One of the most prominent soldier-poets of the First World War, Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) translated his firsthand experiences on the battlefield into language. With descriptive imagery and evocative metaphors, Owen praised soldiers’ sacrifices and condemned the destructive nature of war. In “Anthem for Doomed Youth,” which he wrote while recovering from shell shock at the Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland, Owen conveys many of these themes through metaphorical language.

Skills: analysis, drawing inferences from text, close reading, identifying the relationship between words

About This Document

The Owl Eyes Analyzing Metaphor activity gives students an opportunity to practice examining and analyzing metaphors. Students will engage with specific selections of the text and work collaboratively to identify the vehicle, tenor, and implications of each metaphor. The main components include the following:

• A brief introduction to the text
• A detailed handout on metaphor types
• A step-by-step guide to activity procedure
• A detailed answer key for teachers

In completing this worksheet, students will learn to classify and analyze different kinds of metaphors in order to develop close reading skills and draw deeper inferences from the text.