Dulce Et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen
War is hell. A phrase commonly used by pacifists reluctant to send anyone to war, however few understand this phrase better than Wilfred Owen author of Dulce et decorum est, a veteran of World War One. In his poem he tells a vivid tale of a young soldier dying horrifically in a chlorine gas attack. He writes this in a desperate attempt to end the calls for war, so there would be no more "children ardent for some desperate glory" sent off to war.
Owen’s poem is in protest of young men being sent to their death in war, his tone is pleading and bitter. Owen titles his poem Dulce et decorum est. Half of a quote by Horace, the whole quote says it is sweet and honorable to die for ones country. Owen is using this quote with bitter sarcasm. After what he has seen, he sees no honor in dying for your country. He is so bitter at the phrase he goes so far as to call it "The Old Lie". Owen sees this as a lie used to entice young boys who are hungry for honor into joining the military. Owen’s sadness is evident in the poem as well,"in all my dreams, before my helpless sight,” Owen is haunted by that dying soldier. He wishes for none to undergo a similar fate. Owen’s pleading tone makes the audience more compassionate to the message: a call for peace.
Owen …show more content…
Owen describes a young man's agonizing death, "floundering like a man in fire or lime." Not many of us have been through a chlorine gas attack, however, many have seen a person on fire, most likely on the television. None the less an image that we can all relate to and recoil from. Even Owen’s diction exaggerates the horrendous conditions of the battlefield, such as his use of vivid words such as “sludge.” If he had just said mud, it would not be nearly as powerful. When he says sludge, it tells the reader that there is something else in the mud, perhaps blood and shell casings. By putting the reader on the battlefield, Owen hopes to end the calls for war that put young boys in such hideous
Owen’s poem is in protest of young men being sent to their death in war, his tone is pleading and bitter. Owen titles his poem Dulce et decorum est. Half of a quote by Horace, the whole quote says it is sweet and honorable to die for ones country. Owen is using this quote with bitter sarcasm. After what he has seen, he sees no honor in dying for your country. He is so bitter at the phrase he goes so far as to call it "The Old Lie". Owen sees this as a lie used to entice young boys who are hungry for honor into joining the military. Owen’s sadness is evident in the poem as well,"in all my dreams, before my helpless sight,” Owen is haunted by that dying soldier. He wishes for none to undergo a similar fate. Owen’s pleading tone makes the audience more compassionate to the message: a call for peace.
Owen …show more content…
Owen describes a young man's agonizing death, "floundering like a man in fire or lime." Not many of us have been through a chlorine gas attack, however, many have seen a person on fire, most likely on the television. None the less an image that we can all relate to and recoil from. Even Owen’s diction exaggerates the horrendous conditions of the battlefield, such as his use of vivid words such as “sludge.” If he had just said mud, it would not be nearly as powerful. When he says sludge, it tells the reader that there is something else in the mud, perhaps blood and shell casings. By putting the reader on the battlefield, Owen hopes to end the calls for war that put young boys in such hideous