The Affect of War on One's Innocence

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Recommended: War poetry as a subject

The simple definition of war is a state of armed competition, conflict, or hostility between different nations or groups; however war differs drastically in the eyes of naive children or experienced soldiers. Whether one is a young boy or a soldier, war is never as easy to understand as the definition. comprehend. There will inevitably be an event or circumstance where one is befuddled by the horror of war. For a young boy, it may occur when war first breaks out in his country, such as in “Song of Becoming.” Yet, in “Dulce et Decorum Est” it took a man dying in front of a soldier's face for the soldier to realize how awful war truly is. Both “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” are poems about people experiencing the monstrosity of war for the first time. One is told from the perspective of young boys who were stripped of their joyful innocence and forced to experience war first hand. The other is from the perspective of a soldier, reflecting on the death of one of his fellow soldiers and realizing that there is nothing he can do to save him. While “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” both focus on the theme of the loss of innocence, “Song of Becoming” illustrates how war affects the lives of young boys, whereas “Dulce et Decorum Est” depicts the affect on an experienced soldier.
In “Song of Becoming,” Fadwa Tuqan displays the path of young boys forced to deviate from their innocence far too young. The poem begins with a portrayal of young boys' typical behavior, “they're only boys/who used to frolic and play” (Tuqan 1-2). Images of their “blue green red kites” (4) imply their carefree and childlike manor. The speaker then casually references war, explaining that the boys' playing consists of “fencing with branc...

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...turning back. Once they have been robbed of their innocence, they are unable to revert to their previous selves. War and facing the inevitable reality of death can change a person and disturb them for the rest of their lifetime. Many soldiers are naïve when they decide to serve their country; they plan on becoming a hero like their role models of the past. But when one truly experiences war for themselves, they find it unimaginable how people continue to declare war and urge young men to fight and honor their nation and family. One will remain innocent until he experiences the genuine emotional trauma of war.

Works Cited

Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce et Decorum Est.” The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2009. Print.

Tuqan, Fadwa. “Song of Becoming.” The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2009. Print.

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