Dulce et Decorum est Analysis
Good afternoon fellow teachers,
There are two poems written by Wilfred Owen that go hand in hand in his opinion of warfare. These poems outline the misrepresentation and veiled ideology of war and the physical and mental brutality that the fighting soldiers had to endure. Both poems use poetic techniques to illustrate the soldier’s experience of war. These two poems include ‘Futility’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. Both poems reiterate and exemplify the themes of each other and the overall true feeling of war that Owen desired to be illuminated.
Dulce et Decorum Est reveals the true nature of war through the barbaric experiences that soldiers had to face. The poem begins unexpectedly in the middle of action. The soldiers are attempting to escape the enemy’s fire but their health conditions dismiss them from strong and immediate actions.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock kneed, coughing life hags”
This metaphoric statement provides the reader with an unexpected view and appearance of soldiers, as contrast is used to portray the soldiers whom are believed to be strong, healthy and muscular looking men. Owen diminishes this false image of an athletic soldier, replacing it with a description of a ‘beggar’ or ‘hag’. This means that the war has caused the soldiers to age prematurely, eliminating another lie of propaganda.
“We cursed through sludge” hints that the poet was present throughout the event of war reiterating its authenticity. This quotation allows Owen to create effective imagery and creates a sense of pity for the soldiers. Dulce et Decorum est encompasses strong imagery that reveals the true nature of war. Owen draws on his own personal experience as a soldier in World War One, describing the death of a soldier through gas.
“Floundering like a man in fire or lime -
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.”
The imagery depicts the horror of death in war, abolishing the
There are two poems written by Wilfred Owen that go hand in hand in his opinion of warfare. These poems outline the misrepresentation and veiled ideology of war and the physical and mental brutality that the fighting soldiers had to endure. Both poems use poetic techniques to illustrate the soldier’s experience of war. These two poems include ‘Futility’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. Both poems reiterate and exemplify the themes of each other and the overall true feeling of war that Owen desired to be illuminated.
Dulce et Decorum Est reveals the true nature of war through the barbaric experiences that soldiers had to face. The poem begins unexpectedly in the middle of action. The soldiers are attempting to escape the enemy’s fire but their health conditions dismiss them from strong and immediate actions.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock kneed, coughing life hags”
This metaphoric statement provides the reader with an unexpected view and appearance of soldiers, as contrast is used to portray the soldiers whom are believed to be strong, healthy and muscular looking men. Owen diminishes this false image of an athletic soldier, replacing it with a description of a ‘beggar’ or ‘hag’. This means that the war has caused the soldiers to age prematurely, eliminating another lie of propaganda.
“We cursed through sludge” hints that the poet was present throughout the event of war reiterating its authenticity. This quotation allows Owen to create effective imagery and creates a sense of pity for the soldiers. Dulce et Decorum est encompasses strong imagery that reveals the true nature of war. Owen draws on his own personal experience as a soldier in World War One, describing the death of a soldier through gas.
“Floundering like a man in fire or lime -
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.”
The imagery depicts the horror of death in war, abolishing the