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Arms and the Boy
by
Wilfred Owen
Home
Poetry
Arms and the Boy
Analysis
Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Intro
The Poem
Summary
Analysis
Themes
Quotes
Study Questions
Best of the Web
How to Read a Poem
Symbolism, Imagery, Wordplay
Weapons of War
Sharp Objects
Animals
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Table of Contents
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Arms and the Boy Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay
There’s more to a poem than meets the eye.
Weapons of War
"Arms and the Boy" is a poem about World War I, so naturally there are bound to be weapons lying around. We tend to think of weapons as mere objects, and of the people who use them as the real bad...
Sharp Objects
The second half of "Arms and the Boy" talks a lot about teeth, claws, and sharp objects (antlers and talons) used for killing, eating, and that sort of nasty thing. But these are all things that hu...
Animals
It's a jungle in here. Or something like that. In the poem, animals are associated with killing and weapons. The speaker uses animals in order to suggest that there is something inhuman about warfa...