Futility by Wilfred Owen Title and its appropriateness The title ‘’Futility’ ultimately comes from a latin word meaning easily broken or worthless. This title, then is especially appropriate to this poem. The body of the young soldier, as the poem describes, has indeed been easily broken by war, but that is not necessarily to daily that his life was worthless. Indeed the very existence of the poem implies just the opposite. Setting The poem is set in France during the First World War. World War I (1914-1918) was fought on most of the continent of Europe between Germany and the allies. He wrote this poem when he was enlisted in the war. Literal meaning and Theme The theme of the poem is futility of the war. Then theme is developed by consideration of an elementary natural process as futile. The speaker questions the purpose of the hard labour of the sun which roused the sleeping earth. The efforts of the sun rays are considered to be futile because t