War Poetry - The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen
The poems "The soldier" by Rupert Brooke and "Dulce et decorum est" by
Wilfred Owen are related to the events in WWI. These two poems
concentrate on a similar subject, going to war, but have totally
different points of view and contradict each other. Rupert Brooke has
a patriotic point of view meanwhile Wilfred Owen has a critical
opinion. Both of the authors use their own knowledge to show us how
soldiers confront war and what consequences do war brings to soldiers.
"The soldier" tells about soldiers dying for their own country. Rupert
Brooke describes that if you are a soldier and if you die in a
battlefield, you become part of the ground. He uses himself as an
example, to express his opinion. He tells that he was from England and
he represented this country, so if he died in battlefield and fell
onto the ground, he would become a part of the ground, so as he is
representing England, by forming a part to the ground, he leaves a
part of England into it. So by using this example he shows that all
the English soldiers that die in a battlefield, leave a part of
England in the place. He participated in the WWI and as a result of
his experiences he thought that war was a thing where men had to go
and that was an honor to participate in. he also represented most of
the soldiers opinions before they went to war.
Meanwhile the theme of "Dulce et Decorum Est" is quite different.
Wilfred Owen talks about soldiers that do not want to die for their
own country. He doesn't speak in a patriotic way as in "The soldier",
but he tells more about the soldiers suffering. He describes how
soldiers go to war thinking that it will be a fu...
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...one of darkness, fear, suffering and terror. Between the poetic
devices used there are two imagery (one example is: If you could hear,
at every jolt, the blood of froth-corrupted lung obscene as cancer
bitter as the cud.), there are some similes( one example is: Bent
double like old beggars under sacks.) and a Alliteration (But limped on,
blood shod).
While Rupert Brooke says that it is an honor to die for his country,
because you leave a part of the country in the battlefield, Wilfred
Owen says that soldiers do not want to go to war, because they know
that it is only suffering. Two soldiers and two different views appear
in these poems. While Rupert Brooke is patriotic, Wilfred Owen says
that to die for a country and gain honor, is a lie. Wilfred Owen uses
and excellent quote to express his feelings: The old Lie: "Dulce et
decorum est Pro patria mori."
The three incredible works of literature by Owen, OBrien, and Sassoon give a true sense of what fighting for ones country was really like. The battles, soldiers, and wars that most of the public see is glorified tremendously through movies and books mainly. These writers wanted a change and they went about this by giving the true and honest facts of what happened. War should be thought of as a tough obstacle that no one should ever have to go through, a sad occurrence, or a horrible burden, but not as a glorious victory. In order to reach that victory, the road is anything but sweet.
Both Stephen Crane's "Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind" and Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" use vivid images, diction rich with connotation, similes, and metaphors to portray the irony between the idealized glory of war and the lurid reality of war. However, by looking at the different ways these elements are used in each poem, it is clear that the speakers in the two poems are soldiers who come from opposite ends of the spectrum of military ranks. One speaker is an officer and the other is a foot soldier. Each of the speakers/soldiers is dealing with the repercussions from his own realities of the horror of war based on his duty during the battle.
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. Affected by a number of factors, the authors of the two poems have chosen opposing standpoints on the issue of war where Tennyson glorified it with the main message that it is an honour to die for one's country whereas the other, Owen suppresses the idea of war by illustrating all the horrid experiences of a soldier.
Literature can have many purposes including entertainment, education, or persuasion. Literature can also be written to challenge common beliefs. This idea is seen by studying “A Modest Proposal,” written by Jonathan Swift and “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen. While reading through the poems, it would be difficult to see any similarities due to the fact that one is a poem about war and the other is an economic proposal. While "A Modest Proposal" and “Dulce et Decorum Est" are two pieces of literature from two different time periods, they show a certain similarity in the way they relate to and question the views of their respective periods.
Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est." The Faber Book of War Poetry. Ed. Kenneth Baker. London: Faber, 1997. 3-4.
The two poems I will be comparing and contrasting are ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen along with ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Wilfred Owen wrote his poem in the duration of the World War one, the poem was first published in the 1920’s. Owens imagery shown in the poem is repulsive and presenting an ugly side of war, the language used by the poet is fierce. On the other hand Lord Tennyson wrote the poem at some point in the Battle of Balaclava in the 1854 however, Lord Tennyson has a diverse vision on war due to not understanding how war was, his imagery demonstrates a calm slow story explaining how he thought war would be. Both poems are similar however they tell there stories in different ways.
I am going to compare and contrast the two poems ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy. They both give a view of war. Owen gives first hand experiences he witnessed whilst fighting in World War One and where he unfortunately died one week before the war came to an end. Carol Ann Duffy may be writing about the feelings of her personal friends who were war photographers, showing some of the horrors they witnessed.
Overall Wilfred Owen shows that there is no triumph in war, he does this by using the dying soldier as an example. His main point is that the old saying: “Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori” is a lie.
‘Poetry can challenge the reader to think about the world in new ways.’ It provokes the readers to consider events, issues and people with revised understanding and perspectives. The poems Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen, 1917) and Suicide in the Trenches (Siegfried Sassoon, 1917), were composed during World War One and represented the poets’ point of views in regards to the glorification of war and encouraged readers to challenge their perspectives and reflect upon the real consequences behind the fabrications of the glory and pride of fighting for one’s nation.
It is evident that the socio-cultural context in which Wilfred Owen operated had a powerful impact upon his poetic motivation and the messages he conveyed through his work. Before exploring Wilfred Owen’s work we first must understand the society that Wilfred Owen lived in, to be able to really understand appreciate his poems and their impact on society. At the time in which he operated, Britain’s public opinion on warfare and conflicts were astonishingly positive, especially in the early stages of WW1. These false perception on war led the vast majority of male citizens to perceive war recruitment as an opportunity to set off on ‘terrific adventures’ and earn immense amounts of honour for their families and nation. Government propaganda meant that soldiers believed that they were gathering fame and fortune in the name of Great Britain. This cruel and false perception of warfare which in turn led to a steady rate of volunteers for the war and included Wilfred Owen himself. The men who did not go and fight for their nations were perceived by society as cowards as
The Soldier by Rupert Brooke, and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen are two poems which were written during the First World War, and both being written about this conflict, they share the same theme of war poetry. However, the two poems deal very differently with the subject of war, resulting in two very different pieces of writing.
However, some poems about war, like “Dulce et Decorum est” take a little twist on remembrance.
At the age of 22 Wilfred Owen enlisted in the British Army in the year of 1915 a year after World War I began. In 1917 Owen was sent to France where he would get his first glimpse of war (Wilde). Many of Owen’s most popular war poetry was written while he was serving (Wilde), which would lead some to believe that he is the speaker in “Dulce et Decorum Est” (Wilde). Images of the speaker and his fellow soldiers as they “cursed through
a lie to say that it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country.
... 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.