Owens Use Of Diction In The Poem example essay topic

In the anti-war poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", written by Wilfred Owens, the author criticizes the concept that it is sweet, honorable and patriotic to fight and die for one's country. He portrays this criticism, throughout the poem, using a combination of powerful diction, figurative language, vivid imagery, and structure. Owens' use of diction in the poem is truly exceptional, and clearly supports the theme that war is terrible and devastating. The phrase "blood shod" shows that the soldiers are tired, having been walking for days without rest. Words such as "fumbling", "yelling", "stumbling", "floundering", "guttering", "choking", and "drowning", creates an image of a terrified soldier desperately trying to escape the enemy, but failing. The author constructed these words in the progressive tense to emphasize the fact that this occurs all the time in battle.

The dead soldier is then "flung" into a back of a wagon. The word "flung" is important because it shows that even knowing he gave his life for his country, his body was treated with no respect, honor and nobility. Owens's also portrays the soldiers as "boys" and being "innocent". He does this to show the fact that they are young, immature, and willing to believe anything they hear; including the lie "Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori", or it is sweet to die for one's country. Without some of these words, the true meaning of the poem would me altered. Therefore, the diction used throughout the poem is very effective in portraying the horrors of war.

Owens' creative use of figurative language produces harsh images, relating to the brutalities of war. On the first line, the author shows that the soldiers have become "like old beggars under sacks", having not slept in a real bed for weeks, perhaps even months. They have become tired, weak, and sick, proven by the fact that they have been "coughing like hags". As the army retreats, they begin to walk towards their "distant rest". This has a possibility of meaning two things. The soldiers could be walking to a place where they are going to sleep and get rest, or they could be steadily walking to a place where death awaits them.

The second meaning is far more effective because it involves death. The main point of the poem is to create an anti-war feeling in the reader and the thought of death does that. Later on he compares the chlorine gas, usually used as a harmful and powerful weapon in World War One, to a "green sea" in which he sees a soldier helplessly suffer in. He also compares the victim's face to "the devils", as being rugged and unhealthy looking. The author describes war as being "Obscene as cancer". This is very effective because people think of cancer as being evil and life threatening, which perfectly fits the description of Owens' opinion on war.

Owens' creates a compelling metaphor comparing the emotional scars experienced by the soldiers to "vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues". The dreadful memories will haunt them forever. The utilization of these similes and metaphors creates powerful and effective images in the reader. The reader is able to observe the crippling and devastating effect that war has on soldiers, further proving Owens' theme. One of the most important aspects of the poem is its graphic imagery.

This contributes to the effect of the poem and allows the reader to see the gruesome and disturbing images of war. On the seventh line of the poem, the troops are considered to be "drunk with fatigue". From this, it is apparent that the soldiers are so tired that they are completely unaware of their surroundings, almost to the point that they cannot even see or hear anymore. After the gas attack occurs, Owens' describes the mood as being "an ecstasy of fumbling". This shows a loss of self-control in the soldier as the gas begins to surround him. Thus, creating a state of panic and mayhem.

At the end of the second stanza vision imagery is used when it says", I saw him drowning". This is effective because it is being from someone who actually experienced the horrors of war. Near the end of the poem, Owens' talks to the reader and asks if "you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs". These graphic images create a feeling of disgust, proving that war is not sweet. Imagery has an overwhelming effect on the meaning of the poem, but so does its structure.

Each line has a fair length to it, creating a slow rhythm relative to the overall mood of the poem. Thus, allowing the reader to picture images relating to the horrible aspects of war. An example of this slow rhythm is on line six in which he says "But limped on, blood-shod". In line eight, the allusion "Five-Nines" refers to German artillery shells. According to the poem, the soldiers were unable to hear these shells being dropped behind them. This allusion allows the poem to maintain its rhythm.

The rhyming scheme is A BAB, C DCD. There are sudden mood changes that occur throughout the poem. The most effective transition is from the first to the second stanza. In the first stanza the soldiers are slowly walking along, tired, and hurt.

In the second stanza, a sudden gas attack occurs and action begins to take place. There is an "ecstasy of fumbling", which is effective because it catches the reader's attention. The last stanza, "The old lie; Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori", is all one sentence because that is the overall theme of the play. The theme being that it is not sweet to die for one's country. Owens' unique combination of diction, figurative language, imagery, and structure has created a compassionate and realistic view on war. The compelling images created throughout the poem definitely lead the reader to believe that, "Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori", is truly a lie.

The way in which the author has used certain poetic devices, creates a positive and effective outcome of the poem.