Both poems use nightmare underwater imagery, in ‘Dulce...’ Owen describes a soldier as he starts “drowning” under a “green sea” when he is overcome by gas. This creates a disturbing psychological image for the reader and conveys how toxic the gas was. Similarly, in ‘The Sentry’ the soldier’s body is described as “sploshing in the flood”, this representation conveys the harsh environment the soldiers had to live in. Repetition is also used in both poems. In ‘The Sentry’, the repetition of “I’m blind” helps give a sense of the increasing distress of the soldier as he realises he has lost his sight.
His aim is not poetry, but to describe the full horrors of war. In this essay I have firstly decided to analyze two poems by the war poet Wilfred Owen, taken from his writings on the First World War. Both 'Dulce et Decorum est' and 'Disabled" portray Owen's bitter angst towards the war, but do so in different ways. Then I will analyze a very different poem 'Who's for the Game?' written by Jessie Pope, and finally contrast this with the poems by Owen.
Compare how Conflict is presented in The Charge of the Light Brigade and one other poem. Alfred Tennyson’s charge of the light brigade shows a horrific battle during the Crimean War and therefore shows the disbelief and horror of conflict. Tennyson uses the poem to show the admiration and bravery of the solders in their determination to obey orders even though they were thoughtless. In contrast the title of Wilfred Owen’s Futility shows the overpowering sense of uselessness and helplessness in relation to conflict, felt by the soldiers in the face of their friends recent death. The poem focuses on the effect of conflict and is focused on an injured, probably dead soldier.
Quite alternatively, some poems demonstrate a more realistic representation of war such as Kenneth Slessor’s poem “Beach Burial” and the first excerpt from the film production ‘Saving Private Ryan’ which encapsulate the futility of war and the intolerable atrocities on innocent lives. These texts all demonstrate how the attitude towards war
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.
On the other hand, Tennyson depreciates the soldiers, making them seem idiotic with phrases such as ‘Some one had blunder’d’. This causes the reader to feel sympathy for them, as it mentions their death at the end of the stanza, so it gives the impression that they know no better. Another difference is cause by repetition. In ‘Futility’, the poet refers to the image of being awoken using the words ‘woke’, ‘awoke’, and ‘rouse’. This gives the impression that there is still hope for the soldiers which induces a sense of optimism within the many feelings of the reader; which could also be motivation to read the rest of the poem.
Discuss how Owen’s perspective on human conflict is conveyed in his poetry. Wilfred Owen’s personal experience at war is reflected in his poetry, depicting the brutality of war and conflict. He portrays his perspective about human conflicts in his poetry and effectively conveys the truth about the agony of war in his war poems, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ (Dulce) and ‘Mental Cases’. To portray his attitudes towards war, Owen uses a diversity of poetic devices to shock and emotionally stir his readers. As a semi-autobiographical recount, Owen criticises the suffering and psychological scarring of soldiers in ‘Mental Cases’.
Reality of a Distorted Truth In Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story,” he reveals the complex relationship between the war experience and storytelling. The story is half way told from O’Brien’s role as a soldier and the other half by his role as the storyteller. The narrative style that O’Brien uses proves that an author has the ability to mold the reader’s thoughts and opinions the way they want them. This is done much in the same way that war can distort a soldier’s perspective of right and wrong. Through his use of meta-fiction O’Brien allows the reader to witness the psychological impact of war and how it can distort the mind of a soldier.
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.
‘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?