Sugar-Coated Lies
Sugar-Coated Lies
Wars are always difficult to cope with. “Dulce et Decorum est” is a poem by Wilfred Owen expressing the hardships many soldiers had to face during the First World War, the importance of remembering the terrible events that occurred, and how completely bogus the phrase ‘it is sweet and right’ truly is.
It must have been a horrifying experience for these men to fight for their country, especially at a very young age where they had a promising future ahead of them. But sadly, plenty of men had to go through injuries, deaths, losses and have even seen things others may only see in movies. Can you imagine helplessly watching as your friend, “…plunges at [you], guttering, choking, drowning” (line 16), and not being able to do squat about it? And worse, seeing him die before you, “…the white eyes writhing in his face” (line 19) and hearing the sound of “blood come gargling from [his] froth-corrupted lungs” (line 21-22). All of these haunting images are sure to leave many traumatized and scarred for life.
After all of the painful experiences these soldiers faced, it is only right that we never forget what happened in the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself. “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!” (line 9), hearing those words while they struggled to survive must have been frightening, especially since it’s impossible to predict what could happen next. “Till on the haunting flares, we turned our backs” (line 3) as these men exposed their vulnerability to danger, “Five-Nines that dropped behind” (line 8), they also watched their nightmares come to life and intertwine with their reality.
Lastly, the title of the poem itself is a lie. The full quote “Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori” (lines 27-28), translates into the phrase “it is sweet and right to die for your country”, but how ignorant can someone be to believe that? Is it sweet that these soldiers were “like old beggars under sacks” (line 1) and “coughing like hags” (line 2) as they “cursed
Wars are always difficult to cope with. “Dulce et Decorum est” is a poem by Wilfred Owen expressing the hardships many soldiers had to face during the First World War, the importance of remembering the terrible events that occurred, and how completely bogus the phrase ‘it is sweet and right’ truly is.
It must have been a horrifying experience for these men to fight for their country, especially at a very young age where they had a promising future ahead of them. But sadly, plenty of men had to go through injuries, deaths, losses and have even seen things others may only see in movies. Can you imagine helplessly watching as your friend, “…plunges at [you], guttering, choking, drowning” (line 16), and not being able to do squat about it? And worse, seeing him die before you, “…the white eyes writhing in his face” (line 19) and hearing the sound of “blood come gargling from [his] froth-corrupted lungs” (line 21-22). All of these haunting images are sure to leave many traumatized and scarred for life.
After all of the painful experiences these soldiers faced, it is only right that we never forget what happened in the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself. “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!” (line 9), hearing those words while they struggled to survive must have been frightening, especially since it’s impossible to predict what could happen next. “Till on the haunting flares, we turned our backs” (line 3) as these men exposed their vulnerability to danger, “Five-Nines that dropped behind” (line 8), they also watched their nightmares come to life and intertwine with their reality.
Lastly, the title of the poem itself is a lie. The full quote “Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori” (lines 27-28), translates into the phrase “it is sweet and right to die for your country”, but how ignorant can someone be to believe that? Is it sweet that these soldiers were “like old beggars under sacks” (line 1) and “coughing like hags” (line 2) as they “cursed