Dulce Et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen example essay topic

A poem which affected me deeply was 'Dulce et Decorum Est' by Wilfred Owen. In this poem Owen conveys a potent message of war that was largely unheard of before. He depicts the realities of war with men tortured by gas, and even facing death, a war which brings about no heroism. To convey his message he uses a number of techniques including; simile, metaphor and alliteration.

Young soldiers often join the army for the respect and patriotic feeling that is associated with fighting and dying for your country. People often associated the soldiers with being finely groomed fighting machines and turned out in their finest attire. Owen makes this evidently false when describing the condition of the soldiers. "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks", We realise the soldier's clothes must be in tatters as they are described using the simile "like old beggars". The men have to remain hunch-backed to remain hidden from enemy fire "bent double."And towards our distant rest began to trudge" This is a keynote in the poem as it shows that even the most undemanding movement like walking becomes a tiresome task "trudge". The men must have been beyond tiredness and become motivated by their most basic human instincts- to remain alive.

"Men marched asleep" This again describes the wearisome soldiers as they were marching whilst also sleeping. The writer very expertly uses his choice of words "Men marched asleep". The choice of using alliteration by beginning the two words with 'M', when reading, slows the pace at which we read. He does this to help show how tired they have become. He uses a metaphor to show us the dismal state of the soldiers. "Drunk with fatigue" The soldiers are so exhausted they are described as drunks.

The men's tiredness is made even more horrific when we learn of a cruel death suffered by many. "GAS! GAS! Quick, boys!

- An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time" This quotation is in stark contrast to the last paragraph, here everything is done on impulse. The men must at an instinct remove their gas masks from their satchels and fit over their heads. This was made more difficult by the size, weight, awkwardness and most importantly the deteriorating condition of the soldiers. The reality that someone must suffer hits home.

"And floundering like a man in fire or lime" He uses a simile to convey the unfortunate man, and describes him as a man on fire or covered in lime. Screaming, faltering. He stares through his mask and witnesses, first hand, death. "As under a green sea, I saw him drowning" Owens word choice here is particularly effective.

He describes seeing the man dying, through his gas mask. As visibility was poor through the mask, this combined with the green coloured air produced by the gas, making the death like drowning in a "green sea". The word choice is also particularly effective as you do literally drown in your lungs own fluid when gassed. Owen finishes his recollection of war through his own eyes by showing citizens at home, that war is not a fine thing and to die for your country's cause is not as honorable as it once was. "Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues" Wilfred Owen is conveying a gut wrenching description of what war has become, and how the innocent soldiers suffer such inconceivable atrocities. Here he is describing how lives have been taken innocently and unnecessarily by way of gassing.

"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory" Owen obviously felt that war was often glamorized to such an extent that people actually thought war was a good thing. Owen does not feel that war should be spoken of with such high admiration and willingness to send our young men off, often to die for a meaningless cause. He is showing us that even in our wildest dreams we could not know the ravages of war. If we did we would not talk about war as if it were a fairytale planted into the heads of our young: "The old lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori"Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori" is a quotation from the Odes of Horace, a famous Roman poet. It means "To die for ones' country is a fine and fitting thing". He uses this to identify his point of view that to die for your country has no longer become a "fine and fitting thing".

This saying can no longer be used as war is brutal and no remorse or respect shown to the soldiers, even those that are dead are deprived of a funeral; "The old lie". Owen is devastated to find the lack of respect and dignity shown to his comrades who are fighting and dieing for what he used to feel was a noble cause. He is so disheartened by the whole thing he begins to condemn the war and the appalling conditions suffered by the men. Owen uses the title "Dulce et Decorum est" to lure us into a false sense of security, as we learn this incident does not have a brave and heroic ending. He is at a stage it seems he has given up on dying for his country and everything associated with fighting for your country, respect, dignity and most importantly a sense of belonging to something that is worthwhile and a just cause. This incident shocks us into the question: 'What just cause does war serve?' I feel war is not a just cause and Owen uses his poem to convey this message: War cannot be justified.

To send off her young heroic men to die in such an uncompromising situation is not glamourous. After all it is not the politicians who instigate the war who are placing the heads on the line for what they obviously feel is the right course of action to take. After everything Owen has seen he feels compelled to inform us of the realities of war. He succeeds in making us feel uneasy and also feel genuine heart felt sorrow for the "drowning men" and those who are permenantly scared by these awful images.