In this essay, I intend to discuss the ways in which the poems Dulce

In this essay, I intend to discuss the ways in which the poems Dulce

Et Decorum Est and Charge Of The Light Brigade represent war. I

will discuss the themes of death, emotions, conditions and opinion.

In Dulce Et, death is shown as horrific and that of terrible

suffering.

"His hanging face like a devil's sick of sin."

This simile describes the way in which the poet Wilfred Owen saw the

men suffering. He uses an effective method of a metaphor, 'Devil's

sick of sin', and this metaphor shows just how horrible death is. When

a devil is sick of sin, it is no longer a devil, this means that the

man described is no longer a human.

However, in the Charge, death is shown as quick and clean.

This is shown in the quote "While horse and hero fell." Death is not

described in the detail of Dulce Et, because the poet wants to show

war as glorious and honourable, this could not be achieved if the poet

talked about the horrible way in which the men die. The poet uses the

word heroes because it shows the men as honourable and glorious, which

is the intended message of the poem.

In Dulce Et, death has no glory and the men have no sense of dignity.

"The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."

This quote shows that the statement 'that dying for ones own country'

is a complete lie. Wilfred Owen does this to emphasise how horrible

and undignified death really is. Owen wants to show that death has no

glory and is undignified. The poet also uses Latin, because the reader

will recognise the language used is old fashioned, this will then make

the reader feel as though war is now old fashioned and pointless. He

uses the contrast of two languages to show the difference of views in

the two different time periods.

In comparison, in the Charge, death is shown as honourable and

glorious.

"When can their glory fade?"

This poem presents death as quick and without suffering, the poet says

that the men who died for their country are glorious and should always

be remembered. However, when both poems have been read, the reader

sees war as even more futile because the men know that it is almost

impossible to achieve victory against so many enemies, so they are in

effect going in to the battle to die for no reason. However, the

Charge's poet shows the men as honourable because they did not

question the orders.

Both poems show that death is not important. In Dulce Et, death is a