Irony In Dulce Et Decorum Est

One aspect writers use to protest war is by demonstrating the irony in fighting. In Stephen Crane’s, War is Kind, it is said to “not weep...war is kind” (1). During war a great amount of risk is placed upon the soldiers which is the complete opposite of kind. In Amy Lowell’s, Patterns, a man “in a month would [be a husband]” (81-90). Instead of coming home for a wedding, they would return home in a casket. In Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds, it explains how you are also “taught your whole life there is no making up for [killing] but even your own mother is happy” (Powers D). It is ironic that killing people has been instilled in your head to be awful, but when you are killing people in a war you are known as a hero.

     The irony in the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” is that it is not sweet and fitting to die for one’s country when you have actually experienced war. Owen is describing how psychologically and physically exhausting World War I was for the soldiers that had to tolerate such a cruel suffering and not how patriotic and honorable it was. It shows the true life of a soldier, lying low, ill, endlessly marching through mud with bloody

Imagery is used to protest war, because it puts vivid images in the reader’s head of just how bad war really is. Stephen Crane describes in his poem “Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky” (Crane 2). This brings an image of someone’s loved one standing in a field and when the bullet breaks through their skin, the impact causes their hands to fly up. Using

In a general sense, irony is a rhetorical device that is characterized by incongruity in the real situation and what is expected. The deliberate use of irony, especially in literary works and speeches, is used to emphasize a point. It is a language that in some of its forms understates facts, denies the contrary of the truth, or states the opposite of the truth. In all it’s forms, it elicits a similar effect to the audience. There

Yelling “oh great!” after failing a test demonstrates one example. Someone wouldn’t really be happy about that; the irony is being overly positive about a negative occurrence. When the author writes, “you’re a game hunter not a philosopher, who cares how the jaguar feels” (Connell 18), and when Rainsford becomes the “Jaguar” later it is a little ironic. Connell wanted us to think about how a jaguar feels, and why they would be talking about that. When it came to the part in the story where he was being hunted, the readers think back to where the jaguar is mentioned and might think how that was ironic. The author was effective at showing irony. Another example of irony is, “ ‘...you’ll have a cocktail, Mr. Rainsford,’ he suggested” (Connell 22). He wanted the audience to think about how General Zaroff was being overly nice to a stranger he just met, but then, all of a sudden, changed into a psychopath, a murderer who hunts people for fun. The author made the reader believe Zaroff was generous and kind, and Rainsford probably believed it too. Zaroff acted this way to get Rainsford’s trust, so he could set him free and hunt him

In Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” the speaker’s argument against whether there is true honor in dieing for ones country in World War I contradicts the old Latin saying, Dulce et Decorum Est, which translated means, “it is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland”; which is exemplified through Owen’s use of title, diction, metaphor and simile, imagery, and structure throughout the entirety of the poem.

An artist's job is to interpret, and express the aspects of life in a creative fashion. War has played a big part in shaping our human history, and many artists have portrayed their feelings about art through paintings, and even monuments. Whether it be to show; the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, or to educate the public on the gory realities of war. Art about war can also show us a great amount of history of the kinds of weapons that were used at the time. It is necessary for artists to interpret, and criticize all aspects of life; even ones as tragic as war, It can make the public more aware of what goes on in times of war.

War is a horrible and devastating event that hurts many people in many ways. This something many people have to cope with. Authors are among those who have to cope with war as well. Many people cope different ways but authors cope by protesting war. To do this authors use imagery, irony, and structure.

Writers use irony to protest war in many ways. When the author in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien states “ Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot…” This is ironic because Ted is scared of dying, and ironically he is the only one who is scared but also the only one to be shot. It protests war because Ted dies, and the reader assumes Ted used the tranquilizers as a pain killer, which is not healthy or good. Also in Kevin Powers story The Yellow Birds, Irony is used. In the story Powers states “ … You are a coward and, really, cowardice is what got you into this mess because you wanted to be a man… ” This is ironic because he is a coward trying to be a man, but no matter what he does he is a coward. The

Throughout both writings, “War is Kind” and “Dulce et Decorum Est”, imagery is demonstrated to protest war. The author of “War is Kind” states, “Do not weep. War is kind.”. This line in the first stanza uses imagery to protest war by trying to display the soldiers loved ones reacting to the news of the soldier they love, losing their life. How is this imagery? This line portrays a wife, a child, and a mother losing their loved ones. Also, in the second stanza, it states “These men were born to drill and die”, that particular line displays that the soldiers were only born to fight in war, that was what the men were born to do and that was their main purpose in their life. In stanza two of “Dulce et Decorum Est” imagery is used to protest war when it states, “As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.” This supports the idea that

Imagery is one way that writers can protest war. Imagery is usually described and allows the reader to imagine the picture in their mind. “Because your lover threw wild hands towards the sky (Doc A).” This is imagery because in the mind, the picture of a man or woman throwing

“It is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country” (Horace). Although many American’s believe this statement to be true, Wilfred Owen disputes it in his poem “Dulce et Decorum Est”. Owen uses an oppressed and fearful but accusatory tone along with similes, imagery, rhythm, and diction to show his disapproval of the war. With the diction and rhythm used in the story of a gas attack paired with figurative language, Owen brings his audience into the war with him and proves that it is anything but sweet to die for one’s country.

Many war pieces express a distinct sense of truth, hatred, and anger that can be found in the style, tone, and imagery they possess. Incredible images are created in ones mind as war writings are read and heard. Works written by such writers as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and Tim OBrien really reach out to the audience by way of the authors choice of words and images that they use in their writing. These talented writers create very touching and heart-felt images as they write about the true occurrences, problems, feelings and emotions that soldiers encountered throughout times of war. It is by way of these

For example, Owen conveys “ He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning” (line 16). This constructs an extremely horrific image in the reader’s mind that helps the reader better understand the horribleness of war by displaying a tragic event Owen experinced. Another representation of this is when the poet states “Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud” (lines 22 & 23). This additionally recreates the horrors Owen went through as a soldier in their mind. Furthermore, the horrific imagery present in “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen assists the poet in educating the readers that war should not be

<br>There are several image groups used in this poem, two of which I will be reviewing. The first image group is "Sleep or Dreams". Owen often refers to many subconscious states like the afore mentioned one, the reason why he uses these references so frequently is that war is made apparent to the