preview

Dulce et Decorum est Essay

Good Essays

Dulce et Decorum est The poet reacts to the war by turning normal poetic language in to something that appears normal on the surface but in reality is tainted. The poet also breaks from normal poetry to show society the normal images of war. The ability to move the reader makes the poem work which aids the reader in to understanding the false propaganda. The poem is about soldiers in trench warfare and is a great example of writing graphically to show the horrific side of war yet being completely truthful. The poet does not withhold any information from the reader and conveys what it was like to fight in the War. The poet shows the pain in the poem. His tone, depression, lack of hope reveals his message. He uses long …show more content…

This is the main part of the poem about is the most described. The stanza starts with the outburst: ‘Gas! Gas! Quick boys?’ The mono-syllables emphasised the urgency of the situation. A gas attack is a very dangerous situation. The author uses the words ‘boys’ which reminds us of their youth, but having already been described as aged and tired we realise that their youth was stolen and are then also confronted with the concept that they are innocent victims of war. ‘Ecstasy of Fumbling’ Seems at first odd, but then a perfect way to describe the controlled panic instantly awakened with the gas bomb. Here the men only have seconds to find a gas mask. The word but tell us something has gone wrong and gives us a sense of foreboding knowing something bad has happened. The next line ‘and floundering like a man in fire of lime’ describes the helplessness of the soldier. This also shows life is left to chance. The innocent soldier is floundering and has no control over what is happening to him. The word ‘dim’ on the next line not only sets up scene, giving it a gloomier and a eerie and also describes the chances of the boy to survive. The next line ‘as under a green sea, I saw him drowning’ moving on to the next stanza ‘In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.’ This helps the reader understand the feeling of being trapped by poisonous gas. The soldier in the poem

Get Access