas; young men mourning their dead comrades; ghastly battlefield dreamscapes; a cacophony of sounds terrifying in their unceasing monotony; and Nature’s wrath. He shows how the war affects the young men who fight both physically and psychologically.
Owen wrote. He eschews the in-depth look towards brutalities that most Owen poems usually claim – o.. tting the description of the injuries, instead, for what was lost. Although the first two lines lend an idea – though there is no gore, the person speaking is terrified – the presence of war is still felt. It is also worth noting that Strange Meeting is one of the most silent that Wilfred Owen wrote; his onomatopoeic style eschewed in lieu of speech, and nothing else. There is no humming guns, no whistling bombs; only the silence of the dead. However, just because there is no evidence of blood and gore does not mean that this is not a war poem. The soldier’s loss reverberates through the third stanza, and is felt far more acutely knowing the background behind his death: there is no glory in dying, only ‘the pity of war, and pity is the emotion that is most acutely felt in this stanza. The above mentioned lines are actually the response of the dead guy (or, the second speaker) who doesn’t really agree with our speaker.
He’s like, “Sure there’s nothing to mourn-oh, except all of the years he never got to live.” He’s bummed because he’ll never get those years back, and that fills him with a sense of hopelessness and despair. If he’s feeling robbed of years of his life, maybe he was pretty young when he died. (That makes sense; a lot of the soldiers who fought in World War I were a mere 18 or 19 years old.) Then he brings our speaker into it. He says whatever hopes, dreams, and aspirations you had for your life, I had, too. He’s basically saying, I was just like you, with my whole life ahead of me, then I was robbed of it. If our speaker was feeling at all at ease, this guy is sure to be bringing him down at this point. He keeps piling it on. He says he lived his life in pursuit of wild beauty, but that again, he was never able to find it because his life was cut short.
Additional Questions
1. What is the tone of the poem “Strange Meeting”?
Ans. The tone of the poem “Strange Meeting” is somber, introspective, and mournful.
2. How does the poem explore the theme of empathy?
Ans. The poem explores the theme of empathy by depicting the meeting of two soldiers who were once enemies but now understand and empathize with each other’s suffering and the senselessness of war.
3. What is the significance of the line “I am the enemy you killed, my friend”?
Ans. The line “I am the enemy you killed, my friend” highlights the irony and tragedy of war, emphasizing that in the afterlife, the division and enmity created by war dissolve, revealing the shared humanity and interconnectedness of individuals.
4. How does the poem challenge the glorification of war?
Ans. The poem challenges the glorification of war by presenting the harsh realities and psychological toll of battle, questioning the purpose and justification of conflicts, and expressing the futility and devastation caused by war.
5. What is the effect of the imagery used in the poem?
Ans. The imagery used in the poem creates vivid and haunting images that evoke the horrors of war and the desolate afterlife. It enhances the emotional impact of the poem and allows readers to visualize the experiences and landscapes described.
6. How does “Strange Meeting” reflect Wilfred Owen’s personal experiences as a soldier?
Ans. “Strange Meeting” reflects Wilfred Owen’s personal experiences as a soldier by depicting the psychological trauma and disillusionment he faced during the war. It draws upon his firsthand knowledge of the battlefield and conveys the deep empathy he felt towards his fellow soldiers.
7. What is the significance of the title “Strange Meeting”?
Ans. The title “Strange Meeting” suggests the unexpected and unconventional nature of the encounter between the two soldiers. It emphasizes the strangeness of finding understanding and commonality in the midst of war and highlights the transformative power of human connection.
8. How does the poem convey the message of anti-war sentiment?
Ans. The poem conveys the message of anti-war sentiment by portraying the devastating consequences of war, questioning its purpose and value, and emphasizing the need for peace and reconciliation. It seeks to evoke empathy and encourage a critical examination of the human cost of conflict.
9. How does Wilfred Owen’s use of language contribute to the overall impact of the poem?
Ans. Wilfred Owen’s use of vivid and evocative language, including powerful imagery and poignant metaphors, intensifies the emotional impact of the poem. It engages the senses and allows readers to empathize with the soldiers’ experiences, making the anti-war message more resonant.
10. What is the central message or theme of “Strange Meeting”?
Ans. The central message or theme of “Strange Meeting” is the futility and devastation of war, the shared humanity of individuals on opposing sides, and the need for understanding, empathy, and peace.
11. What do you mean by a war poet?
Ans. The term war poet has been applied to a group of poets who lived around the time of the first world war and took it up as a subject. While some like Rupert Brooke were to glorify war sacrifice of one’s life for one’s motherland, the other class, consisting of such poets like Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen left an indelible mark in the annals of literature. Grossly stark in their presentation of reality Owen and Sassoon presented war not as glory but a pitiful human spectacle where young men are butchered mercilessly.
