Has your soul sipped

1. Has your soul sipped Naimah and megan

2. Has your soul sipped Has your soul sipped Of the sweetness of all sweets? Has it well supped But yet hungers and sweats? Sweeter than death And dreams hereafter To one in dearth Or life and its laughter. Or the proud wound The victor wears Or the last end Of all wars. I have been witness Of a strange sweetness, All fancy surpassing Past all supposing. Or the sweet murder After long guard Unto the martyr Smiling at God; Passing the rays Of the rubies of morning, Or the soft rise Of the moon; or the meaning Known to the rose Of her mystery and mourning. To me was that smile, Faint as a wan, worn myth, Faint and exceeding small, On a boy's murdered mouth. Sweeter than nocturnes Of the wild nightingale Or than love's nectar After life's gall. Though from his throat The life-tide leaps There was no threat On his lips. But with the bitter blood And the death-smell All his life's sweetness bled Into a smile. Sweeter than odours Of living leaves, Sweeter than ardours Of dying loves.

3. Overview of the plot This poem was written at Craiglockhart in July-August 1917 The poem’s focus is the death of a solider who we presume is an enemy, Owen is comparing this death to the sweet things in life Even though Owen was a Christian he wanted revenge and vengeance and he started to draw away from religion Canterbury’s Archbishop said that you said love your enemies but this was something that Owen did not agree with Has a contrast between death and sweetness (Juxtaposition) Starts of with a negative tone because of sibilance Has a lot of imagery throughout the poem

4. Themes and Ideas “or the sweet murder” “sweeter than death” “on a boy’s murdered mouth” Death “or than love’s nectar” “of all wars” “but with the bitter blood” “ of the wild nightingale” Nature “And the death-smell” “of living leaves” “the soft rise of the moon” “the meaning known to the rose”

5. Themes and Ideas Pleasure “Of life and his laughter” “Sweeter than nocturnes” “I have been witness, of a strange sweetness’’ “there was no threat on his lips” “ To me was that smile” Relations to the mouth “Passing the rays of the rubies of morning” “Or the soft rise of the moon” “ Faint and exceeding small” “On a boy’s murdered mouth”

6. Owen’s Techniques Alliteration- Soul sipped Pararhyme- Of the rubies of morning, of her mystery and mourning Sibilance – Has your soul sipped Rhetorical Questions- Has it well supped but yet hungers and sweats? Juxtaposition-Contrast between this feeling/happiness and death Direct address-Has YOUR soul sipped

7. Private’s Perspective • From the private’s perspective Owen portrays war to be satisfying and pleasurable • He talks about this feeling/happiness that is better than everything else • He does this through imagery shown to the reader at stanza 3-5 • He uses metaphors such as “Known to the rose of her mystery and mourning’’ • I think Owen is trying to suggest to us that war can change people. This is because of the things people see these thoughts and images can dwell on a person’s mind. To the point that this thought/image is all they think about and because they think about it so much it turns into something that they like. • This point is linked to Owen purpose this pleasure/happiness of war of doing something again and again when you know you shouldn't because it wrong but you cant help yourself

8. Reader’s Perspective • From the reader perspective we view war as the complete opposite to the private we don't find war satisfying but horrible and sad • When the audience reads this poem and they feel disgusted and repulsed we as a reader want to avoid war at all costs • He uses a rhetorical question at the start of the poem which suggest to the audience that Owen is confused with his own personal view on war • Own uses sibilance in the title and in the first stanza to set the tone of the poem it makes the reader feel negatively in the opening stanza • He then uses direct address to address the audience it makes it more personal • Owen also uses pararhyme “all fancy surpassing past all supposing ’’ your vowels change but the consonants are the same