Dulce et Decorum est is a poem written about the first world war. Its Wilfred Owens first hand account of World War I, the War that, ultimately, killed him. Wilfred Owen was an anti-war poet. He wrote of the horrible conditions encounter by the young soldier in the trenches.
Owen used imagery to portray the horrors of war, he paints a vivid picture with his words. This is especially evident when he writes:
“If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,- “
When you hear these words you can almost feel the pain of the people experiencing it. The author chooses to use raw, real words to get his message across. Unlike many other poets who would use flowing, beautiful phrases, as to almost make you forget about the horrid subject matter being discussed, Wilfred Owen poem has an unconventional structure to make the reader think outside the box. There is hardly any rhythm, in order to portray the chaos surrounding him.
The last line of the poem:
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Witch is Latin for ‘it is a sweet and glorious thing to die for ones country’ is VERY fitting to end this poem. Dieing at war is anything but “sweet and glorious” and the poet recognizes that this is nothing more then an “old lie.” No one WHO has experienced war first hand thinks that it is noble and honorable. The memories of war haunt their dreams. Wilfred Owen states
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
The memories of his companions dieing make it that much harder to see the meaning behind the warfare. Fighting doesn’t bring peace.
The poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen captures the reader and transports them back to a time or war and hardship, reminding them of our history and how society made the wrong decision all those years ago.
Owen used the simile of comparing soldiers to beggars with ill health and cursing effectively because the comparisons instantly draws accurate pictures in the reader's mind of what Owen witnessed.... ... middle of paper ... ... 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.
The use of compelling figurative language helps to reveal the reality of war. In the first line, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,"(1) shows us that the troops are so tired that they can be compared to old beggars. Another great use of simile, "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,"(20) suggests that his face is probably covered with blood which is the colour symbolizing the devil. A very powerful metaphor is the comparison of painful experiences of the troops to "[v]ile, incurable sores on innocent tongues."(24) This metaphor emphasizes that the troops will never forget these horrific experiences. As you can see, Owen has used figurative language so effectively that the reader gets drawn into the poem.
Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” and E. E Cummings’, “next to of course god america i” are poems that critique patriotic propaganda. Both poems use words and images to effectively depict the influence that patriotic propaganda has on war. “Dulce et Decorum Est” uses descriptive words to create realistic images of the horrors soldiers are faced with during combat, whereas “next to of course god america i” uses sarcasm to inform readers that the abuse of propaganda can be used to manipulate others. The attitudes they convey are quite similar; both suggest that propaganda is a lie; it is not sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.
Owen uses imagery constantly to convey the conditions and feelings experienced during this war. Firstly I will be exploring Metaphor as it is used so much in this poem. The first metaphor which I will examine is: “Haunting Flares” on line 3 of the first stanza. This quote has so many connotations, my first opinion on this was that the flares which the enemy are firing to light up the battle field are said to be representing the souls of the soldiers fallen comrades. This could also be said to represent the power the enemy has on their own mortality as the bright flares would light up the battle-field exposing everything to their view, this indicates that the enemy always seem to have power upon the soldiers, almost godly. The second metaphor which I will explore is:
...e see a young boy being taught how to use weapons. In “Exposure”, Owen depicts a group of soldiers freezing to death at war, even though they aren’t in the midst of fighting. Lastly, in “Dulce Et Decorum Est” we read about a soldiers who struggles to get his mask on during a gas attack (when the enemy releases a gas deadly upon inhale). Owen describes the soldiers slow death in detail. Not only do these images provide the reader with first hand accounts of war, but they also show Owen’s feelings towards the war. All of these images that are glued into his head will be there forever, which is why he incorporates these realities in his poems, so that everyone can realize that war is nothing more than a inhumane act of terror.
Hardships from hostile experiences can lead to the degradation of one's mental and physical state, breaking down their humanity. Wilfred Owen's struggles with the Great War has led to his detailed insights on the state of war, conveying his first-hand experiences as a front-line soldier. 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Insensibility' displays these ideas and exposes the harsh and inhumane reality of war. From the imagery and metaphors, Owen's ideas about the deterioration of human nature resonates with the reader of the repercussions of war.
Owen's frames the soldiers dehumanization throughout the poem by using depicting sensory imagery like in the first stanza, “beggars under sacks”, sacks being uniforms and “Coughing like hags”, giving the reader the illustration of old ugly
... Instead of idealizing war in a romantic way, war poets such as Wilfred Owen aimed to expose gruesome truths about these wars and how they impacted lives. It points a finger and criticizes the governments and authorities that wage these wars but don’t fight in them themselves but rather watch as lives are lost. It exposes propaganda for what it is, a tool for brainwashing. It puts into question the notion of dying for ones country to be noble, honourable and admirable.
It also Owen exposes the horror of the war and exposed many people back home what it was really like, ‘Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots’, this evokes a picture in the audience's mind and exposes the context of text by showing off the true nature of conditions. Being home and not at war people often though that these men were fighting, unharmed and pictured them as strong men. ‘But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;’ the text displays imagery and figures of these men fighting for their country, near death and despite of what is wrong. Pro War, in comparison to this anti war poetry is a more truthful eye opening experience of war. Owen died in the war. Shot in action a week before the war came to an end. Owen was the first poet to write about the true horrors of war, mor can be found in his journals which were found and later
But as it says in ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke, death doesn’t last long and everybody shall die at one point, so why not die honorably for your country? Owen and many other ww1 poets were a contrast to traditional poems. They wrote about war realistically. They wrote from personal experience.
The first stanza Owen recreates a realistic situation any man could be placed in during that time period. Straddling the trench and observing the men and environment around himself. Bloody comrades marching so badly it was as if they were asleep or drunk. Boots missing off their own feet, one must be completely out of it if he doesn’t even notice or mind not
To draw into the poet’s world, the poet must draw relations between them, including the reader, making them feel what the poet feels, thinking what the poet thinks. Wilfred Owen does this very creatively and very effectively, in both of his poems, Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori and Anthem of Doomed Youth, who is seen as an idol to many people today, as a great war poet, who expresses his ideas that makes the reader feel involved in the moment, feeling everything that he does. His poems describe the horror of war, and the consequences of it, which is not beneficial for either side. He feels sorrow and anger towards the war and its victims, making the reader also feel 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.
It goes through the worst parts of the war and describes them in detail. The horrors in these descriptions contradict the glorification of the war The poem consists of four stanzas, the first describes the soldiers, the second a gas attack, the third Owen’s nightmares and last an accusation to the people back home. Owen’s poems are suffused with the horror of battle, and yet finely structured and innovative. The first stanza sets the scene as it describes the conditions the men fought in and their feelings. Owen immediately shocks the readers by describing the young soldiers as ‘bent double’ emphasising their exhaustion and the way they slump along, deformed by fatigue, I think this is an effective simile because no one back home will be expecting their proud soldiers described as beggars.