"Victim of Arrogance": Why Do People Avoid Sacrificing Their Pride?

In his poem "The Parable of the Old and Young," written more than a century ago, English poet Wilfred Owen reinterprets the religious tale of Abraham and Isaac (or Ishmael) with an entirely different ending. This alternative ending has made the work one of the most striking texts questioning the ethical dimensions of wars. Owen demonstrates that every time wars break out again, this poem seemingly narrates every period and place. Because these lines expose the tragedy of man becoming a being "least considered" on the one hand, while being transformed into the "first sacrificed" element on the other. Inviting the reader into a deep moral questioning, the poet sharply reveals the true cost of war.

Owen's poem, composed of sestets, argues that many wars persist not due to a lack of alternatives, but because leaders refuse to sacrifice their political arrogance and national stubbornness. According to the poet, this stubbornness transforms the tale of Abraham from a story of salvation and sacrifice into a human tragedy. Political pride is depicted as the driving force that causes wars to continue and blood to be shed. The poem is a perfect example of how religious texts can be rewritten from an anti-war and critical perspective. In this context, Owen masterfully critiques worldly power through the interpretation of the sacred.

In the poem, Abraham, upon the angel's warning, is tasked with sparing his son and instead offering the "ram of pride" (sacrifice), whose horns are caught in a thicket. However, in Owen's vision, the old man refuses to sacrifice the ram and directly slays his own son. Not stopping there, he continues to slaughter half of Europe one by one. In this destructive finale, the figure of "Abraham" represents every type of leader, ruler, and decision-maker who drags their people into war. The son symbolizes the youth who pay the price of war and all generations who give their lives for a fate they did not choose. The "ram of pride" embodies everything that could be sacrificed to protect people from this massive catastrophe, that is, stubbornness, empty slogans, miscalculations, and the fear of admitting mistakes.

For a Lebanese reader, this poem carries more meaning and weight today than ever before. Because human tragedies take similar forms repeatedly throughout history; when the doors of war are opened, those who pay the price are not the ones who make the decisions, but the young people who bear arms. Families who lose their children, their livelihoods, and their loved ones also stand out as the silent victims of this catastrophe. Civilians waking up to the sound of bombs, villages reduced to ruins, and people driven from their homes overnight are modern-day reflections of the scene Owen described. The main message of the poem transcends the boundaries of the First World War and Europe's borders, gaining a universal quality.

Although every war begins with grand slogans, promises of victory, and speeches boasting of honor, it generally ends with the same destructive landscape. While Owen reminds us that through divine intervention at the last moment via an angel, mercy and revelation prevail in the tale, he points out how ruthlessness and blood crush these opportunities in the real political world. The reader is invited to question whether decision-makers can show the courage to sacrifice their own pride before forcing their people into sacrificing their children. The fact that abandoning an illusion or a destructive political gamble can save an entire generation from death and exile is brought to the forefront. As long as humanity avoids sacrificing its hubris, sons will continue to be sacrificed and homelands turned into slaughterhouses; therefore, Owen's poem will continue to be written over and over again as long as the victim of arrogance remains alive.