Dulce et Deorum Est Essay -- English Literature Essays

Dulce et Deorum EstWilfred Owen wrote Dulce et Decorum Est about the front World War, in which he had personally fought. It was addressed to Jessie pontiff, a writer of other metrical compositions concerning the War. Specifically he wrote the poem to counteract her poem Whos For The Game?. Owen felt that Pope did not comprehend the seriousness of the war in her portrayal of the action as a rugby game. Pope conveyed the participants of the game were admirable and those who sit on the side business enterprises shunned and disregarded. His poem seems very depressing and gloomy, particularly in comparison, precisely is it not more realistic? Owen was a sol fallr himself, would he not know more about the horrors that war brings than the female poet, who could only be permitted to watch from the outside of her competitive yet c atomic number 18free game of rugby? Personally, I think he would. At the time, Owen was put into a psychiatrical hospital because the war had so badly affec ted him, broken his character. It was on that point that he met Siegfried Sassoon, who had been put into psychiatric c be for writing poems that the authorities eyeshot put the war into a negative light. It was Sassoon who encouraged Owen to become a poet, and they became good friends. The way Owen writes is very much sane and some would give tongue to he was quite an influential character. So how does Owen compargon the horrors of war? From the very first line you become aw be that the poem is not be alike to be as light and cheerful as Popes poem. The line is Bent double, like old beggars under sacks which is already a rather miserable tone. We see how Owen has begun to set the mood for his piece already. He describes the soldiers crooked stance and compares them to old beggars, uncomfortable and undesirable. In the second line he goes on to say that the men are knock-kneed and compares their coughs to those of hags. once more the undesirable, slightly unpleasant note is illus trated through the diction. The soldiers sound unwell, probably overdue to their harrowing lives in the trenches, which makes them dirty, sodden and more prone to illness. In the leash line the poet describes flares, long flames often used for signalling, as haunting to the soldiers. This suggests that they are sick of the war and hate the constant reminders of it. Obviously they cannot get by from the war and the monotonous, dire lifestyle they faced every day in the ranks. E... ...e grotesque lines he has just written, saying that the woman would not key of the war with enthusiasm if she had experienced it first hand or had witnessed much(prenominal) loathsome episodes. His last two lines are the main subject of the poem and include the title itself. Although these lines are not separated from the rest like the ones discussing how the man reappeared in his dreams every night, they are the most memorable as they are the last and the finality is extrusive within them. The fina l lines are The old Lie Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori The old Lie is affiliated to how he views Jessie Popes impression of the war, which he feels is captured in the Latin expression. The Latin itself translates directly as Its sweet and glorious to die for your country. Popes entire poem is focused on the accuracy of this statement, whereas Owens entire poem is focused on contradicting the statement. The poems are in sharp contrast to each other, but Owens holds first hand experience and in my view is far more impacting. The lines are a relevant end to the poem and leave the reader with the design in their mind that perhaps war really isnt as glorious as theyve been told.