Although, it only an illusion reinforced throughout the poem, along with its irony and sarcasm that is ‘The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori’, it is not sweet and fitting to die for ones country. But it is the death and horror brought to peoples lives. The truth is revealed through this description of a battalion returning from the frontline, wounded, exhausted, or even dead. As the
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.
“…Did they really believe that this war would end wars…it all happened again, and again, and again,” this use of rhetorical question and repetition emphasises the anti-war sentiment that both Bogle and Dawe capture. Similarly in Homecoming, it is illustrated the dehumanisation of war. “…mortuary coolness…deep-freeze…sorrowful…frozen sunset…wintering tree…bitter…grief…”through an extended metaphor, it is suggested the implications on the society from the death of thousands of loved ones; the coldness is symbolising the death, grief and struggling of society and the individual. Dehumanising effects give poets their anti-war point of view the effectively portray the bonds between the society and the
The added use of “they” ultimately shows the loss or lack of identity held by these men in life or death. In addition, the regular rhyme scheme in the poem portrays the ongoing harshness and bitterness that Browning feels towards the display. Enjambment blurs the evenly spaced content which furthermore shows that Browning is confused about why brutality was allowed and continued to happen. In the sixth stanza, Browning puzzles over the causes of suicide: disillusioned idealism, the world’s cruelty, money and women. This is shown by “Money gets women, cards and dice Get money, and ill luck gets just The copper couch…”.
Jimmy Cross understood this. You could blame war… A moment of carelessness or bad judgment or plain stupidity carried consequences lasted forever” (O’Brien 115). He tries blaming the death of Kiowa on the war, rain, God and concludes while the blame is some way universal, it is also intensely personal. Cross is the one who chose to camp out in the sewage fields despite the warnings of drowning in the field. Cross is most angered with Kiowa’s death because he was a good person and that it was him to blame for picking a bad spot to set up camp.
For example, ‘why didn’t they come and put him into bed?’ This quote from the last line of the poem underlines the fact that the poetic voice can’t preform everyday tasks for himself, because of the physical loss he has endured as a direct effect of the war. Fortunate humans can perform everyday chores with ease, this is a polar opposite to the poetic voice who can’t carry out the most basic of humanly tasks thanks to the cruel mistress that is war. This clearly demonstrates how unethical war is. Refugee Blues informs the reader about the morals of persecution and how it is wrong, through the means of emphasising the extreme loss of the poetic voice. In the poem “Refugee Blues”, W.H.Auden makes good use of repetition.
The poem also gives a horrific description of a soldier dying in a gas attack, while his comrades look on helplessly. Ultimately, the poem builds to a climax, where Owen points the finger of blame at those who encouraged young men to enlist through their patriotic propaganda. In particular, this poem was written in direct response to Jessie Pope’s poem, “Who’s for the Game,” which advocated the glory of war. Owen clearly conveys his fury at this notion and presents the true brutality of war through a variety of poetic techniques. The title and structure of the poem contrasts with the content of the poem, helping to convey Owen’s anger at those who advocated war.
On the other hand, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ brings about extreme patriotism, that it is sweet and seemly to die for one’s country, though the poem itself discourages the act. “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”. Owen uses his personal experiences to present an incredibly realistic image, and sets out to shock his readers. Owen expresses his anger at this waste of life shown in his description of the man’s suffering, it all seems unfair. In the first stanza of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, the reader is drawn in with: “Bent double” .
His change of attitude grows confusing as he professes his dear love after her awful death, “ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?”(5.1.255-257). After all the hatred consumed for Ophelia, Hamlet feels the need to show his love and care for her only after she is dead. Hamlet’s web of lies causes a dent in his portrayal towards society and the audience.
The poet emphasised the cruel and horrible side to war by realistically describing the dead soldier, “the white eyes writhing in his face.” As the wagon he was “flung” into jolted, his blood “came gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.” The poet conveyed the theme of his poem very successfully. He was angered by “the old lie.” “Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori” – it is a good and fitting thing to die for ones country. He wanted people to realise that war was a senseless waste of lives and he managed that through describing the horrors in vivid detail. Roger McGough shared this view but expressed it differently in his poem “Why Patriots Are a Bit Nuts in