Category: Dulce Et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen’s poetry was a mark of a historical movement. His elegies brought a new but true personal story about the horror on the battlefield. This was something that had never been done before because much of the propaganda at this time celebrated being a soldier and glorified dying for one’s country. In contrast, Owen’s poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ illustrated the death of a soldier and then the speaker demands that if the reader had witnessed this man die, would they still glorify war. Owen knows that many have embellished views of war, and therefore he wants to expose the truth. It is for this reason that we can see Modernism in Owen’s poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, as well as the historical value it possessed and finally the reasons behind including war poetry in the Modernist movement.

First, Modernism began in the nineteenth century and boomed after World War I after many faced the aftermath of the war. “The enormity of the war had undermined humankind’s faith in the foundations of Western society and culture, and postwar Modernist literature reflected a sense of disillusionment and fragmentation” (Kuiper, 2019). This style of writing was comprised of fresh styles of writing that involved revealing how the human mind works. Also, Modernism exposed the truth of life through words more realistically than any other piece of literature had done until that time. The events of World War I gave many authors the motivation to illustrate the reality about warfare and to give readers a tangible experience on the matter. This was unheard-of because the general public and the patriarchy glorified warfare and delivered the idea of dying for one’s country as heroic. Wilfred Owen on the other hand, knew of the brutality one would face in war and therefore wanted to call in to question if it was as glorious as many thought it to be.

Wilfred Owen is one example of many WWI authors who used the written word to discuss the brutality and hardships that war causes in his poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ Owen’s poem was influential on the Modernist movement because it exposed the horrors associated with World War I. Additionally, the narrator in the poem compares the truth of war to the lies that were told glorifying warfare and dying for one’s country. To illustrate the narrator in Owen’s poem pronounces, “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest/To children ardent for some desperate glory, /The old Lie: Dulce et decorum Est” (25-27). Owen clearly shows Modernism throughout his elegy as he illustrates in detail the truth of being on a battlefield, including the brutal reality of death. The narrator witnesses the man’s death after poisonous gas had fallen onto the soldier. Furthermore, the speaker demonstrates the untold truths of war as he is the witness to this man’s death, “In all my dreams before my helpless sight, /He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning” (Owen. 15-16). Therefore, Modernism is shown throughout Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’

Moreover, Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is influenced by WWI. Wilfred Owen was a soldier himself, therefore he was able to give a truthful firsthand account of what the war was like. “Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest war poets. Writing from the perspective of his intense personal experience of the front line, his poems… bring to life the physical and mental trauma of combat” (Wilfred, 2013). Owen’s elegy used the Modernism movement to expose the fabrications pertaining to patriotism, heroism, and the other lies that led nations into World War I. Consequently, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ was a truth bomb of the historic wars deceit that warfare was heroic and celebrated. Since the poem highlights the brutality of combat and the effects of chemical warfare, it went against much of the propaganda that was used during this time to promote men to become a soldier.

Furthermore, Modernist poetry captures vast genres and fresh directions from many different poets. Therefore, war poetry should also be included in the movement because of its pitilessly honest motifs. Like Wilfred Owen’s poems, the Modernism era captured life during historical times in a first-person experience. For example, Owen gives insight in the first stanza as he wrote, “Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, /But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;” (5-6). Readers can imagine injured soldiers with blood-stained clothes, walking with bloody feet because of lost shoes. This type of insight would not be possible without the honesty of the writings of the Modernism movement. If deprived of first-handed experiences that are written down many would never understand the tragic affairs of war and may have unreliable expectations. Owen allows readers full disclosure of what being on a battlefield is like, even the most horrid experiences that he had faced himself. According to The British Library, Wilfred Owen faced many terrors, “In the midst of heavy gunfire, he waded for miles through trenches two feet deep in water with the constant threat of gas attacks. The brutal reality of war had a profound effect on him, as he recounted in letters to his mother” (2013). Therefore, it is thought that Modernism was exposed to have never been one interconnected movement, but a wide range of writers with varying techniques and stories to be told. Although Modernism continued to grow, Wilfred Owen did not. “In September 1918, Owen returned to the front during the final stages of the war… He was killed, at the age of 25, while leading his men across the Sambre and Oise Canal…” (Wilfred, 2013).

In conclusion, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen was a part of a grander movement. His addition to the war poems helped shape and revolutionized Modernism, as well as many other genres and authors. Owen’s used his personal experiences on the battlefield to demonstrate the truth from the lies about becoming a soldier and what it means to die for your country. Although his ideas were not popular because they went against glorifying warfare, his war poems are historically valuable in the Modernist movement. Some may question if war poetry belongs in the movement, but clearly the poems were all apart of a bigger puzzle that intertwined and established a fresh way of writing.