12. What is Owen’s opinion about war?
Ans. According to Wilfred Owen, war is not a glorious spectacle and he rubbishes the old lie’ spread by war mongers: “Dulce et decorum est/ pro patria mori”. He feels that it is never sweet to die, even for one’s motherland at war and war is nothing but a horrible butcher house of budding young men.
13. When and where was the poem published?
Ans. The poem ‘Strange Meeting’ was published by Owen in the year 1921 in the poetry collection titled ‘Poems By Wilfred Owen with an Introduction by Siegfried Sassoon’.
14. When was the poem composed?
Ans. The poem along with a couple of his other poems was composed by Owen in a war hospital while recovering from an injury, at the insistence of Sassoon in the year 1918.
15. What is the ‘profound dull tunnel’ mentioned by the poet?
Ans. The poem begins with the poet expressing his present state where he feels that he is a deep underground tunnel, using which he has escaped from the battlefield. It is a dark, deep, gloomy chamber where he meets men who are either asleep or dead and can be considered to be Hell.
16. What are the ‘titanic wars’ referred to by Owen?
Ans. Composed at a time when the first World War was in progress, by using the phrase ‘titanic wars, Owen most probably refers that mother of all wars that cauterized the psyche of entire humanity. And symbolically, Owen is most probably comparing the first World War with the mythological war fought by the Titans against the gods on Mt. Olympus.
17. How did the poet realize that he was in Hell?
Ans. As the poet was passing through the underground chamber, all of a sudden a man sprang up and stared at him with ‘piteous recognition’. He raised his hands to indicate something, though to the poet it seemed as if to bless, and then from his smile, the poet realized that the ‘sullen hall’ he was standing in was nothing other than Hell.
18. Why does the poet say that ‘here is no cause to mourn?
Ans. The poet by this time has realized that he is in Hell and the man is dead. Thus, ironically, to comfort the man on his death, the poet says that the man should not mourn or express sorrow at his death. He says this probably from a sense of guilt as he had killed the man or as an echo of the war mongers who proclaim that it is sweet and beautiful to die for one’s country.
19. Bring out the deep irony and sorrow expressed in the words “None …save the undone years”.
Ans. The speaker here is the dead soldier in Owen’s poem whom he met in the underworld replying to the poet’s caustic comment that there was nothing to mourn in the underworld. The man replies in the affirmative, but then the sorrow comes along with deep irony and biting sarcasm – he has no cause for sorrow except for all the years of his life that have been ruined. He has immense distress for all the years he would have lived but could not and feels totally hopeless in not being able to do anything about it.
20. What is the wildest beauty in the world which was sought after by the dead soldier?
Ans. The dead soldier in Owen while speaking out his hopelessness proclaims that in his life he hunted for the wildest beauty – not the beauty of a woman but the magnificence and splendour of unbridled adventure and the joy and vivacity of companionship, either physical or spiritual. The word ‘wild bring to the mind a concept of beauty which is romantic in nature and would be at the same time ecstatic and euphoric, exuberant and energetic.
21. Explain: “I mean the truth untold/The pity of war, the pity war distilled”
Ans. In these words uttered by the dead soldier to the poet, the main theme and Owen’s central concern is evident. It has been Owen’s creed to proclaim to the world of the ‘old lie’: “dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori”. It is never sweet to die and he wants to reveal the truth which is never told by the war mongers the pitiable situation – that war unfolds – the death and permanent disability of fit and strong young men. Thus in these lines Owen presents his attitude to war-war is always a piteous and horrific spectacle, it can never be glorious and magnificent.
22. What is meant by “nations trek from progress”?
Ans. In ‘Strange Meeting’, Owen has distilled the reality of war and in his assessment, though war mongers declare war to make one’s country more powerful, in reality it is the opposite. War can never lead towards progress of any nation and in Owen’s words it is a trek away from progress, it is going backwards into barbarism and brutality.
23. What does Owen mean by ‘mystery’ and ‘mastery’?
Ans. In his anti-war poem ‘Strange Meeting’, by ‘mystery’ Owen implies the mystery of war, the unknown knowledge about war, that it is never a glorious affair. And by using the word ‘mastery’ Owen implies a commanding and commendable reporting about the truth or reality of war.
24. Justify the title of poem / What is strange about the meeting between the soldier and the poet?
Ans. The title of Owen’s poem seems very much appropriate and justified for he presents his meeting with a strange man, who is his enemy in the battlefield and a man of unknown nationality. Also, the man is dead while the poetic persona is still living when they meet, casting a spell of strangeness on the entire affair.
25. What is meant by “the march of this retreating world / Into vain citadels that are not walled”?
Ans. According to the poet, the warring nations of the world are involving themselves into false beliefs about race and nationalism forgetting the all powerful ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. Thus he feels that the nations are slowly retreating from powerful ideals and moving into vague and diversionist ideas which are as insecure as citadels or forts which have no boundary or walls.
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