Dulce et decorum est : Poem Anthology

“Like beggars..”

“Under sacks [..] coughing like hags.”

Similes

Owen presents the men as vulnerable and run down

Juxtaposes the stereotypical view of a solider

They are compared to hags ; the poor and witches

The men are forced to endure poor conditions

They are being worked down and lack sleep, a juxtaposition to the romanticsed idea of war

“Like a man in fire or lime [..] through the..”

“Misty panes and tick green light, as under a green sea.”

He is being engulfed and dissolved

Imagery of violence and the horrific death they are facing

The simile used show the extremities of the horrors that soldiers are facing within the war

The thick panes represents the gas masks the soldiers are forced to wear

The gas from shells was green and yellow and would encompass all who are near

Green sea provides a tranquil imagery which juxtaposes with the next graphic word of “drowning”

Shows the harsh conditions within the war and critiques the the horrible conditions of the solider

“He plunges at me..”

“Guttering, choking, drowning.”

Volta from past to present

Shows the impacts of war are long-lasting as soldiers are emotionally and physically impacted

Verbs are used to represent the deadly and harmful pain that the soldiers are facing

Graphic imagery - the solider is coughing up his own lungs

Vivid imagery and metaphor to show the brutal physical suffering

He plunges at me shows how all the soldiers can be impacted by the death

“Froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer..”

“Bitter as the cud of vile, incurable sores on innocent tounges.”

The graphic and violent imagery portages the truth of war and the horrific pain and suffering of all the soliders

A visualisation of the hurt that they face everyday

Innocent tongues shows how the soldiers are innocent and hoping to fight for their country but are subject to these issues and suffering

They didn’t sign up knowing they would suffer in this way and now they have no one to help them

Violence and cruelty plagues war and causes the death of innocent lives

“Desperate glory, the old lie..”

“Dulce et decorum est pro patria morí.”

Owen turns his anger onto those who get the children desperate to fight for their country

He critiques propaganda that indoctrinates children as nationalists to make them fight in the war

He criticises the belief and ideal that dying for your country is something heroic and that should be applauded

He is attacking the propagada and those in charge who represent war and do not show the realities

His poem is a direct juxtaposition to this propaganda

He addresses the unknown reader and those who who wish to fight to feel heroic

He is angered toward nationalism

STRUCTURE

The poem is in to sonnets, a double sonnet.

Octave 1 (lines 1-8) describes the man trudging back to the trenches

At the Volta in line 9 we see the gas attack happening and the immediate consquences of this

After this, we see the expression of the horror ans the the effects of the war that the soldiers face

This is used to show how the war will stay with all those who are impacted even after the immediate atrocities have ended

The consquences of war live on for those fighting, not those in control