Wilfred Owen was a poet who wrote poetry on the horrors of World War 1. He started writing his poems on war because of his participation in World War 1 and his experiences he went through. The main issue in his poems being "the horrors of war." Owen writes about the "horrors of war" because he want to show people the truth about war, he wants us to know what it was like to fight in war. The issue "the horrors of war" is evident in "The Send Off" and also "Dulce Et Decorum Est." These two poems, in different techniques, show the horror associated with war.
Wilfred Owen wrote the "Send-Off" in 1918. Early in the war the public thought war was exciting, patriotic and a sense of adventure, but by 1918 thanks to Wilfred Owen and others the public began to see war like it really was; horrific, deadly, terrifying and painful. The title "the send-off" is ironic, its sounds like a party or celebration when really it isn't at all, it is young soldiers being sent into battle.
The choice of the word "darkening" in line one of "the send-off" implies that the soldiers destiny is getting worse, their lives are coming close to an end, with every step they take their fate gets worse and worse. "Grimly gay" in line two is a oxymoron, Owen uses this to show that the soldiers are putting on brave faces on the outside, but on the inside they are scared of what is ahead. In line four he uses the word "stuck", this is an example or word choice and also onomatopoeia. This word implies that the soldiers are "stuck" or marked with "the horrors of war" for the rest of their lives. You can also hear the word when you say it; this makes you hear how doomed the soldiers really are. In the same line Owen uses the colour "white" to show that the soldiers are young and have not had a chance to experience their lives to the full. "White" is seen as a colour of purity and innocence.
The image of death is shown by the words "wreath" and "spray" in line four.