Wilfred Owen Assignment

As a young American student, I have heard of various wars and personal experiences from these wars throughout my life. I know that war consists of danger, is extremely emotional and tragic, and is a soft spot for every human being. Knowing that Wilfred Owen fought and died in World War I as a British soldier, I can read his poem, Dulce Et Decorum Est, through his mindset and visualize the very descriptive situation that he details. He speaks of one of his comrades being killed by a bomb, and the sadness that he and his team face when they have to put in the back of their wagon and watch him die. “The old lie” that Owen says in Latin at the end of this poem, Dulce et decorum est pro patria more, translates to, “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” This Latin saying is very patriotic and many soldiers and people of America, or any country for that matter, would agree. However, Owen disagrees after watching one of his close friends die for his country. It is known that old soldiers tell their war stories with excitement and pride, but Owen says that this tale will not be told with “zest.” He feels that this happenstance is too tragic to speak of in any other way than sadly, and if he had lived past World War I, he probably would not have told this story with pride or any of the like, but with melancholy