World War I: What Makes A Person Proud?

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

However, the result of the War had produced some outstanding poets and Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a of the war poets who was widely regarded as one of the best poets of the World War One period. He wrote out of his intense personal experience and memory as a soldier and wrote with unrivalled power of the physical, moral and psychological trauma of the First World War . Heavily influenced by Keats and Shelly, a young Owen intrigued to become a poet began to absorb himself in poetry. He did not go into religious life like his mother. Instead, he left for Bordeaux, France to teach English in the Berlitz School after the war had erupted. Although he thought of himself as a `Pacifist', he enlisted in the Artist's Rifles in October 1915 and later in 1917 changed to France. There he began writing poems about his war experiences. Owen finally suffered from shell-shock in the summer of 1917 and was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital and met his friend Siegfried Sassoon, who shared his feelings about the war and who became interested in his work. Reading Sassoon's poems and discussing his work with Sassoon revolutionized Owen's style and conception of poetry .

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.

One is to think of war as one of the most honorable and noble services that a man can attend to for his country, it is seen as one of the most heroic ways to die for the best cause. The idea of this is stripped down and made a complete mockery of throughout both of Wilfred Owen’s poems “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth”. Through his use of quickly shifting tones, horrific descriptive and emotive language and paradoxical metaphors, Owen contradicts the use of war and amount of glamour given towards the idea of it.

The Roman poet Horace famously wrote, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” Many have pondered these words, the meaning of which being, “It is sweet and fitting to die for your country.” In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, German soldiers begin to realize that these words may not be as perspicacious as they appear. In the first five chapters of the novel, the ideas of war being noble and soldiers gallant are quickly thrown out the window as the reader is introduced to France’s notorious front lines during the First World War. Remarque uses a shocking first person narrative and realistic tone to show the reader that in reality, soldiers are nothing more than children who have gone to fight without the faintest of ideas

In the book All Quiet On the Western Front, Paul Baumer, a young school boy, and his friends are persuaded to join the German Army in the midst of World War I. While in a school classroom, Paul’s teacher goes on and on about the glories of war and the valor that comes with the name soldier. In a burst of pride, the class of school boys rush to enlist in the army at their first chance, with no second thoughts. What the men didn’t understand is that war does terrible things to a boy, a man, a country, and a world. People can do horrible things to each other, and so can war. War can be seen as the hero of a devastating situation to some, but to others, war is the instrument of their destruction.

It is astonishing and heartbreaking to believe the pain and misery of millions happened purely because of the pride of a few. World War I is regarded as one of the most tragic events in history, killing more people than all previous wars in history combined. Simply, World War I was a gruesome, global war that was concentrated in Europe. One of the main causes of the War was national pride, which, ironically, resulted in the depression and hopelessness of soldiers and civilians across the world. Nationalistic and imperialistic leaders were willing to drag their country into war, in order to prove their country was the most powerful, deserved to have the most land, and had the most national pride. Unfortunately, this morale of the civilian population

A Comparison of Dulce Et Decorum Est and Exposure Traditional war poetry gives the idea of patriotic idealism of war. This style of poetry implies that war is patriotic and that people who fight for their country are honorable. But many of the poets do not portray war as it really is, by glossing over the gory details with attractive images. Many traditional war poems were written before the war to persuade and encourage young boys to become loyal soldiers.

War is not the place for the common man; it is for the only for brave. This concept is seen in many war stories but it is emphasized in others. Examples of these stories include “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, and “Speaking of Courage” from Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Both stories account a war, but each occurs at a different stage; “The Charge of the Light Brigade” happens at the middle of a war, while “Speaking of Courage” occurs as a soldier reflects on a war. Despite these different stages of war, soldiers must have courage and bravery to fight and survive in war.

War is not heroic. War is sickness, struggle, and death. This is the message that poet and World War I soldier Wilfred Owen wanted to instill in his people back home. Those back home talked of glory and national pride and rooted for their soldiers, however, they were unaware of the horrors these soldiers witnessed and experienced. The soldiers and their people back home were not only separated by distance but by mental barriers, which Owen showcases in his poetry. Owen’s use of personification in “Anthem for Doomed Youth” degrades the soldiers to objects to show how the war dehumanized them to intentionally create a disconnect between the audience and the soldiers.

War is horrible, it is brutal and violent, solders suffer horrible deaths, and people have to endure and see some of humanity at its most savage level. The two poems “Dulce et Decorum est” by Owen Wilfred and "APO 96225" by Larry Rottmann are two poems which talk about the brutality of war. The two poems are very similar in the sense of their themes regarding the brutality of war, and the views of society on war; however the experiences and way they’re written to show said themes are quite different. “Dulce et Decorum est” focuses on how society in general has a misconstrued view of war as being ‘glorious’ but the truth is that it is actually harsh and brutal. Society says it is ‘sweet and fitting’ to die for ones country.

“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen takes its title from the Latin phrase that means “It is sweet and becoming to die for one’s country”. Quite often the barbaric nature of war is over romanticized and the author uses this title satirically to mock the public’s deluded view of war. The poem graphically describes the hell soldiers have to endure in their everyday battle for survival. These are tragedies of war that only veterans can fully understand and Wilfred Owen tries to enlighten the general public of these tragedies through imagery and similes throughout his poem.

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

World War I was a war full of combat, devastation, and death. It was not just any war. A total of over 37 million people were killed, a combination of civilians and soldiers. Soldiers went to battle every single day, not knowing which day would be their last. Soldiers weren't just fighting for their countries, they were fighting for their families and their lives. The reality of war had tumultuous effects on everyone who lived during that time. It had devastating effects on economies and societies all around the world. Many of the soldiers who fought in the war were valiant heroes on the outside, but anxious citizens worried about what was to come next on the inside. Death was something that many soldiers accepted, even though no one wanted to encounter the man himself. One poem that relates to the war and how soldiers felt fighting in it is "The Happy Warrior" by Herbert Read. "The Happy Warrior", a poem by Herbert Read, is an accurate depiction of how soldiers felt during the harsh times and realities of battle and war.

The saying, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” was once believed; it means that it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. Because Wilfred Owen knew the horrors, he opposes this saying in his poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” The narrator provides vivid images of his experience in WWI which includes both the exhaustion the soldiers endured while walking to their next resting point and of the death of a fellow soldier due to gas. His PTSD shows us that the gas experience continues to haunt him: “In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, / He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning,” (ll.15-16). The narrator also explains why young men should reconsider joining a war if given the opportunity; it is not worth the horror. The war leaves, “incurable sores on innocent tongues,” (l.24), due to the overbearing evils war brings, leaving soldiers faces’, “like a devil’s sick of sin,” (l.20). Ironically, war is too much sin for the devil. The narrator emphasizes the vulgarity of a war, “Obscene as cancer, bitter as cud,” (l.23). Owen ultimately maintains that it is not glorious dying for one’s country because of the many horrors.