An important theme throughout the poem is the concept of war used to glorify violence. The title of the poem which was widely used propaganda at that time exalts the concept of war, saying it’s a good and honourable thing to die for your country, but in reality, as evidenced by the soldier in the poem could not be more different. The idea of suffering is explored with the use of depressing and dismal language. The use of simile such as “bent double like old beggars” gives the impression that the soldiers have been prematurely aged, and seemingly deformed by the harsh conditions of war. This simile is an important contrast of the information people were fed at the time of soldiers being strong and proud.
The poem however, rejects this maxim by vividly describing the condition of physically poor and decrepit old soldiers ready to die. The weary soldiers are returning from battle and the front liners are gassed unexpectedly by their enemies. The poem records the painful struggle of one of the men, affected by the poisonous gas, as he approaches his inevitable death. Throughout the poem, Owen creates gory, graphic images and uses apt diction to clearly convey the horror and squalor of the war and the soldiers’ extreme languor and suffering. To end the poem, he simply refutes the old Latin saying he considers a total lie; a fallacy.
One of the soldiers fails to fit the gas mask in time, and Owen masterfully describes himself witnessing the soldier’s gruesome death. Owen ends the poem with the Latin proverb from Horace's Odes (III.2.13) ‘Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori’, meaning 'It is sweet and proper to die for one's country' (Dr. Stuart Lee, 1997). With those last few lines, Owen expresses his deepest disapproval of the war. He is rejecting the traditional view that glorifies war, calling it ‘The old Lie’ (line 27). Owen is addressing the reader, who possibly doesn’t have the first hand experience of the war, and criticising the enthusiasm with which the war is described, particularly to vulnerable children (BBC, 2013).
HOW DOES WILFRED OWEN CONVEY THE HORRORS OF WAR IN POETRY ? Many of Owen's poems direct anger towards the generals and those at home who have encouraged war.Owen's war poetry is a passionate expression of outrage at the horrors of war and of pity for the young soldiers sacrificed in it. It is dramatic and memorable, whether describing physical horror, such as in 'Dulce et Decorum Est' or mental torment such as in' Disabled'. His poetry evokes more from us than simple disgust and sympathy. Owen sympathizes with the vain young men who have no idea of the horrors of war, who are 'seduced' by others (Jessie Pope) and the recruiting posters.
Throughout ‘The War poems’ Owen creates a sense of sympathy for the soldiers who fight in war and are forced to endure horrific atrocities that either they themselves commit, or are committed against them, the continual assaults on their physical and emotional wellbeing. In the poems Owen recreates his experiences being an officer on the ‘Western Front’ in World War I, and voices his bitterness towards and rejection of the futility of war; the never ending loss of life at the hands of the British Military. Owen condemns those who encouraged young men to go to war and used rhetoric to give off the impression that war rewarded young men with glory. Owen rejects this in his poems by reflecting his own experiences as ‘Glorious’ and investigating the horrors of war, and their effect on the physical and emotional wellbeing of soldiers. Owen’s poems are riddled with references to the loss of youth, innocence and life.
He also makes it seem like everything is crumbling around Paul, and destroying all hope of survival and return to normal life for anyone who had experienced the front line. This is very different from pro-war poetry, which makes war seem fun. Something Remarque does either subconsciously or very well, is to make you feel sorry for the German and Central Powers’ soldiers, and to grow a subliminal hate for the allied soldiers, no matter who’s side you came in on. The Textbook also does this well, but in reverse. The Textbook gives off a sense of dislike towards the Central Powers, and made them seem primitive and destructive for no reason.
Miner makes subtle comedic reference to the classic stereotype of doctors having atrocious handwriting when he writes, "write them down in an ancient and secret language." He also describes shaving in a way that portrays the act as barbaric and self mutilating, "scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument." Americans are seen by the author as private and secretive about their bodies and various bodily functions. He makes the observation that when they are in the "Latispoh" (Hospital) they are stripped of all dignity and control of their own bodies. Miner talks about how he finds it illogical for patients to completely trust thaumaturge when they have taken their privacy and may kill them with their treatment.
Realizing that the homeland was withdrawing from the war, soldiers became edgy. As put by Lieutenant Frank M. Campagne, “Nobody wants to be the last man in Viet Nam Killed.” Furthermore soldiers lacked inspiration and a sense of purpose. Leadership went out of their way to impress superiors with increased body count by slaughtering innocent civilians including women and children. A study ordered by Military professionalism concludes “in pursuit of selfish career goals, senior officers sacrificed integrity on the altar of personal success. They became preoccupied with trivial short term objectives even through dishonest practices and compelled subordinates to lie, cheat, and steal to meet the impossible demands of higher officers” (Millet, Maslowski & Feis, 2012, p.561).
The story Marriage is a Private Affair by Chinua Achebe has a villain named Okeke. His stolid look on things made it hard for him to keep an amicable relationship with his son. Harrison Bergeron’s, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., villain would be The H-G men. They go to extreme actions to provide equality. The Judges in The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe are considered villains because of how they torture innocent civilians.
This is highlighted with "shut", "bleached" and "dark-clothed". The cleaver use of "shut shops", "sun blinds", "sovereigns", "kings and queens" compounds a critisasation of authority, Larkin does this through sibilance. Larkin then presents the loss in the next stanza with the repetition of the theme of innocence this is highlighted with the quotation "dresses", "never such innocence", "little" and "never such innocence again". This created a sense of destruction and how the war has taken the innocence of so many young people. Also the use off an oxymoron "restless silence" foreshadows the tragedy that is to come.