Analysis of Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
The First World War saw the introduction of many new warfare
technologies across its theatres due to industrial competition between
rival nations. One of the most feared weapons amongst soldiers on both
sides was gas. The usage of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas caused
the death of thousands of men by suffocation. Wilfred Owens poem
'Dulce Et Decorum Est' gives a detailed description of a soldier dying
from a gas attack. It was to show his opposition to war and to show
that the war was contrary to what it was being portrayed as in Britain
at the time - rightful and fitting.
The poem was written with a harsh, blunt word choice and style that
emphasises the message of the poem. The use of poetic devices aids the
word choice in giving the poem its harsh style. The word choice in the
first stanza reinforces the idea of how tired the soldiers were and
how battle fatigue had affected them:
"And towards our distant rest began to trudge."
As soldiers, the men would normally march at a fast, disciplined pace.
The word "trudge" shows that the soldiers are walking slowly finding
each step hard. The flat battle grounds of Belgium and alike, where a
lot of the First World War was fought, would easily have been turned
to mud with rain and thousands of men marching on them. The word
"trudge" is also effective in showing how the harsh terrain the men
were on was far from the glory of war.
The word choice from the first stanza also shows the poor physical and
mental state of the retiring soldiers:
"But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind."
The term "blood-shod" could r...
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...d by the usage
of poetic devices gives a powerful image of a scene from a First World
War, as well as showing how the war affected the soldiers that fought
in. This is done in order to show his opposition to the war. His
opinions are emphasised in the final lines of the poem:
"My friend you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old lie: Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori."
Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori - it is rightful and fitting to
die for one's country - the author says is a lie. The harsh realistic
style in which the poem was written would convince many readers to
agree, meaning his usage of words and poetic devices are very
effective. However the poem could also be portrayed as unpatriotic as
it denounces the causes of his country fighting the war.
head by a horse when he was younger. This was a lie, but explained why
fighting kept him alive on the water. Later, the Japanese seized him and forced him to
war often, for the sake of his country, but when he did he put in a
himself out to be a man of peace and said that he just wanted to
revenge on the rebels who had taken everything from him by taking part in the fight against
from sharing some of his views on society and the war. At the time of
throught the Holocaust. The holocaust thought him to be unwilling to spare anything ( material things as
World War One was a massive event. It affected millions of people from all walks of life, and inspired countless written pieces. Nevertheless, without being there, it is impossible to truly be able to tell what the war is like. Therefore the use of setting is very important in giving the reader an idea of the circumstance. This is not to say that everyone is in agreement over how the war should be displayed. Quite one the contrary, the two Poems “In Flanders Fields” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” use their settings to create two very contrasting images of human conflict.
“In what ways does the poet draw you into the world of poetry? Detailed reference to 2 poems”
while he was out, he attempted to kill him. All in all it was the wound his
By denying the war was real he was able to maintain a level of peace about his accident but until the truth came out about his accident he would not be able to gain the inner peace he really
War is a place that men and women go to fight and sacrifice their life for their country but is it necessarily glorious or right to do that? “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owens both have very different views on that question. Both authors use different tools to help persuade you whether it is glorious or not to sacrifice your life for your country. John McCrae and Wilfred Owens differ in their beliefs on this topic through using techniques such as imagery, diction, dialogue, and symbolism. “In Flanders Fields” suggests that dying for one’s country is glorious and right.
Quite honestly, the collective works of Modernists across the globe are probably some of the most difficult pieces to understand. For example, let us take a look at the work of Gertrude Stein, the most frustrating author you will ever meet. Her pieces are filled with the ideas that made Modernists famous, but she is so motivated to be a Modernist that it seems as if she has taken those ideas to the extreme level. For example, her poem A SOUND. reads as thus:
him to a tragic end of his own life, and also caused the deaths of