"Arms and the Boy" is one of Wilfred Owen's (1893–1918) most devastating war poems. In this post, we examine Owen's poem in terms of its general meaning as well as a careful study of its language and imagery. We also look at some of the more significant critical interpretations of the poem. Arms and the Boy tells the story of an English youth who dies on the battlefield during World War I. The poem begins with a direct address to the reader: "My dear boy". This opening line creates a connection between the speaker and his young companion which will be strengthened over the course of the poem. It also indicates that there is something unusual about this particular death. Other than the fact that it was war, there is nothing particularly remarkable about the boy's fate. He is simply one of many who have lost their lives in this terrible conflict. Owen uses precise language to describe the scene before him. He starts by saying that there are "fields brown and yellow", which are typical farm land that has been destroyed by war. Then he adds that these fields are "littered with debris of all kinds": bones, shell casings, pieces of cloth, etc. From this description, we can assume that this is not just any battle but one that involved heavy fighting between armies who were known to use large amounts of ammunition when they fought each other.