Dulce Et Decorum Est Analysis
Dulce et Decorum Est Analysis
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est,” shows the reality of war firsthand. He writes about the memories and flashbacks of world war I. Owen describes in his writing that people will encourage you to fight for your country, but, it may be sentencing yourself to a pointless demise. He is well aware that death is hideous. He makes you feel like you are in war. Owen uses imagery, similes, and irony to make the reader engaged in his poem.
Owen uses interesting words to describe his war experience such as, “Men marched asleep,” and “Drunk with fatigue.” Owen could have used words like ‘the men sleepily marched,’ and ‘they were extremely tired,’ but he chose not to. His word choice makes the reader engaged in his writing. He also uses adjectives that make simple things into horrific scenes such as, “ecstasy of fumbling,” and “smother dreams…” Something as simple as dreams he turns into nightmares. He makes words like that ironic. In the last line , “Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori,” is irony itself. Translated in English it means it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country. There is nothing sweet about a painful death. He enhances the imagery of the reader using unusual pairing of words. An example of his strong imagery is "the white eyes writhing in his face.” The imagery is horrific and it seems like the eyes themselves are alive. Owen continues on with horrid descriptions like, “…gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,” and also, “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” He makes war come alive and feel so real, as if you are really there with him trying to run away from the chemical warfare.
Owen uses many similes in his writing for example, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks" and he compares the men marching to beggars. The line “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags,” compares soldiers to hags because of their coughing as if they were old. The simile “…flound'ring like a man in fire or lime,”
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est,” shows the reality of war firsthand. He writes about the memories and flashbacks of world war I. Owen describes in his writing that people will encourage you to fight for your country, but, it may be sentencing yourself to a pointless demise. He is well aware that death is hideous. He makes you feel like you are in war. Owen uses imagery, similes, and irony to make the reader engaged in his poem.
Owen uses interesting words to describe his war experience such as, “Men marched asleep,” and “Drunk with fatigue.” Owen could have used words like ‘the men sleepily marched,’ and ‘they were extremely tired,’ but he chose not to. His word choice makes the reader engaged in his writing. He also uses adjectives that make simple things into horrific scenes such as, “ecstasy of fumbling,” and “smother dreams…” Something as simple as dreams he turns into nightmares. He makes words like that ironic. In the last line , “Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori,” is irony itself. Translated in English it means it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country. There is nothing sweet about a painful death. He enhances the imagery of the reader using unusual pairing of words. An example of his strong imagery is "the white eyes writhing in his face.” The imagery is horrific and it seems like the eyes themselves are alive. Owen continues on with horrid descriptions like, “…gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,” and also, “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” He makes war come alive and feel so real, as if you are really there with him trying to run away from the chemical warfare.
Owen uses many similes in his writing for example, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks" and he compares the men marching to beggars. The line “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags,” compares soldiers to hags because of their coughing as if they were old. The simile “…flound'ring like a man in fire or lime,”