Imagine being a young soldier who was forced to go to war and witnessed the death of his fellow soldiers each and every day? Wilfred Owen was an English poet and soldier who discussed the horrors of war through each of his poems in the 20th century. In Wilfred Owen’s poem Futility and Dulce et Decorum Est empathy is encouraged from the readers due to the soldier’s experiences throughout the war. His poems are extremely influential and relevant to today’s society as they discuss the hardships of war and relate to the loss of family which is still commonly experienced today. Futility is about moving a dead soldier’s body into the sun and wondering why he can no longer be saved which evokes the pointlessness and helplessness of war. On the other hand, Dulce et Decorum Est discusses how war is not sweet and honourable as it seems, due to the traumatic events that occurred which we now empathise with. Empathy is seen towards the soldiers in both Wilfred’s poems Futility and Dulce et Decorum Est through various poetic devices.

In the poem Futility, empathy is encouraged from the readers due to the soldier’s experiences throughout war and how we can relate to loss of family. Futility discusses the pointlessness of war and the helplessness of soldiers. It also questions religious beliefs of God referring to the sun. This is seen in the first line of the poem “Move him into the sun”, the personification of the sun shows that the sun has a sense of care for the soldier and wants to keep the body warm to preserve it. This allows the readers to feel a sense of empathy due to a helpless soldier trying to stay alive from the traumatic impacts of war. It also shows the relevancy of keeping a person alive and well before they can no longer live which is experienced in everyday life. “Until this morning and this snow” the use of the word snow symbolises death and cold imagery which contrasts the happiness and brightness of the sun in the previous lines. This shows the harshness of war and how it isn’t as great as it seems and is usually a sign of death for the soldiers. This line emphasises the true impacts of war and how many soldiers’ lives can be lost while fighting for their country, allowing us as readers to understand what they went through during the war. In the second stanza there is much more questioning which shifts from the previous calmness in the first stanza. “too hard to stir? Was it for this the clay grew tall?” the repetition of rhetorical questions shows the constant sense of confusion as the soldiers are seen as extremely vulnerable and can no longer be saved. The rhetorical questions state is it so hard to resurrect a person and is this why we are alive, just to die for war. This shows the sense of frustration and futility of war as it is a time of death and suffering for soldiers which allows us to empathise with them.

In comparison, Dulce et Decorum Est discusses the false sense of glory and the vulnerability of the soldiers due to the physical suffering that was experienced. This allows the readers to empathise with the soldiers while reading Wilfred Owens extremely influential poems. The first stanza starts off quite slow and is seen in the first line “like old beggars under sacks” the use of simile compares the soldiers to beggars, this contradicts with how soldiers were seen at the time which was strong, well presented and keen to fight for their country. However, this was not how war was actually like as many young men faced the struggles of war due to the physical suffering that was experienced by gas attacks. We empathise with the soldiers are they were degraded and very tired of daily tasks such as fighting. In the next quote there is a change of pace compared to the first stanza and in the previous poem Futility. “Gas! GAS! Quick, boys” Owen emphasises the impact of gas through the use of alliteration and capitalisation of the word gas which highlights the sense of urgency due to poisonous gas being exposed. This allows the readers to feel the true horrors of war as well as the hardships experienced by the soldiers. In comparison to Futility, Dulce uses more vivid imagery which highlights the physical impact of the soldier, “Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues” the use of juxtaposition between incurable and innocent shows us that the soldier is innocent but still has to experience all of these horrible things. Imagery is also emphasised through incurable sores on innocent tongues as it shows how they cannot be cured for the pain they had to endure. It once again allows us as the readers to emphasise the pain that they are feeling and how it cannot always be cured which happens in everyday life. This also shows the relevancy of the poem as we can relate to pain from horrible illness.

In conclusion both poems Futility and Dulce et Decorum Est portray the pointlessness and helplessness of war and also the false sense of glory due to the physical suffering of many soldiers. This encourages the readers to empathise with the soldiers due to what they went through and shows us how it is still very much relevant to today’s society through loss and pain.

In “Dulce et Decorum est” written by Wilfred Owen, and “Beach Burial” written by Kenneth Slessor, Poets criticise the reality of war through figurative language, contrasting settings, differentiating themes, contrasting poetic structure and changing tones. Neither Poets glorify war and are focused on projecting their emotions and experiences of war into their poems, for readers to experience and share.

Poets carry contrasting themes throughout their war poems in an attempt to portray conflicting emotions present in warfare. Owen attempts to reveal the brutal, never-ending nightmare of war through his poem “Dulce et Decorum est”. Using the simile “His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin”, Owen exemplifies the almost unnatural and strong effect of the gas, criticizing the bleak and grim realities of battle. In addition, Near the start of the first stanza, Owen uses the line “coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge”. The use of descriptive language present in this line, focuses on the hardship that the soldiers had to go through. Owen also uses a metaphorical description of what soldiers saw and went through on the battle field in the line “as under a green sea, I saw him drowning” to further give the audience a better understanding of the realities and hardship of war. In contrast, “Beach burial” has a continuity and loss of identity theme. In the line “the convoys of dead sailors come”, Slessor emphasises how the “seamen” sacrificed their lives and have died in the same way in which they came, highlighting the cycle of life and death. Late in the third stanza, the theme is further explored in the line “the breath of the wet season has washed their inscriptions”. This line demands readers consider that the soldiers sacrifice was a waste of humanity as their final acknowledgment on earth was washed away by a “breath” of “wet season”. Slessor further encapsulates the raw, sad reality of war through the line “and tread the sand upon their nakedness”. This line illustrates the message that the vulnerable “unknown seamen” have wasted their humanity and lost their identity. Both poets portray contrasting themes throughout their poem, giving the audience contrasting emotions to consider about war.

