Comparing the Attitudes Demonstrated between Pre-War and at War with Brooke's Poem The Soldier and Owen's Poem Dulce et Decorum est

Wilfred Owen's war poems central features include the wastage involved with war, horrors of war and the physical effects of war. These features are seen in the poems "Dulce Et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth" here Owen engages with the reader appealing to the readers empathy that is felt towards the soldier. These poems interact to explore the experiences of the soldiers on the battlefields including the realities of using gas as a weapon in war and help to highlight the incorrect glorification of war. This continuous interaction invites the reader to connect with the poems to develop a more thorough

From the earliest records of history, accounts of war have been portrayed as valiant acts of heroism. Children and adults alike have gathered together to hear tales of war and its glory. From the stories of Alexander the Great to recent-day movies like Saving Private Ryan, war has been praised and exalted with words such as bravery, honor, and freedom. However, Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" shows the ugly, horrible side of fighting. By use of gripping words and vivid descriptions, Owen paints incredible pictures of what World War I was really like. He tears away the glory and drama and reveals the real essence of fighting: fear, torture, and death. No

Owen’s poem: “Dulce Et Decorum Est” describes what horrible fates soldiers could meet when they least expect it. This poem takes place in the trenches of the warfront with Owen describing his first hand experiences. He and some other soldiers are marching through the trenches, wet, dirty and fatigued all while the sounds of gunfire and artillery are constant. Suddenly, from the silence and the slow pace of the soldiers, a gas attack begins and Owen describes the scene as being “an ecstasy of fumbling” as they put on their gas masks just in time, however, not everyone was fast enough and Owen says “someone still was yelling out and stumbling, and floundering like a man on fire or lime… Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning”. The aim of this poem Is to juxtapose the idea that it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country when in reality, at least for this soldier, it was not, he dies in agony, with no hope of being saved, as he takes more and more breaths he comes closer to death. This juxtaposition is continued as Owen describes how the body of the man is treated, “If In smothering dreams you too could pace behind the wagon we

World War One poets Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen both use poetry to examine their differing perspectives surrounding the idea of heroism in war. Brooke’s The Soldier depicts an idealistic, patriotic view towards fighting for his country, whereas Owen’s Dulce et Decorum est demonstrates a realistic view of the senseless horrors of war. Both poets utilise similar poetic techniques of imagery and sound devices to express their contradictory views of the atrocious events of the greatest war that the world had ever seen at that time.

Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poem made of four stanzas in an a, b, a, b rhyme scheme. There is hardly any rhythm to the entire poem, although Owen makes it sound like it is in iambic pentameter in some lines. Every stanza has a different amount of lines, ranging from two to twelve. To convey the poem’s purpose, Owen uses an unconventional poem style and horrid, graphic images of the frontlines to convey the unbearable circumstances that many young soldiers went through in World War I. Not only did these men have to partake in such painful duties, but these duties contrasted with the view of the war made by the populace of the mainland country. Many of these people are pro-war and would never see the battlefield themselves. Owen’s use of word choice, imagery, metaphors, exaggeration, and the contrast between the young, war-deteriorated soldiers and populace’s favorable view of war creates Owen’s own unfavorable view of the war to readers.

Wilfred Owen’s piece, “Dulce et Decorum Est,” slams open the doors of the ideology of a soldier’s demeanor and uncovers what truly lies in the smoke and rubble of war, specifically in the battlefield of World War 1. Wars appears to be this grand exemplification of heroism and gruesome occurrences to most. However, what fails to meet the eye is that a soldier’s life, though inglorious is an addition to that person’s being, it is a part of who they gradually become.

History itself has taught students that the First World War was the most devastating war the world has ever seen in a sense of ideals, morals, and social aspects thanks to many of the war poets during that time period. Wilfred Owen is known to be one of the most famous war poets during the twentieth century especially during the First World War when he wrote “Dulce et Decorum Est”. His poem details the horrors these soldiers faced in the trenches during World War 1 and conveys the hidden meaning that “it is sweet and honorable” to die for one’s country is untrue. Owen is able to deliver his message and express his ideas against this cruel war with the use of many literary techniques.

War is a horrible concept and it is also responsible for inspiring people, considering the intense feelings that they experience as a result of observing it and the suffering that it generates. A series of artists have gotten actively involved in providing the masses with a more complex understanding of warfare and, in contrast to war propaganda artwork, most of these respective individuals focused on condemning the practice by relating to its terrible consequences. Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" successfully appeals to people's emotions and influences them to want to get actively involved in stopping warfare from happening. Denise Levertov's "Life at War" similarly provides an intriguing look concerning war and its disastrous effects. These individuals basically want people to understand that there is nothing glorious about warfare and that it mainly involves suffering, blood, and young lives being lost for absurd purposes.

‘Dulce et decorum Est’ and ‘anthem for doomed youth’ are poems written by Wilfred Owen about his time in ‘the great war’ and all the terrible things the soldiers had to go through and all the pain it caused to not only the soldiers but also the people still at home and because of this and many other reasons these poems do reflect their context really well. And in these poems we get a first person view over the war as Wilfred Owen was also in the war, so he wrote a much clearer poem than those who weren’t in the war or who stayed home during the rough times.

Wilfred Owen, as one of the many young men who join the military during World War I, has his own misconceptions of war, but it does not take him long to realize what war is all about. Owen’s position quickly becomes an anti-war because of his personal experiences and observations during the Great War. Owen uses poetry to inform the public that war is not just about patriotism, gallantry, and glory but also about atrocity, cruelty, and destruction. Through his poetry, Owen critiques government officials, religious authorities and public figures, for glorifying the war and sending naïve young men to death and destruction. Examples of Owen’s anti-war sentiment and criticism of the public’s ignorance regarding war can be found in his poem,

“Anyone, who truly wants to go to war, has never really been there before” Kosovar. This not so famous quote, tells about how blind people were to the horrors and tribulations of war due to a force we call propaganda. “Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori” is a controversial phrase used to describe the benefits of going to war. It has different translations but it basically states “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country”, this is just one of the many techniques a nation could use to shade the soldiers to the harsh reality of war. In this essay I will be evaluating two poems Dulce et Decorum est and The Charge of the Light Brigade. “Dulce et Decorum” est is a poem about war written by Wilfred Owen during World War 1 in 1917-1918.

Wilfred Owen’s Dolce et Decorum Est and Carol Ann Duffy’s The Last Post are both refusals of war propaganda and intended to convey an anti war message to populations at war. Both texts use the point of view of a poet Wilfred Owen’s being from a veteran. However, both speaks clearly convey a message desiring change, and a greater understanding of the horrors of war within the general population. Owen’s first stanza is a myriad of techniques, beginning with similes and metaphors describing the worn-out soldiers firstly as “beggars” then as “hags”, dehumanizing them just as the war does. Similarly, Duffy’s poem in which she directly quotes from Dulce et Decorum Est bleeding men are described as “slime into its wounds” Duffy has completely dehumanized the men describing them

Compare the Presentation of War in the poems ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, by Wilfred Owen and ‘Icarus Allsorts’, by Roger McGough.

Within this essay, I will be comparing two very different poems; the propaganda and pro-establishment poem ‘Who’s for the game? ' written in 1916 by Jessie Pope which attempted to recruit men to the army by creating an unrealistic, glorified image of war and 'Dulce et decorum est ' written by Wilfred Owen in October 1917 which provides a horrific yet realistic insight into life as a solider.

In majority of Owen’s poem, he demonstrates the true image of war and the impact it has on the soldiers rather than masking it with the lies of pride