Those other wretches, how they bled and spewed, And one who would have drowned himself for good, — I try not to remember these things now. Let dread hark back for one word only: how Half-listening to that sentry's moans and jumps, And the wild chattering of his broken teeth, Renewed most horribly whenever crumps Pummelled the roof and slogged the air beneath — Through the dense din, I say, we heard him shout "I see your lights!" But ours had long died
Poem Essay: Dulce et Decorum Est Hour 3 AP Lit and Comp Stippel January 26, 2015 Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen, 1893 - 1918 Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas!
Wilfred Owen said “my subject is war, and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity’”. The three poems I wish to explore portray Owen’s pity towards men going through the First World War. ‘The Send-off’ shows anonymous men who are about to depart to the battlefront, ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ explores trench life and, ‘Disabled’ charts the legacy of war on the wounded. ‘The send -off’, shows Owen’s cynical attitude towards war.
Chapter 3: It is announced that Himmelstoss is joining the men in the Front. Tjaden is thrilled. He absolutely despised Himmelstoss for his discipline actions. Himmelstoss made Tjaden and another bed wetter sleep in bunk beds. The boys jump Himmelstoss and beat the living out of him.
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). Owen uses the language and a variety of literary devices to vividly depict the true reality of war and suffering of the soldiers. This is evident from the first two lines where Owen uses simile to describe soldiers who are ‘like old beggars’ and ‘coughing like hags’ (lines 1,2). They are ‘blood-shod’, ‘drunk with fatigue’ (lines 6,7). Owen depicts soldiers not as undefeatable heroes, but desperate, weak, and pitiful human beings.
Another visual image is used when “many has lost their boots but limped on, blood shot” and “drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots” creates the mental image of men struggling to stay alive, half rotten and half alive and closer to death (5-7). Another sample of image is used when he begging’s to describe the terrain “dim, through the misty panes and the thick green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning” not only does he describe the gas gulping his fellow friends but he describes the death of a soldier when he becomes drowned from the gas and his own vomit and saliva (13-14) Owen also uses auditory image when describing the effects of the gas on one of his fellow soldiers “come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud” the auditory image of such death is compared to being ill with cancer and knowing you’re dieing (22-23). Another visual image paired with “gas! Gas! Quick boys, an ecstasy of fumbling” and but someone still was yelling out and stumbling” creates the image of chaos and confusion within the soldiers that are being attacked and infected with the poisonous gas (9-10).
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.
‘Mental Cases’, written by Wilfred Own, is a poem about the devastating effects of modern warfare and the men who die and suffer through it. Owen candidly states the truth about war and how it affects the men who fight in it. ‘Mental Cases’ is about World War One and the shell shock men endured when they came back from war. He uses imagery, diction and irony to make his ideas more clear to his audience. The first stanza directly addresses the reader, he opens with two rhetorical questions, “Who are these?
How does Owen use language to convey the horror of War in ‘The Sentry’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’? ‘The Sentry’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ both convey the harsh reality of war that Owen personally experienced however, ‘Dulce...’ focuses on the pain of the gased soldier whilst Owen widens the perspective in ‘The Sentry. There are many similarities between both poems, such as the way Owen presents a dramatic image of war by use of language techniques, however there are also many differences. Owen uses language to show the reality of war. The simile “like old beggars under sacks” illustrates the dirty, weak image of the soldiers which contrasts the strong, heroic image which was portrayed of them at the time.
Eventually John cracks and goes insane for a moment resulting in a blackout; “He lay awake for a moment, blinking in owlish incomprehension at the light; then suddenly remembered—everything” (258). The moment of insanity when John attacks Lenina with his whip is his last moment of alienation and enrichment. The alienation is too much for him to handle, while his enrichment causes him to come to a striking realization. John does not belong anywhere in the new world. He has always been an outcast and always will be.