Drunk With Fatigue By Wilfred Owen

To begin with, this poem is written by Wilfred Owen. He fought in the world war and therefore we can see that in his writing as he has portrayed war has a very negative thing and how death in the world war is normality.
Firstly, Owen has presented war as an exhausting and strenuous. We can see this when he uses a metaphor “ Drunk with fatigue.” This shows that how soldiers are out of control and are just zombies walking on a killing field. Also he uses another metaphor to show fatigue is “Men marched asleep.” This is a real contrast to soldiers because they are supposed to be alert and in sync whereas in the war they are “ marching asleep” again this shows what war has made a person change . The reader is quite shocked because in the first stanza it is full of negative verbs “trudge and sludge”
Furthermore , Owen has quickened the pace of the second stanza by Repetion.
“Gas! Gas! Quick boys” This first sentence has changed the mood and the pace at the poem was going as in the first stanza the soldieries were exhausted. The use of the word “boys” shows the real contrast in age and how everyone in war is a boy in front of the guns. Also in World War 1 mustard gas was used quite a bit therefore the Repetion of gas shows a real danger to the men. The reader is surprised as they don’t know what to think of the poem anymore as the mood and the atmosphere have changed.
Additionally, Owen has present war as “helpless.” This again is a contrast from the heroes of war as traditionally war was thought a very proud thing to do for your country and “helpless” suggests that war has made a person so severely dreadful that there is nothing you can do to help him. The reader is quite disgusted as Owen has presented some powerful imagery and we can also see this when he used the list of three “ guttering, choking and drowning” This list of three really emphasizes the pain and suffering of war and how the gas get to you and then there is nothing you can do that person is now
“helpless”.
Moreover, war is presented “ like a devil’s sick of skin.” This shows that if devil was to see what humans do to each other even the all mighty evil will be sick. This simile is very powerful as this round up war and that what humans are now capable to do. In the 1900’s people would be shocked as the reference to devil is not common in poems. “ The old lie Ducle est decorum et pro-Patria Mori.” This is again quite emotive because this is saying that it is sweet and right to die for your country. Again in the 1900’s people would disagree as they believed that war is a noble thing to do.
In conclusion, I think that this poem is quite moving as this explores the real side of war. Also, I think that Owen is right in saying that war is not a proud thing to do but it is a disgrace on humanity.