1.the main themes again that we've been following: rationalism, humanism, and materialism.
2. Having expended so much effort to create this modern world, people believed that we would not possibly stoop to war, because war is so destructive. (therefore they concluded that it was not reasonable to go to war-man would agree to stop fighting)
-naive to think man is on some track towards perfection
3. to think that just bettering our material condition will translate into bettering our moral condition. (wrong to think this)
~World War I was so devastating in its consequences that it pretty much shook that optimism to the foundation
4. -more devastating than World War II in the cultural psyche of the western world.
-showed worst aspects of nationalism-people on opposite sides of the trenches were fighting just because of the nation that they belonged to.
-also see worst aspects of materialism-
Just when material prosperity was looking like the answer to a better life, it enables the production of killing machines-leads to intellectual disillusionment.
5. God of the Bible was rejected; if you reject God the Creator-got to put some false God up in His place. (Science)
-this is where we are at in the early 20th century. one God is rejected and the other god proves to be not as nice as everyone thought.
6. boy finds Santa Clause outfit in bottom drawer of Dads dresser-Boy realizes
~similar to America as it suddenly realize who the god of science really turns out to be in the hands of cruel and violent men
7. rest of phrase is "pro patria mori."
-whole Latin phrase, then, means, "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country." (statement of nationalism)
-He's depicting in this poem the effects of a gas attack
~Teachers in England teaching children "it is sweet and fitting to die for the Fatherland." Owen is saying that they wouldn't teach their students this belief, if they were haunted by the nightmares of this man who died, this man who is unable to breathe as his lungs were destroyed in a mustard gas attack.