Can you give me a critical analysis of the poem "The Owl" by Edward Thomas ?

In my estimation, this
is a poem about the power of contrast to instruct us.

The soldier is tired and hungry, but receives food and rest "under a roof."
Relieved to be indoors, he is able to forget or ignore the hardships he has escaped until he
hears the cry of an owl. 

All of the night was quite
barred out except

An owls cry, a most melancholy cry

 

The cry of the owl breaks through to the
soldier's mind and suggests the idea that other soldiers have not found shelter indoors but are
out in the cold night, subject to the elements (and perhaps subject to being hunted as the owl
hunts its prey in the night).

 

Hearing the owl
from the comforts of shelter, the soldier realizes that his relief is enhanced by the sound. The
reminder given to him by the owl's cry "salted and sobered" his relief - giving it
flavor.

 

The contrast between his indoor comfort
and the harsh realities of the world outside gives the soldier an greater sense of
"repose" than he would have had if he had successfully "barred" all thoughts
of the night "under the stars" outside. href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53777/the-owl-56d23364d7256">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53777/the-owl-56d2...

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