Similes In Dulce Et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen was a British poet during the time of the First World War and even fought as a leader of the Second Manchester's against the French in the battle of Joncourt. While in recovery from a Trench Mortar explosion, Owen switched his style of writing poetry to the horrors and brutality of World War I. As seen in “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, Owen describes the true nature of the War and how fighting for days at a time wears down troops and can turn innocent men into remorseless savages while in possession of some mortars and most importantly, the notorious gas grenade. Throughout the poem, Owen describes a realistic daily scene of the battlefield through detailed descriptions on the grotesque and inhumane ways man can sin his way through war

Owen describes the sickening events of the First World War with similes as in the line: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, / Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge,” (1-2). Right off in the beginning of the poem, Owen starts with describing the main squad of infantry after a long day of fighting in the western front of France as exhausted and just trudging along through the muddy trenches. He compares his experience with his men in battle to something that more people can understand back at home. These men are obviously are not at peak physical condition and have become so sickly at such a young age. They have long lives ahead of them and should not be worn down this hard at such a young age. The men are hunched over and knock-kneed, practically going to collapse from exhaustion, while at the same time are coughing up like old hags. What once were the uniforms of a high quality fabric meant to be worn by the most elite fighters, have now turned into shredded rags. They continued to limp on, blood on their boots and dirt all over their bodies. These men are practically walking carcasses. When thinking about soldiers fighting for one’s country, we usually think of fit, healthy young men and women ready to take on whatever Hell is about to unfold upon them. However, as we see in the poem, the squad is the exact opposite of what we think war heroes would be like. They are scrawny and sickly with little to no energy or attention on what is going on. The war is not treating these men with the same kind of respect as they are trying their best to give to it. Another example of Owen’s use of similes to describe the theme throughout the poem is in the lines: “And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime… / Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, / As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.” (12-14). Soon after the men encounter the