As 21st century students of history, we have many comprehensive resources relating to World War I that are readily available for study. The origin of these primary, secondary and fictional sources affects the credibility, perspective and factual information, resulting in various strengths and weaknesses of these sources. These sources include propaganda, photographs, newspapers, magazines, books, magazine articles and letters. These compilations provide individuals with a better understanding of the facts, feelings, and context of the home front and battlefield of World War I. Autobiographies, diaries, letters, official documents, photographs and poems are examples of primary sources from the First World War. The two main sources analyzed in this essay are the poems “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen and “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. Primary sources are often personal, written from the limited perspective of a single individual. It is very difficult for the author to capture his own personal experience, while incorporating the implication and effects of other events occurring at the same time. Each writing studied describes the author's perception of war. Both poems aim to show the grave reality of war, which often is only realized when soldiers reach the front lines. The poems were both written in combat, two years apart. However, the stark difference between the two poems is astonishing. “Anthem for Doomed Youth” has a very different feel from “In Flanders Field” despite the fact that both authors were in the same war and under similar circumstances. The first two lines of “In Flanders Fields” “…the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row upon row. » are an image where...... middle of paper ......sor Heather MacDougall, “July – November 11, 1918: Pandemic Influenza on the Battlefield and Homefront”, lecture delivered November 9, 2011, HIST 191, University of WaterlooMacDougall LectureProfessor Geoff Hayes, “August 4, 1914: Slithering Over the Brink, The Origins of the Great War”, Lecture delivered October 31, 2011, HIST 191, University of WaterlooHayes LectureItani, Deafening, #350Hayes LectureHayes LectureHayes LectureHayes Lecture«In Flanders Fields"Hayes LectureHayes LectureLahey, A. Frances Itani author profile | Quill and Notebook. The Canadian magazine for news and book reviews | Quill and Notebook. Accessed November 18, 2011 at http://www.quillandquire .com/authors/profile.cfm?article_id=2701Frances Itani, Deafening, (New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics 2009), #33Itani, Deafening, #335