Slessor and Owen promote the reality of war through imagery, however both poets create contrasting tones. Throughout the poem “Dulce et Decorum est”, Owen creates a chaotic mood through the use of hard plosive consonants like “Knock Kneed” and “guttering chocking”. This further convinces the readers of the harsh realities of war. In addition, at the beginning of stanza 2, Owen uses repetition and short words in the line “GAS, GAS, Quick, boys!” to create a stressful mood for the rest of the stanza. The description of the soldier being “drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots” near the end of the first stanza, emphasises the morbid, gruesome realities of war and how they had to push through the pain and exhaustion to fight for their country. Furthermore, Owen uses descriptive language in the line “incurable sores on innocent tongues” to further describe the suffering that war had on young “innocent” men fighting in battle. In contrast, Slessor uses gentle and mellow verbs to set a humble and respectful tone to commence the fallen “seamen” in “Beach Burial”. Slessor uses rhythm in the line “At night they sway and wander in the waters far under”, to mimic the movement of the “dead sailors” in the ocean. The use of syllabic meter in this line focuses on rolling you through the stanza, further creating a calming mood. By using personified language in the line “morning rolls them in the foam”, Owen suggests that although they have fought and sacrificed themselves for their country, they are then tossed to the side and forgotten. This adds a sense of sadness and conflicting emotions on readers as it makes you feel both remorseful and grateful. Neither poets glorify war and are attentive about letting readers know the true horrors of battle.

Owen and Slessor use structure in their poem to reflect the emotions inherent in their experiences during war. “Dulce et Decorum est” has an informal poetic structure. The rhyme scheme is irregular and unpredictable mirroring the harsh and unforeseeable experiences on the battlefield. The poem is split up into two parts, both having 14 lines. The first part of the poem is written in the present as the action is current and Owen is reacting to the events around him. This gives the readers a vivid image of what it was like on the battlefield and all the gruesome it held. The second part of the poem is written as if he is looking back on the bitter experiences, as if it was a “dream”. Owen makes the last line in the final stanza seem like it has been cut short for readers. Owen does this to emphasise the unpredictable nature of war and to emphasise that anything can happen at any moment in time. In contrast, “Beach Burial” has a continues rhythm throughout the poem, thus Owen only using 2 caesuras’. The rhythm of the line’s, mirror the constant movement of waves, further exemplifying the continuity theme of “Beach Burial”. The continues rhythm highlights the concept that time must move on and everyone must move forward regardless of losses. Throughout the poem, there are different tones in each stanza. The poem progresses from dawn to morning, revealing a change in language as the reader has a revelation. The structure of “Beach Burial” lets the reader feel emotions of a journey in search for true identity. The changing weather and the enjambment throughout the poem further promotes the continuality theme. Poets structure “Beach Burial” and Dulce et Decorum est” in contrasting ways, however neither poets fail to illustrate the true horrors or war.

Through the two contrasting emotional journeys of “Dulce et Decorum est” and “Beach Burial”, Poets portray the confronting true horrors and heartache of war. Poets are carful to exemplify their harsh experiences through structure, tone and figurative language.

Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen were both English soldier poets of the First World War but their views were very different and reflected the chasm that separated them in terms of actual war experiences. Both of these famous poets display the horrors of war in a completely different ways in these two poems, The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. In both of these famous poems, the authors use different themes of war and death.

Ruprt Brooke was a well-educated man, he was even known as a national hero even before his death in 1915 at the age of 27. Brooke grew up from a well off family, he attended high status boarding school where his father was the headmaster. Before Brooke graduated from cambridge in 1909 and the start of World War I, he spent the majority of his time traveling and writing poetry, which is why his poetry from these times had themes of love and nature. Like most men around his age, Brooke volunteered for the service of war. Brooke joined the navy reserve; the groups first destination was Antwerp, Belgium where he would stay through the beginning of 1915. During his entire stay in Belgium, there was no military action in this region, which was a grace period where Brooke was able to write some of his most famous works such as The Soldier. The Soldier was one of his most famous and openly patriotic poems. Unfortunately, in February of 1915 Brooke was bitten by an insect and died of blood poisoning.

