Comparing the Attitudes Demonstrated between Pre-War and at War with Brooke's Poem The Soldier and Owen's Poem Dulce et Decorum est
Dulce et Decorum Est was written at war in 1917 by an English poet and
World War I soldier Wilfred Owen. Dulce et decorum est is written in a
very bitter manner, by a man who had very strong anti-war sentiments.
The 27-line poem, written loosely in iambic pentameter is told from
the eyes of Wilfred Owen.
The opening line of this poem contains two similes which compares the
soldiers to beggars and hags ‘bent double, like old beggars under
sacks’, ‘coughing like hags.’ This is not how we would portray young,
fit, soldiers, but the fact of the matter is that they are no longer
fit, they are no longer keen and they barely remain soldiers. War has
aged and deteriorated them so much so that they are now compared to
hags and beggars. Showing us that war is neither ‘sweet’ nor
‘decorous’ (Dulce et Decorum). Owen continues his description of the
solders with the lines
‘All went lame; all blind’, ‘Drunk with fatigue; deaf’ further
describing their disabilities and to the extent at which war has
effected them.
The onomatopoeia of ‘hoots’ and ‘dropped’ is an attempt to capture the
sound of the 5.9 Calibre shells, with them hooting over head and
dropping behind. The description of the five-nines, ‘tired, out
striped’ shows us that they are no longer intimidating, even though
they are dangerously life threatening. In the second stanza the poem
begins its description of the gas attacks which is the central topic
and the most described, because it is such a terrifying and the most
horrific way to die.
The ...
... middle of paper ...
...of a foreign field That is forever England.” The manner of
his death is never considered.
Dulce et decorum est paints a dark picture of war, of bitterness at
being betrayed by the 'old lie'. "Dulce et Decorum est". Owen’s poem
shows a soldier exactly how he’s going to die, compared to Brooke’s
poem where death is seen as a gentle and quiet moment of peace.
Brooke’s poem is a pre-war poem, when people were filled with ideals
about war. There is no mention about war, the imagery we see when we
read Brooke’s poem is of quiet calm. Owen on the other hand, paints a
more immediate and real image of war, suffering, exhaustion and
violent deaths.
These two poets take the same subject, war and patriotism, but treats
it in two completely different ways, maybe because Owen experienced
the reality of war and Brooke didn’t.
Similarly, Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” describes a soldier who witnesses the death of his comrade from poisonous gas. Using imagery and irony, Owen presents a blunt contrast between the propaganda practiced for recruitment and the truth behind the suffering endured by the soldiers. While presented in different formats, both literary works criticize the romanticism of war, arguing that there is no glory in the suffering and killing caused by conflict.
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” World War I British Poets. Ed. Candace Ward. Dover Publications, Inc; New York, 1997.
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
“Dulce et Decorum Est” showing an anti-war side, the poem was originally entitled to Jessie Pope. It shows a tone through out the poem of depression, sadness Owen gets his message across very rapidly and makes the reader feel like they had just experienced the war in the few minutes of reading ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ this is done from the metaphors and magnificent imagery used to show a terrible side of war.
‘Poetry can challenge the reader to think about the world in new ways.’ It provokes the readers to consider events, issues and people with revised understanding and perspectives. The poems Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen, 1917) and Suicide in the Trenches (Siegfried Sassoon, 1917), were composed during World War One and represented the poets’ point of views in regards to the glorification of war and encouraged readers to challenge their perspectives and reflect upon the real consequences behind the fabrications of the glory and pride of fighting for one’s nation.
“Compare and contrast “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke with “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen with regard to theme, tone, imagery, diction, metre, etc”
I have chosen this poem because this is his most famous poem, 'Dulce et Decorum est' is an example of a poem written through his own eyes, based on his own experiences and views of the war. He uses surreal and graphic imagery to give the reader the exact feeling that he wanted. He emphasises his point, showing that war is terrible and devastating. This poem conveys a strong meaning and persuasive argument. This poem uses four stanzas and an alternate rhyming line scheme.
Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" is seen as a strong expression of the ugliness of war, and "an attack on the idea of war being glorious" (Kerr 48). It transmits an irritating clip, with full animation and in vivid colors, of embittered and battered soldiers marching to their death. It also, cogently presents a nightmarish vision of hell uploading all its demons into the root directory of an impoverished soldier who saw one of his comrades gassed to death.
In this essay you will notice the differences and similarities between ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ was written in nineteenth century by Alfred Lord Tennyson. In contrast, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ was written in the twentieth century by Wilfred Owen. The main similarity we have observed is that they both capture war time experiences. However, the poets’ present these events using their own style, and the effect is two completely different observations of war.
Owen as a young soldier held the same romantic view on war as majority of the other naive soldiers who thought that war would be an exciting adventure. The documentary extract illustrates how markedly Owen’s perspective of the war changed, as noted in a letter to his mother while he was still in the front lines: “But extra for me, there is the universal perversion of ugliness, the distortion of the dead ... that is what saps the soldierly spirit.” In ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, Owen’s change of heart is evident through the irony of the poem title and the ending line “The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est, Pro patria mori.”, an allusion to the Roman axiom made famous by Horace, which translates to “The old Lie; It is sweet and right to die for your country.”. The line depicts Owen’s realisation that the horrific nature of war through human conflict is not sweet and right at all, rather, it is appalling and “bitter as the cud” as death is always present on the battlefield. Additionally, Owen indirectly responds to Jessie Pope’s poetry, a pro-war poetess, through the reference “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest… The old lie…”, further highlighting his changed perspective towards the war which has been influenced
Comparing two war poems written by Wilfred Owen: Dulce et decorum Est. and Anthem for Doomed Youth. In this essay I will be comparing two war poems written by Wilfred Owen: ‘Dulce et decorum Est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’. By Comparing the two I will be able to distinguish the fact that Wilfred Owen is very anti-propaganda and that's why he feels so strongly about this. The two poems have many similarities but also a fair amount of differences, which I will be discussing in this essay.
The poem "Dulce et Decorum est" was written by Wilfred Owen during World War One, and is probably the most popular war-poem ever written.The title is part of the Latin phrase 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' which means 'It is sweet and right to die for your country'. Wilfred Owen saw the war first-hand and this poem is about a gas attack that he witnessed. Throughout this poem Owen gives the sense of anger and injustice through the use of many different poetic techniques.
The two poems about World War 1, ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke, and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen, each present their views in different ways. World War one started in 1914 and ended after four years. There are two main responses from soldiers. The two approaches have been written each in these poems. Both have similarities and differences. They are conveyed in different ways that affect the reader more at some points and less than others.
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” makes the reader acutely aware of the impact of war. The speaker’s experiences with war are vivid and terrible. Through the themes of the poem, his language choices, and contrasting the pleasant title preceding the disturbing content of the poem, he brings attention to his views on war while during the midst of one himself. Owen uses symbolism in form and language to illustrate the horrors the speaker and his comrades go through; and the way he describes the soldiers, as though they are distorted and damaged, parallels how the speaker’s mind is violated and haunted by war.
Good morning (Afternoon) my fellow disciplinaries, These words from Wilfred Owen, which helped shape our understandings of the human condition, our understandings of the realities of war and the horrific deaths of which were experienced and witnessed by the soldiers of World War one. Known as one of the leading poets of the first world war. Owen’s poem Dulce et Decorum Est, themed the horrors of trench and gas warfare are heavily utilised to contrast the public’s perception of war of that era.