Compare and Contrast Rupert Brooke's The Solider with Wilfred Owen's Dulce
et Decorum Est.
Although 'The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke and 'Dulce et Decorum Est' by
Wilfred Owen are concerned with the common theme of war, the two poems
contrast two very different views of war. 'The Soldier' gives a very
positive view of war, whereas Owen's portrayal is negative to the
extreme.
Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' is very patriotic as Brooke loves his
country and is ready to die for it. This perhaps is not surprising as
it was written in the first few months of war when the whole country
was swept by a tide of patriotic fervour. Rather ironically for a war
poem 'The Soldier' is a peaceful poem, as it doesn't describe the
blood and death of war like 'Dulce et Decorum Est.'. Brooke's love for
his country, however, is somewhat jingoistic and his view of England
is rather sentimental. There are many examples of his love for his
country, one of which is 'A body of England's, breathing English air.'
Brooke also thinks that his country is superior to any other land: 'a
richer dust concealed '. To an outsider this is a rather conceited
view; thinking that an Englishman's rotting corpse would act as some
superior fertilizer. But to his patriotic readers, this only
intensified his main arguing point; his conviction that England is
worth dying for.
Brooke's purpose for writing such a one-sided poem was to give a
morale booster to his audience and to demonstrate his deep love for
his country. The poem is very powerful and no doubt had a very
positive effect on these reluctant to join the army. The poem
effectively demonstrates that this is a cause and country undoubtedly
worth fighting for.
Brooke's belief that God is...
... middle of paper ...
...some of the best
anti-war poetry ever written.
Looking back over time, we can easily be critical of Brooke's rather
naïve view of war. But to be fair, he could not know what the next
three years of war would bring and was only reflecting the patriotic
mood of the early months of war. His view is much influenced by the
Victorian poets, such as Tennyson, whose 'Charge of the Light Brigade'
saw war as romantic and glorious with valiant cavalrymen charging the
enemy on horses. But the First World War was to change all that. This
was a twentieth century war with aeroplanes, machine-guns, tanks and
gas, which Owen witnessed at first-hand and through his pen, changed
not only war poetry, but how future generations have thought about war
and the horrors it brings:
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face.
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin.
Unfortunately, the higher-higher proved beyond doubt that they had a tendency to forget, or ignore, the very first principle of a war plan. KISS “Keep it simple stupid” and the second but even more important “After the first round goes off even the best of plans can quickly fall apart”. And at that point the ability to think fast and adapt can mean the difference between an acceptable military success and an unmitigated military disaster. Factual this proved in Zippos case, for in her short existence she certainly experienced both the successes and disasters.
War is the means to many ends. The ends of ruthless dictators, of land disputes, and lives – each play its part in the reasoning for war. War is controllable. It can be avoided; however, once it begins, the bat...
...hermore, going to war was an act of cowardice. He had to put aside his morals and principles and fight a war he did not believe in.
“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.
other hand, John Mc Crae was in the 2nd wave of poets. He viewed war
...a man who thought he was doing the right thing and saving the people from an unjust government; meanwhile, failing to look ahead and see the possible consequences of his monumental decision.
told he was out of action for six months. It was here that he first
How Wilfred Owen Uses Language and Imagery in His Poetry to Communicate his Attitudes of War
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.
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.
“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”
Considered the leading English poet of the First World War, Owen is remembered for realistic poems depicting the horrors of war, which were inspired by his experiences at the Western Front in 1916 and 1917. Owen considered the true subject of his poems to be "the pity of war," and attempted to present the true horror and realities of battle and its effects on the human spirit. His unique voice, which is less passionate and idealistic than those of other war poets, is complemented by his unusual and experimental style of writing. He is recognized as the first English poet to successfully use pararhyme, in which the rhyme is made through altered vowel sounds. Owen’s distinct way of both writing and reading poems led to influence other poets in the 1920s and 1930s.
Comparing Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Crane's Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind
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.
‘Disabled’, by Wilfred Owen, is about a young boy who experiences war first hand, which results in losing his limbs. The loss of his limbs cause him to be rejected by society and be treated ‘’like a queer disease’’. Wilfred Owens personal opinion on war is evident throughout the poem. Own expresses a negative attitude towards war due to own traumatic past, experiencing war first hand.