Wilfred owens was one of the best well-known britsish poets during World War I. Owens composed almost all of his poems in over a year, from august 1917 to september 1918. Sadly in November 1918 Owens was killed during action at the age of 25. During Owens life time only five of his poems were published. His most famous poem “Dulce et Decorum Est”. Owens experience in the war was horrifying. He would write letters to his mother describing the situations, “The awful state of the roads, and the enormous weight carried was too much for scores of men.” he waded through two and a half miles of trenches with “a mean depth of two feet of water.” Owen described a hut where he was housed at which was only 70 yards away from a howitzer that was fired every minute day and night. On January 12 occurred the march and attack of poison gas in “Dulce et Decorum Est.” where he marched three miles over a shelled road and three more along a flooded trench, where those who got stuck in heavy mud had to leave their waders, as well as some clothing and equipment, and move ahead on bleeding and freezing feet. In the cold march they were constantly under machine gun fire and heavy explosives. On March 19, he was hospitalized for a brain concussion suffered six nights earlier, when he fell into a 15-foot-deep shell hole while searching in the dark for a soldier overcome by fatigue. One wet night during this time he was blown into the air while he slept. For the next week Owen hid in a hole too small for his body, which he shared with the body of his dead friend.

Owen experienced a completely different aspect of World War I than Brooke did. Owen does not think of war as marvelous event to take part in. Owen’s attitude towards war is rebellious and chaotic. While Brooke portrays the war as being orderly and effortless. In his poem he withholds discussing the details of combat, because brooke did not experience combat in the war. While Owen wrote his poems after he experienced it himself. In brooke’s poem He imagines his own death, but rather than conveying sadness or fear at such an event, he accepts it as an opportunity to make a noble sacrifice by dying for his country. “If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;” Brooke imagines heaven like it would be home, full of the same sounds,sights and even dreams of England. While Owen attacks those back home who incite young boys to fight endless and hard battles. “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est:” In these lines Owen goes on confronting the readers but also the people back in his home that if they experienced what he had gone through they wouldn’t be so quick to praise the fallen soldiers who died in action. They would fibing to other generations if they thought the death on battlefields was sweet, Owen did not hold anything back with his vivid imagery. Which is contract to brooke’s poem were nowhere does he mention the horrors of war and he believes dying on the battlefield while claiming more land for one’s country is a noble, heroic, even an ideal way to go out.

In “ Dulce et decorum est” the theme of war is suffering, reality, and patriotism. The theme of suffering is the physical pain and trauma basically summed up the description of World War I, on the battle grounds through Owens words. With the memory of the gas attack, the pain is constantly reminiscing the past and present(“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—”). As owen argues that war is so distressing it becomes surreal. While the themes in “the soldier” is death, patriotism and the natural world. The theme death portrayed in “the soldier”, right in the beginning of his poem. The speaker talks about his own death (“If I should die, think only this of me:-A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,”), throughout his first stanza he mentions “dust”, a compelling word that makes the readers think of death and funerals. He uses “if” in the first line, normally people poetry death as being scary, but brooke imagines a life after death that appears to be peaceful and familiar. Owen uses reality to create a fine line between the men who prop up for war and the men who fight their battles. He makes it seem that only those who have fought in war can truly understand the truma when losing a soldier(‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,’) Owen shows how how surreal there reality really is, so his readers can understand the horrors he has went through.

Both poems show patriotism in there poems. In the “The Soldier” Brooke mentions “England” six times, he highlights the strong relationship between the soldier and England,“the soldier is a part of England, and England is like his mother.” doing this Brooke shows the importance of fighting for his country. In

“Dulce et decorum est” Owen uses patriotism in his poem by dying for your country or fighting for it. He makes it seem a lot less worthwhile than it is. He implies the people can’t understand how horrid life on the front and the soldiers fighting can’t even remember why their fighting.

To conclude both of these poems are very powerful and thick with imagery and themes of war and death. Owen’s poem “Dulce et decorum est” shows the true horror of war and the horrid experiences he faced on the front line, while Brooke’s poem “the soldier” portrays war as a beautiful and powerful way to fight for your country.

Work cited

1. Wymer, Rowland. “‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’: War Requiem (1989).” Derek Jarman, Apr. 2019, doi:10.7765/9781526141323.00017.
2. Yurtoğlu, Nadir. “Http://www.Historystudies.net/dergi//birinci-Dunya-Savasinda-Bir-Asayis-Sorunu-Sebinkarahisar-Ermeni-isyani20181092a4a8f.Pdf.” History Studies International Journal of History, vol. 10, no. 7, 2018, pp. 241–264., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658
3. “Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f..
4. “‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ and Some Amendments to the Dating of Wilfred Owens Letters.” Notes and Queries, 1986, doi:10.1093/notesj/33.2.186.

In their poetry, Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon all express very different perspectives towards war. Wilfred Owen in his poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” expresses the brutality of war and a sense of deception at being lied to by the propaganda and the government. However, in Rupert Brooke’s poetry, he conveys a sense of patriotism towards the war. Siegfried Sassoon, on the other hand, portrays how war changes soldiers, turning them into human savages and highly affecting them psychologically.

Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” (1917) explores the brutal truth of war, conveying the harsh conditions and sense of betrayal felt by soldiers who felt they had been lied to by the authorities at home. This poem four-stanza structure is irregular, as all the stanzas have different numbers of lines. Owen opens the poem with an unpleasant simile describing the soldiers as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.” The simile conveys the painful truth of soldiers bent over and suffering, comparing them to “old beggars” to portray their constant suffering and their vulnerability during the war. Owen reminds the reader of wars chaos in the second stanza, “Gas! GAS! Quick, Boys! — An ecstasy of fumbling” The short sentences punctuated with exclamation marks carry a sense of urgency to the reader showing the panic and terror of the soldiers. The poet then uses a metaphorical “ecstasy of fumbling” to portray how quickly the men scramble to put on their helmets as if they are in a trance-like frenzy. Here, the word ‘ecstasy’ has nothing to do with the happiness it is normally associated with, instead of conveying chaos and panic. Owen confronts the reader by addressing them with the word ‘you’; “If you could hear at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs… you would not tell with such zest to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori ” Owen uses brutal imagery to confront the readers who are ignorant of the horrors of war with the reality that he faced. Owen uses an allusion to the Roman poet Horace’s writing, which states that it is “sweet and fitting to die for one’s country” to highlight his betrayal at being told ‘the old Lie’ of war bringing ‘glory’ to convince him to go to war.

“The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke demonstrates a contrasting perspective on war compared to Wilfred Owen, highlighting honour and pride for one’s country overcoming the fear of death. Brooke initiates his poem by saying ‘If I should die, think only this of me’. Brooke uses sonnet form (14 lines of iambic pentameter, divided into an octave and sestet) however the octave is rhymed after the Shakespearean (ababcdcd) rhyme scheme, while the sestet follows the Italian rhyme scheme (efgefg). Using the first person with the hypothetical words ‘if I should die’ Rupert conveys a sense of fearlessness, showing his willingness and lack of fear at the thought of death; Thereby showing the reader his vastly different opinion to Wilfred Owen who is disillusioned with the reality of war. Brooke is patriotic and does not consider the horrors of war, this is due to him not having been exposed to war when writing the poem. This is reinforced in the metaphor ‘There’s some corner of a foreign field, that is forever England’ This shows his complete devotion for his country and how he would be satisfied if he could claim that foreign field where he rests eternally for England. The word choice of ‘forever’ implies that his sacrifice will always be important and everlasting. He considers his life insignificant “A pulse in the eternal mind” But that he can have a greater and everlasting impact on the world by dying in war displayed through the metaphor. Brooke’s national pride is again evident through the use of personification ‘In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware”, as he encapsulates how England has nurtured him and he is honoured to repay that debt. His perspective of war is very patriotic and he believes in the pride and honour of fighting for his country.

“The Rear-Guard” By Siegfried Sassoon in contrast, has a disgruntled tone and its purpose is to warn people about the psychological effects of war. The poem explores a soldier who is being reverted to a less developed, inhuman state. This poem does not have a set rhyme scheme which reflects on the hectic nature of the tunnels. It is written with iambic pentameter. Sassoon starts his poem by setting the scene “Groping along the tunnel, step by step”. This poem begins with a sense of struggle and is shown through the use of imagery, portraying a man who is searching blindly, with the uncertainty of what is ahead. He is also taking it ‘step by step,’ telling the reader that he is tired, injured or hesitant. The persona continues walking as he “winked his prying torch with patching glare”. He uses the metaphor that he ‘winked’ his torch to show the reader that his torch is running out of battery and is starting to blink instead of being a beam of light, representing his mental state slowly deteriorating. The third stanza ends with the protagonist speaking with acrimony “I’m looking for headquarters.” No reply. “God blast your neck”. The metaphor is used to show how hostile the man is becoming, which shows he is becoming very mentally ill. The more the poem progresses the more apparent it becomes that he is suffering psychologically “Savage, he kicked a soft unanswering heap, And flashed his beam across the livid face” the poet uses dehumanization and gradually over time sheds the sense of humanity in the poem so far culminates when the protagonist refers to the deceased person as ‘Savage’. The persona dehumanizes the dead person ‘soft, unanswering heap’, and the protagonist seems to not be phased by it. concluding the sense of atavistic disorder finds himself in. “The Rear-guard” is in many ways about human beings regressing to a more animalistic state, hence displaying Sassoon’s perspective on war and how it changed the soldiers and made them more primitive.

Through the comparison of Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon it is evident that their different experiences of war have altered the way that they depict certain aspects of war. Wilfred Owen perceives war as full of death and suffering and feels that he has been led to believe in the false sense of patriotism. Rupert Brooke contradicts Owens impression of war instead believing that service and death is the best way to show your love for your country. Siegfried Sassoon in his poem “The Rear-Guard” sheds light on the psychological effects of war and how it reverts soldiers to becoming primitive and dehumanises them.

