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.
The repetition of question marks and dashes illustrate the confusion and frustration witnessing Owens fellow comrades, it is a demanding tone begging for explanation for the entrapment of victims. And as a result, it encourages the reader to consider the impact the war had on both, the soldiers who survived, and those who didn’t. Dulce et Decorum Est brings to reality that war is not what people say it is. Given by its very title, ‘It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country’. 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.
Through his rhythms, dramatic description, and raw images, Owen seeks to convince that the horror of war far outweighs the patriotic clichés of those who glamorize war and increases my understanding of war and the horrors that come with it. A technique used to enhance the horrors of war is imagery. Such as, describing the soldiers as “bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. By using this simile, it provides the reader with an unexpected view and appearance of the soldiers, as you normally have an image of a soldier to be strong healthy looking men. The poet quickly erases this false image of a soldier replacing it with a description of a ‘beggar’.
“A good poem may lead to sadness, joyful or simply wandering, but it always leads us to think more deeply about life” Discuss this statement with reference to at least two Sassoon’s poems. A good poem may lead to sadness, joyful or simply wandering, but it always leads us to think more deeply about life. A War poem is a poem that is written on the subject of war. It is applied especially to those in military service. The nature of war poem is to show how horrible and disgusting war is.
Owen highlights such unjust experiences of the soldiers to augment his argument against the bureaucracy. Parable of the old man and the young is a didactic poem which alludes to a story in Genesis 22:5 and is about Abrams sacrifice to a higher power. In WW1, many soldiers were being sent to fight in an unnecessary war, killing thousands upon thousands of men, for the aid of foreign power. This notion of injustice can be seen in ‘Parable’ where an ‘angel’ tries to ‘offer the Ram of pride instead of him’ to Abram. The biblical allusion of the term ‘angel’ symbolises a moral conscience, in the hope of changing Abrams mind, as well as on a didactic level, symbolising the mothers and loved ones of the soldiers.
Introduction Paragraph 1 In his poem, Strange Meeting, Owen recreates the horror of war through his shocking and realistic account of the experiences faced by soldiers on the battlefields during World War One. “And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, - By his dead smile I knew we stood in hell”. Owen has used first person and a pararhyme to reinforce the brutality and horrors of war. Owen came to the realisation, by talking to this man, that no one there was truly alive, breathing or not breathing. What mattered was the truth of war and what he felt he must share and let people know.
I am going to do this by indicating what methods and techniques they use to affect the reader and make them feel emotion towards the soldiers. Owen uses irony with the title Dulce et decorum est because it translates to it is a “Sweet and right thing”. This is irony because the poem is trying to say that war is bad and not a sweet and right thing. Owen also uses these words to hit out to Jessie Pope, who was a propaganda poet and Owen disliked her. Pope thinks that war was good and it was Ok to die during it but Owen strongly disagreed with that.
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”.
This can be seen in his two poems ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Parable of the Old man and the Young’. Through these poems, Owen is motivated by a powerful examination of people during a highly negative state. Focusing on the exhaustion of soldiers and their movement throughout the battlefield is one of Owens key techniques throughout his poetry. When it comes to Owens poetry, the impact war has on the soldiers is clear, this is evident in his poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. Soldiers who go off to war are meant to be healthy and strong, however, this poem portrays the soldiers as old and unhealthy people.
Owen is driven more by betrayal than the actual horror of war. Do you agree? Wilfred Owen composed his collection of poetry entitled ‘The War Poems’ during his horrific experiences on the battlefront of World War One. He was compelled to write them because of the deception and dishonesty he felt was being spread about what war was like. Owen used his poems to deliver the truth about war and change the views of society at that time.