Wilfred Owen was of the opinion that the First World War was
prolonged by stirring the fires of patriotism through the use of propaganda.
His feelings about this are mirrored constantly in many of his
later poems. This article presents a general picture of the state of propaganda
and censorship in Britain during the First World War and leads
into a study of some of Owen’s poems which reflect his rejection of the
hypocritical attitudes of the politicians and clergy of the period. At the
same time, Owen’s attempts to counteract the public’s ignorance in such
matters become obvious.