Even though wars are made up of two sides fighting against each other, the effect and losses that they have on each and every country involved can be equally horrific and traumatic. During times of war, poetry can be an important outlet for soldiers to express their thoughts and feelings. WW1 saw countless poems written to both call for young men to enlist to fight for ‘the motherland’, to depict the truth and reality of war and to convey the pain and trauma of the aftermath. Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen are two such poets, both soldiers who witnessed war first hand, however for different amounts of time. Both poets use a range of poetic devices, such as emotive and descriptive language, literary devices and poetic techniques in order to describe their experience. While they were both soldiers during the First World War, their background, experiences of war and methods of writing were completely different. In the two poems, ‘The Soldier’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ there is evidence that the poet’s experiences, views and values of war were completely different. Wilfred Owen experienced war first hand in the trenches and therefore wanted to reveal the reality and horrors of war to the general public. On the other hand, Rupert Brooke never experienced true war, in fact he only saw action for one day and so he only assumed what it must be like and did not fully understand what war could do to a person.

Both poems indicate the meaning of war and the power it has on society, people and the home front. They both demonstrate what war life was like, but in completely different context. In ‘The Soldier,’ Rupert Brooke personifies England as a mother figure, and it is shown how much love and how patriotic he was for England at the time of war. This is shown when he writes, ‘that there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England.’ Here, Brooke calls the dead soldiers a part of England. He believed that there was honour in dying for your country and that when you do die, you are heroic and a soldier to remember. He also believed that mother England was by your side and he would be willing to sacrifice his life because he knew England would be wherever he was. However, Brooke never witnessed war first hand, and never truly understood what war was like, due to his early death in 1915. Therefore, his poem is seen as a dream because he could only imagine what it would be like to fight for your country and die knowing that you had served well. In contrast, in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ Wilfred Owen expresses the pain and misery of war and shows that in reality, dying for your country is dreadful, full of misery and not something soldiers want to do. Unlike Brooke, Owen served several years in war, grudging around trenches, serving for his country and experiencing the horrors and trauma. He understood what it felt like to walk away from a battle and know that all they had gained was more deaths and casualties. He knew what it was like to cough ‘like hags’ and curse ‘through sludge’ on his way back to camp. This proves that Owen’s poem is realistic and not a dream and that it reveals the truth about his suffering and grieving during war.

Brooke and Owen similarly write with passion and emotion. Both poems give knowledge and perspective to the audience through the use of tone and structure. In ‘The Soldier,’ there is a rhyme scheme and the poem is in iambic pentameter and this is mirrored in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ ‘The Soldier’ is a fourteen-line iambic pentameter and consists of one stanza. This structure is typically used for pieces that have soft and loose themes. Because ‘The Soldier’ is a poem about war and the love of England, the structure is varied throughout. The length of the lines in the poem are diverse and this highlights the importance of the longer lines as they stand out more and allow the reader to further look at the meaning of these sentences. It also makes the piece less fluent and this makes it harder to read and comprehend. The rhyme scheme at the start of the poem is in the form of ABAB, but then changes to introduce the ending rhyme scheme of ABCABC. This change comes as a shock to the reader and it is used to express the love, sympathy and joy England gave to Brooke. Although the first poem has a similar structure to ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ there is a difference in the construction of these poems because the second poem has different purposes and values. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is in iambic pentameter, however Owen has created his own style and form of the pentameter to depict the brutal and unforgiving experience he had. This form of writing is called conventional poetry and Owen has used this influent structure to allow the reader to see and feel the bad parts of war. One example of this is the quote, ‘GAS! GAS! Quick, boys!’ This break in the iambic pentameter structure is important as it represents the panic and shock the soldiers were in when the gas was dropped. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ consists of four stanzas and the rhyming scheme is consistent in the form of ABAB. By using this pattern, Owen can easily grasp the attention of the readers as the poem is song-like and every line is leading to a word that rhymes. These two poems by Brooke and Owen are intentionally altering their structure to create a certain effect.

In both poems, Brooke and Owen utilise literary devices to further express their emotions and perspective on war. In ‘The Soldier,’ there is minimal imagery expressed because Brooke did not know what war looked like and therefore could not develop any ideas. In direct contrast to this, in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ there is imagery that is conveyed all throughout the poem. This imagery is true as Owen saw war with his own eyes and saw a man ‘guttering, choking, drowning’ right in front of him. The language used in Owen’s piece is truthful and accurate. This is because Owen had no shame is saying what was right and letting people know what war life was like in reality. He spoke harshly and aggressively because he knew that that was what people were going to react to. He overexaggerated every word to make it more accurate and effective on the audience. On the other hand, the language used in ‘The Soldier’ is soft. There is no aggression or hatred in Brooke’s words because he is speaking fondly of war because he wants people back home to like the idea of war and not get worried about their friends and relatives who are fighting for their country. Although the way in which their language presented is different, both poets use the literary devices of language to depict their emotions.

