Internal Conflict in Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen and "Greasy Lake" by T.C Boyle

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In literature, whether short story or poem there usually seems to be some sort of internal conflict. Such conflict is not a visual or tangible opposition, it is simply within the mind. It is a character dealing with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions. Let's be honest, without a certain level of conflict, poems and short stories would fall short of the readers expectations and wouldn't be as interesting. People would be less apt to read them, after all, we as readers like to be able to connect to a certain character in a specific reading and sympathize with them, and more importantly empathize with them. Two examples of literary works that show internal conflict are "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen and "Greasy Lake" by T.C Boyle.
The meaning of "Dulce Et Decorum Est" is "it is sweet and right", yet there is nothing sweet and right about going through what these soldiers went through on a daily basis in WWI. The first few lines use sad and depressing language to express an image of roughy soldiers pushing through an ever threatening battlefield. "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock- kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge" (lines 1- 2) is the way Owen describes the soldiers. This dismisses the belief that the soldiers were happy, proud, and patriotic. This shows them as physically and mentally exhausted, still pushing forward towards the one and only goal of surviving. Their disintegrating body reflects their inner turmoil and tiredness. The horrendous quality of war is shown by the description of the soldiers "men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood shod" (lines 5-6) this enhances the fact that war is not normal. It seems unreal, much like that of a nig...

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... both pieces of literature show immense internal conflict. Owen as a soldier who is supposed to fight for his country and be proud in doing so, only to feel angry about it, or resentful even. He wants to serve his country, but at what cost? Is he living the American dream? Then you have the narrator in "Greasy Lake" not really knowing what he really wants. He thinks he wants to be a bad guy, but not until he experienced those 'tough guy' experiences, had he realized that wasn't the where he wanted to end up. Both "Dulce et Decorum est" and "Greasy Lake" show us that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and just because something seems one way, doesn't mean it is. War isn't sweet, and being a bad guy gets you to places you don't really wanna go. We all have two sides, bad and good. I believe it's the side that you feed the most that wins.

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