Futility is a poem written by Wilfred Owen during World War I. It is a reflection on the futility of war and the death of soldiers in battle. The poem begins with the speaker asking why God would allow such a senseless waste of life. He then goes on to describe a dead soldier, whose body is so cold that the sun cannot revive him. The speaker wonders why the soldier was ever sent to war in the first place, and why he was not allowed to live a peaceful life. The poem ends with the speaker questioning the pointlessness of war and the futility of life.
By Wilfred Owen · First published 1918 · Genre: Poetry, War Literature, Anti-War Literature