Poets convey feelings or thoughts about war because they want to express their personal experiences with the topic and show their audiences, through the use of important poetic devices, what war is in reality. ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen both portray emotions on war through their writing, however with completely different perspectives. Brooke believed that dying for your country during war was beautiful and powerful, however Owen believed the complete opposite. In Owen’s last line of his poem, ‘The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori,’ he remarks that the quote, it is sweet and honourable to die for your country, is a lie. This proves the major contrast in the beliefs and understanding of the two poets, Brooke and Owen. Soldiers wrote poetry during war because they needed to express their feelings when there was no one to talk to. These soldiers, however, did not know that these personal, emotional pieces, would one day become famous worldwide.

Works cited

1. Ezez. 2019. ‘Essay on Comparing The Soldier and Dulce et Decorum Est | Bartleby’. Bartleby.com. https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Comparing-The-Soldier-and-Dulce-et-Decorum-F3C9Y7SZTC
2. Ezez. 2019. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Vs The Soldier Essays’. PaperAp.com. https://paperap.com/paper-on-9168-dulce-et-decorum-vs-soldier/.

The text that I have chosen to analyze is Dulce et Decorum Est, written by Wilfred Owen in 1918. Wilfred Owen was a famous poet that revealed the vivid truth about the traumas of war, in particular, his experiences in World War I. The text can be classified as a poem, that contains four irregular versed paragraphs, with a mode of horror. Dulce et Decorum Est is about the poets personal experiences during World War I, where he was primarily based on the Western front of France. Wilfred Owen vividly describes the horrific events that he and his fellow soldiers had to encounter and witness whilst under a gas attack. The author, who acts as the primary speaker throughout the poem, explains the fatigue and exhaustion the men felt during a gas attack and how they rushed for their gas masks, to save themselves from the poisonous blast. The poet also addresses the reader and claims that if they too were to have experienced the tragedies of war and watched men die before them, they would no longer encourage their children to go to war.

Through further analysis of this text, I hope to assert that the poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, is still applicable to today’s society and the wars we are fighting. Becoming a soldier is depicted as being a heroic act, however, often it leaves people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and, being unable to live their lives as they used to prior to war, due to the horrific events they have encountered. Therefore, I hope to draw connections between war and its impact on PTSD. The theoretical concept that is most applicable to this poem is New Historicism, as I wish to determine the relationship between the text itself and the historical importance. Also, I will make connections between the concept of subjectivity, as war leads individual subjects to sacrifice themselves for their country by placing nationalism before themselves. The research that I will be gathering includes assessing the culture and societal life during WWI, forms of propaganda that was distributed throughout WWI and compare that to the forms we see today. I will gather historical documents and biographies of those who have returned from war, alongside historical texts that represent information surrounding WWI.

I have chosen this text because it is personal to me as my past relatives participated in WWI, thus, I wish to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of soldiers at war during this time. My previous encounters with this text, will further enhance the beginning foundations of the study. I am excited about gaining a deeper intellectual understanding of what happened to societies during WWI and establishing how the problems that occurred in the early 20th century are still applicable today. However, I am anxious about revealing the truth and severity of war on people’s ability to return to societal life.

“…flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…” Without context, this quote is just a meaningless jumble of words. Context plays a major role for modernist poets to communicate their message. The role of context is evident in Wilfred Owen’s poems Dulce et Decorum Est and Futility. Owen is able to portray his messages effectively with the aid of the audience’s knowledge of the modernist period as well as his situation amidst the Great War.

In his modernist poem Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen capitalises on the audience’s knowledge of the period to present his message. Owen alludes to Roman poet, Horace’s, patriotic odes that preach about the glory of fighting as a soldier. Horace’s collection is deliberately alluded in the original Latin by Owen in the title and the closing of his poem. The line “Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori” in Horace’s poem- that it is sweet and proper to die for one’s country- is used by Owen as the overarching condemnation in his poem Dulce et Decorum Est. Owen questions this phrase throughout the poem and closes the poem with this line to allow the audience to reminisce on this line and whether it really is sweet and proper to die for one’s country. With the context of World War I, Owen effectively explored “the old Lie” and presented the truth of war.

Futility questions the value of life due to the inevitability of death. The title ‘Futility’ meaning pointlessness or uselessness immediately sets the theme of the poem. Owen echoes the idea of a useless life in the poem by using the Sun and Earth as metaphors. The Sun, Earth and seeds are things that support and provide life, however, Owen questions the purpose of the hard work of each. Owen poses a rhetorical question “Was it for this the clay grew tall?” to his audience. The Earth which Owen metaphorically presents as ‘clay’ allows him to explore whether life emerged from Earth just to die. The context of the horror and trauma of World War I made many soldiers question the value of life and thus Owen poses the same question to the audience. The first rhetorical question is then followed by another “O what made fatuous sunbeams toil To break earth’s sleep at all?” on which the poem ends. This final rhetorical question again doubts why the sunlight would bother to create and support life. Aporia is usually used at the beginning of a text, however, Owen has used it at the end of his poem. By doing so, he leaves the audience with questions to ponder upon similarly to the soldiers in World War I.

Overall, the context of the war has allowed Owen, a modernist poet, to convey his ideas to the audience. The importance of context is evident in Wilfred Owen’s poems Dulce et Decorum Est and Futility where his messages are effectively communicated. Ultimately, if it wasn’t for context, Owen’s poems would be meaningless.

