The two poems I will be comparing and contrasting are ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen along with ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Wilfred Owen wrote his poem in the duration of the World War one, the poem was first published in the 1920’s. Owens imagery shown in the poem is repulsive and presenting an ugly side of war, the language used by the poet is fierce. On the other hand Lord Tennyson wrote the poem at some point in the Battle of Balaclava in the 1854 however, Lord Tennyson has a diverse vision on war due to not understanding how war was, his imagery demonstrates a calm slow story explaining how he thought war would be. Both poems are similar however they tell there stories in different ways.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” is in relation to the deaths of many
soldiers, and the unexpected experience of war. Lord Tennyson looks at the superior side of war and celebrates the beauty of war, although not knowing, the war had blundered and six hundred soldiers were now dead.
“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.
There are no differences in the poems themselves as they are both set in the same scene but different centuries one has a negative point on the poem whereas the other has a positive however they tell the same story but in different words.
Lord Tennyson celebrates the glory of his six hundred brave soldiers who went into battle knowing they would be dead once the war was over. The first verse starts of in action as the chief officer, sends an order for all soldiers to
“Dulce Et Decorum Est” is a World War One poem written by Wilfred Owen, to express the dreadfulness of war and that no glory awaits men.
Comparing Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Crane's Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind
In this poem written by Owen, the events of a typical day in the war is detailed and described to show that war is not as glorious and honorable as those back home picture it. The title, meaning 'how sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country', is actually very sarcastic and depicts the feelings of many of those that were fighting. The first stanza sets the scene and show what the soldiers would be feeling at the time. The men's condition at the time was so wretched th...
In conclusion, depending on the position from which one views war, the standpoint may vary ranging from being supportive of the soldiers because those who die are dying for the country or they are completely unsupportive of war activities because it is a brutal and gruesome experience involving countless unnecessary injuries and deaths. Affected by a number of factors, the authors of the two poems have chosen opposing standpoints on the issue of war where Tennyson glorified it with the main message that it is an honour to die for one's country whereas the other, Owen suppresses the idea of war by illustrating all the horrid experiences of a soldier.
“Boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of Hell.” That is an excerpt from Lord Alfred Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade, a poem highlighting the honor and death of war. The poem was chosen for this close reading essay because it has always been a personal favorite. It talks of the real events of the Battle of Balaclava, yet speaks of the life all soldiers must live. The Charge of the Light Brigade is a fascinating poem, both in the way it is formed, to the details of why it was created.
As poet laureate and patriot, Alfred, Lord Tennyson was very influential in 19th century England. He successfully showed the ignorance of the English Army leaders while still reflecting his strong nationalist views in an attempt to create propaganda for the Crimean War in his poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” The charge was a tragic incident that took place in 1854 during the Crimean War, which was England, France and Sardinia against Russia, when English Army generals blundered and sent over six hundred soldiers on a charge that was destined for disaster. The solders were known as the Light Brigade and the charge resulted in over two hundred deaths to soldiers and over three hundred deaths to horses. In this horrific aftermath, Tennyson responded to this event by writing a poem which went on to become a classic. Tennyson was a strong nationalist and very political. He was moved and troubled when he received news of the tragic charge. The poem became a form of propaganda for the Crimean War due to Tennyson glorifying the sacrifice of the soldiers by using his exceptional writing skills. Although this poem is regarded by many as propaganda, he included the word blunder in the poem which showed the ignorance of the Army leaders.
A final difference that can be seen between these two poems is the style of the poems themselves.
Wilfred Owen ‘is the most famous and most praised’ (Caesar 1993: 115) First World War poet, and was able to communicate this seldom communicated experience. During his time on the front line, Owen suffered from shellshock, and was taken to hospital to recover. The matter of suffering will be further explored in the essay. Whilst recuperating, Owen’s doctor wanted to help him deal with the horrific scenes he had seen, and so he decided that getting Owen to write down his thoughts and dreams into poetry would offer a release. In total, Owen wrote four drafts of Dulce et Decorum Est, and each one shows a progression of his efforts to present an account of the war. He suffered horror and fear whilst in combat and in the trenches, and so is shown
Fighting and dying in war can sometimes be seen as an honor, but during actual battles, there is a horrific, scary side of war. Both “The Charge of the Light Brigade” written by Alfred Lord Tennyson and “Dulce et Decorum Est” written by Wilfred Owen reflect on warfare, yet the authors’ conclusions about death during war are different. Tone, imagery, and point of view in the poems are dissimilar to display the contrasting conclusions. In the first poem, Tennyson develops a tone of reverence from a third person point of view in order to convey the idea that one should honor the heroism of soldiers, while in the second poem, Owen employs graphic imagery from first person point of view in order to covey the idea that dying in battle is not honorable or heroic.
The Soldier by Rupert Brooke, and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen are two poems which were written during the First World War, and both being written about this conflict, they share the same theme of war poetry. However, the two poems deal very differently with the subject of war, resulting in two very different pieces of writing.
...s how quiet and secretive the atmosphere is. Rhetorical questions such as 'Shall they return to beating of great bells in wild train-loads?', encourage the reader to reflect on the point the poet is trying to make. Owen answers this with 'A few, a few, too few for drums and yells', emphasizing how few soldiers will return home safely, too little to be worth celebrating.
Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" was written during his World War I experience. Owen, an officer in the British Army, deeply opposed the intervention of one nation into another. His poem explains how the British press and public comforted themselves with the fact that all the young men dying in the war were dieing noble, heroic deaths. The reality was quite different: They were dieing obscene and terrible deaths. Owen wanted to throw the war in the face of the reader to illustrate how vile and inhumane it really was. He explains in his poem that people will encourage you to fight for your country, but, in reality, fighting for your country is simply sentencing yourself to an unnecessary death. The breaks throughout the poem indicate the clear opposition that Owen strikes up. The title of the poem means "It is good and proper to die for your country," and then Owen continues his poem by ending that the title is, in fact, a lie.
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.
The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ explains in a majestic approach, that fighting in war is something every soldier should honour. The poem is also about the loyalty of the soldiers, not the bad luck or foolishness of men. Tennyson presents this in his poem to show the bravery of the soldiers, although, he only highlights on the benefits of war.
Lord Tennyson described more the glory and honour rather than the death and the suffering, this created a very heroic image of the soldiers. Lord Tennyson uses on his poem different and simple words and phrases to give the impression of brave and spirited soldiers as "Boldly they rode and well", "They who fought so well." However, in Wilfred Owen's poem, it is found phrases and words such as "old beggars", "corrupted" and "clumsy" to creat a tired picture of the soldiers who have been reduced to something less than men, an idea which is sustained in the images of physical shortcomings: they are, variously, lame, blind, drunk and deaf. Owen use a language very descriptive and dramatic, phrases such as "Gas! Gas! Quick boys! - An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone was still yelling out and stumbling..." creat the chaotic and destructive atmosphere on the battle site. Once again Owen finds words that convey an impression of men robbed of their dignity: they are "yelling", "stumbling" and "flound ring." But what also comes across to the reader in those lines is...