Strange Meeting – Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 8

Strange Meeting

Note for Students: Understanding “Strange Meeting”

Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting” is one of the most powerful and haunting poems ever written about war. Owen, who fought and died in World War I, takes us on a surreal journey into the afterlife. The poem begins with the speaker, a soldier, escaping from a battle into a “profound dull tunnel,” which he soon realizes is Hell. There, he meets the ghost of another soldier.

What makes this meeting “strange” is the profound conversation that follows. The two men, who were enemies in life, find a deep, shared humanity in death. The second soldier speaks of all the lost potential of his life—the beauty he can no longer create, the joy he can no longer share, and most importantly, the truth he wanted to tell the world about “the pity of war.”

The poem’s devastating final lines reveal the ultimate irony of their situation. As you read, pay close attention to the themes of shared humanity, the futility of conflict, and the tragic waste of life caused by war. Owen’s message is that in the grand scheme of things, soldiers on opposing sides are not enemies, but brothers in suffering.

Lesson 1: Comprehension

This section will help you test your basic understanding of the poem’s content and setting.

A. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. Who is the speaker in ‘Strange Meeting’?
   • Answer: A soldier.
2. When did the speaker realise that he was in hell?
   • Answer: By the other’s dead smile.
3. What does the poet mean by ‘chariot wheels’?
   • Answer: Wheels of progress.
4. What does the speaker discover in the underworld?
   • Answer: The enemy he killed.

Lesson 2: Short Answer Questions

This section requires you to think more deeply about the poem’s details, symbolism, and themes.

B. Answer these questions in a few words each.

1. What do you mean by war poetry?
   • Answer: War poetry is poetry written about the experiences of war, often focusing on themes of suffering, death, the futility of conflict, and the psychological trauma faced by soldiers.
2. What are the poetic devices often used by Wilfred Owen in his poems?
   • Answer: Wilfred Owen often uses powerful imagery, irony, alliteration, and a specific type of rhyme called pararhyme (where consonants match but vowels differ, e.g., groined/groaned, hall/Hell).
3. Why is the meeting between the two soldiers called a ‘strange meeting’?
   • Answer: It is called a “strange meeting” because it is a surreal encounter in Hell between two soldiers who were enemies on the battlefield, but who now share a common understanding and humanity in death.
4. What does the poet mean by ‘titanic wars’?
   • Answer: “Titanic wars” refers to colossal, immensely destructive wars of the past that have scarred the earth, just as the tunnel in Hell is “scooped through granites.”
5. ‘Let us sleep now’. What does sleep signify in the poem?
   • Answer: In the poem, “sleep” signifies the peace and eternal rest of death, a final escape from the pain and anguish of war and life.

Lesson 3: Brief and Detailed Answers

These questions require a more detailed analysis of the poem’s language, themes, and central message.

C. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.

1. What is the significance of the title ‘Strange Meeting’?
   • Answer: The title “Strange Meeting” is significant because it highlights the poem’s surreal and ironic premise. The meeting takes place in the bizarre setting of Hell, and it is between two men who were mortal enemies. The “strangeness” lies in the fact that in this afterlife, all enmity is gone, replaced by a shared sense of loss, regret, and a profound human connection, turning an enemy into a “strange friend.”
2. Write a brief note on Wilfred Owen’s representation of the underworld to explore the horrors of war in ‘Strange Meeting’.
   • Answer: Wilfred Owen represents the underworld as a “profound dull tunnel,” a gloomy, sullen place filled with the groaning, “encumbered sleepers” of the dead. This version of Hell is not a place of fire and brimstone, but a dark, oppressive space echoing the trenches of war. It is a place free from the sounds of battle but filled with the psychological horrors and regrets of war, serving as a powerful backdrop for the soldiers’ conversation about their wasted lives and the “pity of war.”
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’?
   • Answer: These last lines are incredibly significant as they encapsulate the poem’s central tragedy. The second soldier reveals he tried to defend himself (“I parried”), but his hands were “loath” (unwilling) and “cold,” suggesting his heart wasn’t in the fight and perhaps he was already dying. The final invitation, “Let us sleep now,” is a call for peace and reconciliation, a shared desire to escape the horrors of war into the eternal rest of death, now that they are united as fellow victims.
4. How does ‘Strange Meeting’ challenge the traditional view of war as noble and heroic?
   • Answer: “Strange Meeting” directly challenges the traditional view of war by stripping it of all glory. Instead of heroism, it focuses on suffering, “undone years,” and shared humanity. The second soldier laments “the truth untold, / The pity of war,” suggesting that the real story of war is not about honor but about tragic waste. The final revelation that the speaker is addressing the enemy he killed transforms the act of killing from a heroic deed into a source of profound regret, showing war as a senseless tragedy that pits “friends” against each other.

D. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Bring out the central idea of ‘Strange Meeting’.
   • Answer: The central idea of “Strange Meeting” is the profound futility of war and the shared humanity that transcends national enmity. The poem argues that the divisions created by war are artificial and that soldiers on opposing sides are victims of the same tragedy. This idea is powerfully conveyed through the surreal meeting of two enemy soldiers in Hell. In this afterlife, stripped of their uniforms and nationalities, they recognize each other not as foes, but as fellow men who shared the same hopes, dreams, and potential. The second soldier’s monologue is a lament for all that has been lost—not just his life, but the beauty, wisdom, and truth he could have brought to the world. He declares his purpose would have been to tell the truth about “the pity of war,” a truth that gets lost in patriotic propaganda. The poem’s climax, “I am the enemy you killed, my friend,” dissolves the concept of “enemy” into one of shared victimhood, suggesting that in killing his foe, the speaker has only killed a version of himself. Ultimately, the poem is a powerful plea for peace and reconciliation, arguing that the only true victory is to escape the cycle of violence and find rest.
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 the context of the above lines.
   • Answer: The poet portrays the hopelessness of war by highlighting the immense and tragic waste of human potential it causes. The above lines are central to this portrayal. The second soldier is not just mourning his own death; he is mourning the death of the vibrant, hopeful life he could have lived.
     • Shared Hopes and Dreams: By stating, “Whatever hope is yours, / Was my life also,” the soldier immediately establishes a common ground with his killer. He shows that their aspirations were the same, making their conflict all the more senseless. They were not fundamentally different; they were simply on opposite sides of an artificial divide.
     • Loss of Beauty and Truth: His ambition was to hunt “After the wildest beauty in the world.” This “beauty” is not physical but abstract—it refers to truth, art, wisdom, and joy. It is a beauty that “mocks the steady running of the hour,” suggesting it is timeless and profound. War has destroyed his ability to pursue and share this beauty. He speaks of the “truth untold, / The pity of war, the pity war distilled,” implying that his life’s purpose was to expose the true horror of war, a mission he can no longer complete.
     • A World in Retreat: He sees the world as “retreating” from progress, with nations whose “chariot-wheels” are “clogged” with blood. His desire was to “wash them from sweet wells” with truths “too deep for taint.” This illustrates the hopelessness of war: it not only kills individuals but also halts the moral and spiritual progress of humanity. By killing this man, the world has lost a voice that could have helped heal it. The hopelessness of war, therefore, lies in this irreversible loss of life, beauty, and truth.