1000 Words Essay about Heroism

Each and every person needs to succeed at something. Regardless of whether it be sports, school, their activity, or even the general idea of life. Sacrifice some idea of opportunity so as to succeed. Sacrifice is a more important than success since one can not make without sacrificing something first. Nothing will occur if the heroes does not attempt to make an improvement. In every one of these stories, it advise the reader what they need to offer up to receive. There are numerous approaches to make a hero. Heroes are effective, they show courage, and sacrifice themselves.

Example of Heroism

Let’s gander at the tale of Beowulf, written in the fifth century. Beowulf is a prince who has sacrificed his life for absolute outsiders. Beowulf is an epic poem that portrays the heroics of a man with superhuman sacrifice, and courage. In this poem, Beowulf sacrifices his life to save the Danes from the loathsome Grendel, a monster who is killing and eating the Danish soldiers. Beowulf went into battle knowing that he would not survive and would need help: “Quickly, the dragon came at him, encouraged / As Beowulf fell back; its breath flared, / And he stuffered, wrapped around in swirling / Flames –a king, before, but now / A beaten warrior. None of his comrades / Came to him, helped him, his brave and noble / Followers; they ran for their lives, fled / Deep in a woo. And only one of them / Remained, stood there, miserable, remembering / As a good man must, what kinship should mean” (Beowulf 702- 711). Everyone promised that they would be there and fight when Beowulf is need of help but they didn’t keep their promise when he was in need. When the dragon was throwing all of those flames at Beowulf, every single one of his followers; they ran away, and only one of them stayed back to help Beowulf. His name was Wiglaf, went to fight the dragon knowing that he might risk his life too. Heroes want to sacrifice themselves for others because it is their duty; “Our men have gone into it, sinking slowing, and struggling and / slowly disappearing” (Borden 35-36). The mud covers over the death and destruction of war. Being considered a hero you have to sacrifice a lot of things to be successful because you have to give up something to get what you want. Sacrifice is extremely important for a hero. Sometimes heroes must leave some of the things that are most important to them in their own hearts.

There is additionally a stream influence with regards to heroes and courage. There is a poem called “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars,” written by Richard Lovelace. In this poem, discuss about a man leaving his lover, Lucasta, and going to fight with the enemy to seek glory on the battlefield. Lucasta considers this as a selfish act, “I could not love thee, Dear, so much, / Loved I not honor more” (Lovelace 12-13). However, his courage could prompt her life being spared in the long haul. Anyone can be a hero; “…I believe that true heroes are most often ordinary people who in a brief moment behave heroically” ( “A World of Heroes”). A hero can be any person who is prepared to have the courage to save a life. Heroic courage when facing danger. Courage is a trait all heroes should have. The general purpose is that heroes are attempting to roll out an improvement.

Who is a Real Hero?

A hero is someone who is always doing good deeds and willing to sacrifice their life. Sacrifice contributes more to heroism, You do not need to be successful in life to be a hero. Acts of sacrifice must happen to be a hero. In There is a poem called “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen, his poem, “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory, / The old lie: Dulce et Decorum est / Pro patria mori” (Owen 25-28). “Dulce et Decorum est / Pro patria mori,” means “It is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country.” Owen guarantees that nobody should nourish the heroica success of death into the mind of children. Owen assumes that passing is not a type if achievement, rather disappointment, so there is no reason for fighting if the final product is death, In any case, that is a choice the individual needs to make. Everyone needs to understand the basic of war. People use weapons to kill enemy for a good cause. Some people will die. On the off chance that the fighters are not ready to sacrifice their lives for more noteworthy benefit of the United State, They should not join. Presently some would contend there is no reason for making a sacrifice on the off chance that one does not succeed. In the poem Beowulf, Higlaf eventually did slay the dragon but then the hero that all of the Geats knew was dead. He was still hailed as a hero after he had failed. This proves that you do not need to be successful to a legendary hero. “Human / Eyes were watching his evil steps, / Waiting to see his swift hard claws. / Grendel snatched at the first Geat / He came to ripped him apart, cut / His body to bits with powerful jaws, / Drank the from his veins and bolted / Him down, hands and feet; death / And Grendel’s great teeth came together, / Snapping life shut” (Beowulf 309-318). A hero does not let one of their comrades die to observe how the monster fights. Beowulf could have easily stopped the monster from killing his comrades but he chose not to. Instead he watched as his comrads’s life just be erased just like that.

Conclusion

The heroic traits in these stories would be, willing to sacrifice and have courage. Sacrifice contributes more to heroism then success. Being successful does not mean that the person is a hero. Yes, a hero can be successful but that is not what is required to be a great hero. They need to sacrifice something first. Sacrifice some personal satisfacion leaves space for the heroes to watch the job that needs to be done, battle for what they have faith in without interruption, and do what they accept is directly so as to succeed. A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for what they believe in. There is no success without Sacrifice.