Comparative Literary Analysis of Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Braymer Five Day Requiem for Vietnam
Lauren Krieger
Mrs. Wells Podell
Honors English 10
30 November 2014
Compare and Contrast Literary Analysis
Poetry has often been used as a way to record and reflect on events throughout history. War is an everlasting part of history and its impact is still felt through poetry. While “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Five Day Requiem for Vietnam” by Nan Braymer both use dramatic diction to convey the theme that individuals should accept responsibility for their actions, Owen favors similes to express the agony of the soldiers and Braymer utilizes metaphor to communicate the government’s conflict of being a powerful but moral entity. Owen employs dramatic diction to grab the reader’s attention in order to express that individuals should be accountable for their doings. This word choice in combination with a gloomy tone indicate to the reader that in the end somebody must take responsibility for the actions. At the end of “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the miserable events of the poem are tied together when Owen states “My friend you would not tell with such high zest / to children ardent for some desperate glory, / the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori” (Owen 25-28). The speaker is warning the reader of the dangers of war. The phrase “children ardent” shows they are merely innocent and naïve kids, eager to fight, but after the horrors of the battlefield they know the truth about war and the pain it brings. Owen makes it more personal by saying “My friend” as if trying to offer some friendly advice. Owen is asking the reader to take responsibility and telling them not to continue spreading the “old Lie” that going to war is good. What people say has an effect on the actions of others, and they must accept the outcome. Similarly, Braymer uses dramatic diction in “Five Day Requiem for Vietnam” to appeal to the reader and maintain their interest. Braymer’s use of dramatic diction draws the reader in in order to convey that wickedness will not go
Mrs. Wells Podell
Honors English 10
30 November 2014
Compare and Contrast Literary Analysis
Poetry has often been used as a way to record and reflect on events throughout history. War is an everlasting part of history and its impact is still felt through poetry. While “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Five Day Requiem for Vietnam” by Nan Braymer both use dramatic diction to convey the theme that individuals should accept responsibility for their actions, Owen favors similes to express the agony of the soldiers and Braymer utilizes metaphor to communicate the government’s conflict of being a powerful but moral entity. Owen employs dramatic diction to grab the reader’s attention in order to express that individuals should be accountable for their doings. This word choice in combination with a gloomy tone indicate to the reader that in the end somebody must take responsibility for the actions. At the end of “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the miserable events of the poem are tied together when Owen states “My friend you would not tell with such high zest / to children ardent for some desperate glory, / the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori” (Owen 25-28). The speaker is warning the reader of the dangers of war. The phrase “children ardent” shows they are merely innocent and naïve kids, eager to fight, but after the horrors of the battlefield they know the truth about war and the pain it brings. Owen makes it more personal by saying “My friend” as if trying to offer some friendly advice. Owen is asking the reader to take responsibility and telling them not to continue spreading the “old Lie” that going to war is good. What people say has an effect on the actions of others, and they must accept the outcome. Similarly, Braymer uses dramatic diction in “Five Day Requiem for Vietnam” to appeal to the reader and maintain their interest. Braymer’s use of dramatic diction draws the reader in in order to convey that wickedness will not go
Cited: "Nan Braymer: Five Day Requiem for Vietnam." Voices Education Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce Et Decorum Est." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.