Comparing Dulce et Decorum est and Charge of the Light Brigade
In this essay I will be comparing two war poems. The poems, Dulce et
Decorum est, by Wilfred Owen and Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred
Lord-Tennyson came from different generations; Owen's is written from
his own experiences during the first world war; Lord-Tennysons poem
was written from the safety of his own home during the Crimean war.
The only real similarity between the two poems is that they were both
written about the battlefield. Owen's poem is a heartfelt plea against
military propaganda, while Tennyson's poem is propaganda.
To understand these poems more, we must look at the poet's lives:
· Wilfred Owen led a rather comfortable life as a tutor until he
enlisted in October 1915. Owen was an Officer in the 2nd Artists
Rifles Officers Training Corps and was recommended for the Military
Cross. Probably one of Owens most poignant memories of the war was the
subject if this poem, the death of a fellow soldier and friend in a
brutal mustard gas attack. On November 4th 1918, Owen tragically died
in a German Machine gun attack, just seven days before the armistice.
His parents received the news of his death on November 11th, while the
bells were ringing out the end of the war.
· Alfred "Eccentric" Lord-Tennyson began writing at the age of 8 and
had written most of a blank verse play by the age of 14. Tennyson
became the poet laureate in 1850 and finally accepted a baronetcy and
became Lord-Tennyson in 1884, after numerous offers. Being the poet
laureate he was expected to write about the Crimean war, and he did.
The result of this is Charge of the Light Brigade...
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...use it expects no answer, only the knowledge
that their glory will never fade. The ending to Dulce et Decorum est
is very powerful. You could just read the end of it and understand
what the poem is about. It addresses it's intended audience and uses
Latin very cleverly to create a very hard-hitting, saddening final
line.
"The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori."
Personally I think that Dulce et Decorum est is the better of the two
poems. It addresses war realistically and tells the truth and the raw
details of war. It has a clear pace and the words really cut through
you. I dislike Charge of the Light Brigade for its treatment of war.
It makes it sound like an all right event, when it is much the
opposite. Although I do admire the way Tennyson has made such an awful
thing sound almost romantic.
The first poem we are going to look at is ‘The Charge of the Light
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.
The Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est The two poems we have been studying are "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Dulce et Decorum est" These two poems come from totally different historical periods. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" about the Crimean War which took place in the 19th century and Dulce et Decorum est being about the First World War which took place in 1914-18 in the 20th century. The difference between these two historical times are that "The Charge of the Light Brigade" , written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson was set in a time where their arms weren't very advanced, they mostly used weapons such as horses for defense and swords and some guns.
The ‘Storm’ is an uncontrollable natural thing that destroy everything’s that are on its way and then they go, Alfred Tennyson describe the cannons as a storm because they are dangerous and kills or damage things also the canons are on the enemies side and the British soldiers haven’t got enough weapons to fight back. However Alfred Tennyson used alliteration because when you pronoun the words it sounds like you spiting which tells that the cannons are firing.
The Portrayal of War in Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est
Comparing Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Crane's Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind
Dulce et Decorum Est In a poem titled "Dulce et Decorum Est", life in the trenches is graphically detailed to paint a vivid picture of World War I fighting techniques for the reader. Many others wrote about the injustices and cruelties of war at this time, but only one, Wilfred Owen, did so in such a permanent and meaningful way. Owen is known as one of the most infamous WWI poets, and has undoubtedly had more impact on the public conscience of the tragedy of war than any other writer of his generation. WWI introduced a new style of warfare known as trench warfare.
War is a subject that often stirs upon many emotions with those directly or indirectly involved. It may bring tears, memories of suffering and loneliness, struggles, or victories. Such disturbance of peace has wounded and killed many souls. It is on the battlefield we see the most hideous side of human nature, for every soldier's only objective on the battlefield is to survive and win. Many people have opposing views about wars which may have been developed over time based on many factors such as family upbringing, culture, political views, or personal experiences. In the two poems studied, Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade", war has been described with completely opposing views. In the former, Owen describes war as a horrifying and inglorious event with men in war being grim and sorrowful while the soldiers died devastatingly. On the other hand, Tennyson describes war as being a glorious and victorious event where it is an absolute honour for a soldier to die on the gallant battlefield.
Although war is often seen as a waste of many lives, poets frequently focus on its effect on individuals. Choose two poems of this kind and show how the poets used individual situations to illustrate the impact of war.
“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”
Wilfred uses his beliefs in war in both of the poems that I have studied, as he saw death, destruction, and pain and wanted people to be more aware of the war and hopefully to stop it from happening again. 'Anthem For Doomed Youth' uses the form of a sonnet to explain a message that is slow and meaningful as you would imagine a funeral march. 'Dulce et Decorum est' also has a sad message but is explained in a different way. Both poems make the reader feel sad and does exactly what Wilfred Owen wanted, to make us feel how the soldiers did. There was no way of helping the gas victim in 'Dulce est Decorum est' and the 'doomed youth' didn't know their fate making them helpless victims.
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.
All exceptional poetry displays a good use of figurative language, imagery, and diction. Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" is a powerful antiwar poem which takes place on a battlefield during World War I. Through dramatic use of imagery, metaphors, and diction, he clearly states his theme that war is terrible and horrific.
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.
Dulce et Decorum Est In Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” the speaker’s argument against whether there is true honor in dying for ones country in World War I contradicts the old Latin saying, Dulce et Decorum Est, which translated means, “it is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland”; which is exemplified through Owen’s use of title, diction, metaphor and simile, imagery, and structure throughout the entirety of the poem. The first device used by Owen in the poem is without a doubt the title, which he uses to establish the opposing side of the argument in the poem. The poem is titled, “Dulce et Decorum Est”, which comes from Horace’s Odes, book three, line 13, and translated into English to mean: “It is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland”. With this title it would seem as if the Owen himself condones the patriotic propaganda that resulted in the deaths of young men in World War I, tallying upwards of hundreds of thousands.