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Dulce Et Decorum Est Analysis Essay

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The poem, “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, by Wilfred Owen was written in a time where war was seen as a romantic sacrifice, but the young soldiers sent to war did not find war itself to be a beautiful occasion. Having a son defend one’s country was a prideful thing. As a result, parents would rather have their son die in a war than to come back home with a broken leg. No one, but the young men in the war, recognized the horrific sacrifices and destructive experiences that arose because of the involvement in the war. Owen begins his poem by illustrating the young, innocent, weary men miserably walking to find a nontoxic place, a place away from what is causing their despair. Owen compares the soldiers to “old beggars.” This comparison allows the reader to become familiar with the soldiers’ living conditions, homeless and in need of food. The soldier’s desperation to avoid intervention with any bombs, causes suspense because of the men’s weakness. The imagery filled in the first 14 lines are …show more content…

In line 9, “an ecstasy of fumbling, fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, but someone still was yelling and stumbling” (Owen 9-11). The gas is creeping towards the men; the men quickly scramble to protect themselves with masks, but sadly one man does not make it. The awful sight of witnessing a man slowly “guttering”, “choking”, and “drowning” inside is a sight that a man will never forget (Owen 16). The description Owen uses creates a vivid visual of what exactly is going on with the man who is suffocating on his own blood because of the gas, a frightful sight; the speaker helplessly watching. Not only do the men experience physical pain, but also witness horrific scenes that are both tragic and traumatic. Owen’s diction precisely depicts what the soldiers’ experience, observe, perceive, and sense, which allows the reader to comprehend and slightly feel what the soldiers are feeling by reading what is being

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