First, to emphasise how large numbers of young men were dying ('in herds'). It became: ‘What passing bells for these dumb-dying cattle?’īefore finally becoming: ‘What passing bells for these who die as cattle?’ The opening line first began as: ‘What passing bells for those who die so fast?’ Then it became: ‘What passing bells for you who die in herds?’ As with most writing, the opening line has to be as powerful as possible to grab and hold the reader’s attention. We can see many drafting changes in his opening line. It suggests that war can only mean death for the soldiers. The word ‘doomed’ sounds like the booming guns on the front line as well as giving the idea that the soldiers were doomed (couldn’t escape death) from the start. We don’t know Owen’s thoughts when he edited it but ‘doomed’ does seem a more powerful word choice than ‘dead’. The famous title: Anthem for Doomed Youth actually began as Anthem for Dead Youth. We can see his changes in the title of the poem.
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