The word ‘Anthem’ is used because it is a song of praise, which celebrates the soldiers’ heroism. Originally, ‘Dead’ was used in place of ‘Doomed.’ The title was changed by Seigfried Sassoon, who had taken Wilfred Owen under his wing when they met at a field hospital. Sassoon changed it because ‘Dead’ suggests being at peace; whereas, ‘Doomed’ suggests continued suffering. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ literally translates to ‘It is Right and Proper’ which is ironic because the entire poem says it is anything but proper and right to died for one’s country. The rest of the poem undercuts the title.
The poem is about the life of a young man who went to war with the idea that that it was a brave and noble act and upon returning home he would be showered with thanks and parades on his bravery. However, the soldier comes back with both his legs amputated and his arm. The third person narrative of the poem makes the poem impersonal but to an extent that Owen's audience can sympathize and maybe even some can relate to the disabled soldier. The story of the soldier's life is put down in chronological order in which the poem starts with how happy he was when "Town used to swing so gay.." (Line 7) to when "There was an artist silly for his face, For it was younger than his youth, last year..." (Lines 14-15). The soldier's reminiscence of the past makes the reader pity the soldier as he was a youthful and lively young man who was innocent in the sense that he was living a vibrant life,
His use of patriotism, honour and enthusiasm gives across a positive tone to the poem. The second sonnet ‘The Dead’ expresses the deep reverence for the sacrifice of those who have died in the war. Although the poem is about the death of the soldiers, the poem’s tone of patriotism and the relation to Christ makes death glorious to the readers, and at the time, would make war sound glorious to them, making them sign up. Using the remembrance of those who have fallen, and by explaining how they did not die in vain makes the idealism of war very effective. The third poem is ‘The Soldier’; Brooke uses the message of England being the soldiers’ mother and the personification of England itself to raise pride and morality for the young men signing up for the army.
You learn to value life in those desperate moments where death comes close. “You're never more alive than when you're almost dead.” 'Close to death' means 'close to life'. “At it's core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet any soldier will tell you, if he tells the truth, that proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life.” War and peace is the main theme of paragraph 3 and at its core; abstract. The two are so different yet they are so similar. The purpose of this extract is to convey the various feelings experienced by someone who has experienced war to someone who has not.
Brooke writes about the dead soldier instead of one that has survived. According to the first four lines, dying can even be marvellous and sweet: the soldier has died fighting for England, his body rests in peace in the foreign land and becomes a part of it, as if turning the part of foreign land English with 'richer' English dust (the word 'richer' also shows patriotism). 'Does it Matter', however, frankly and plainly tells the consequence of sacrifice in war: 'losing your legs', 'losing your sight' and suffering trauma, the bitter realities that were avoided
Compare and Contrast Essay By: Maisha Moon “War” By: Luigi Pirandello “Gentlemen, Your Verdict” By: Michael Bruce “War” By: Luigi Pirandello is all about an old man trying to explain to people how just because our men are going off to war it doesn’t mean that we should grieve them, he says we should celebrate that they are doing something for their Country’s and for themselves. “Gentlemen your verdict” By: Michael Bruce is a story about a man who is faced with a difficult decision. It seems that the two short stories couldn’t be any different; however they do have some similarities. The two stories in my mind could connect to each other, and both stories have a kind of “epiphany” moment where the protagonist has to come to terms with something difficult. Although I could only come up with a few similarities the list of differences are way larger.
‘The Soldier’ is an Old English poem that believes in patriotism. It narrates how soldier are blessed to be fighting for their country and to die in honor. This poem was written by Rupert Brooke; known for his idealistic sonnets written during World War I. Conversely, ‘Why Patriots are a bit Nuts in the Head’ is a free verse poem that emphasizes the reality of war and criticizes people who are patriotic; believing that it is neither delightful or joyful to die for one’s country. This poem was written by Roger McGough. By contrasting these two poems, both poets used different poetry form and theme.
Owen seems to suggest that the artificialities of love pale in comparison to the true honour and love of men on the battlefield – men who cough, struggle, and die. Owen is calling attention to the authenticity of these soldiers' actions and finding within them meaning Alternatively this can interpreted as the soldier has a somewhat erotic feeling towards war and aspects of war e.g patriotism and his doubts for example Red lips are not so red” . shows that Owen is losing interest in fighting the war as he comes to realize its true form. This is then emphasized in line 5 with “your eyes lose lure”. Which show a versions of reality theme which is also found in another Owen poem; Dulce Et Decorum est where Owen shows the horrors of war and uses it to send a message to people at home who are as he refers to a common patriotic quote as “ The old lie”.
Firstly, Sassoon effectively uses irony to illustrate the contrast between the soldier’s real and glorified death, as well as the impression of a close-knit military unit, as opposed to the truth that no one had the compassion to care for a fallen soldier. The first, most obvious irony is in the title itself: The Hero. From the title we expect to read a poem dedicated to the fall of a great soldier, courageous and chivalrous, who sacrificed himself to fight for his country. This impression is further affirmed in the first stanza. There, we are introduced to the mother as she receives
The poet is saying that people should not talk about war as enthusiastically as it gives the impression that war is glorious. Furthermore, he says that the idea that ’it is sweet and right’ to die for your country is entirely untrue. Through this, we are able to form the opinion that war is not okay because it is a serious thing that carries many negative consequences. In Wilfred Owen’s poem Dolce et Decorum est, the use of similes conveys the harsh reality of war on soldiers as it changes them dramatically and kills the majority of them. In the first two lines of the poem, Owen uses the similes “Bent double like old beggars under sacks, knocked kneed, coughing like hags” to paint a grim picture in readers minds of how the soldiers were.