Dulce Et Decorum Est Flashcards
Title + context ?
Title?
Other context about Jesse popes etc
- Wilfred Owen does one week before ww1 died, near the somber oise canal , where his mother received a telegram in armistice day= so he had FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE
- Owen describes witnessing the failure of a comrade to put his mask on as newly invented chlorine gas was used, which is now a war crime
- Owens suffered from PTSD as seen and went to a mental sanatorium . This a STRONG CONTRAST to public perception of war at the time…
- Other poems called pro patria by seaman and seems a DIRECT CONTRAST to it and war poems by propaganda promoter JESSE POPE. CRITICISES this and similar to mametz
- The title seems to extol the virtues of war initially and fit brookes poem , however disdain sensed throughout suggests anti war Poem
- Some religious ideas present in poem “devil”,
What is about summary?
Owen questions the value of this patriotic idea, through his visceral depiction of war and its psychological effects that live with him today. He uses a sense of disdain to also show his viewpoint, criticising the “lie” and propaganda put out in ww1 to naive men
Structure and form?
basic
- consitent abab rhyme scheme
- structural change of emohasis , from retelling to reality , to accusation
- horace words, and horacian ode?
- enjambement and caesura =disjointment, and uneasyness?
structure only for rhyme scheme
- Consitent ABAB rhyme scheme
- Effect: normally not expect such elegant rhyme scheme in a war poem, perhaps more fragmented to represent harshness of war
- 1) perhaps trying to add technique so that the visceral and violent images ar e implanted in your head- just like it was imprinted in his memory, a constant reminder that stays in reader head
- 2) sounds all homogeneous – all men given common identity of exhaustion and mimics the torturous “trudging” they had to do, a lot of the horrors of war is the mental battle with fatigue
- 3) supposed to jar the reader, juxtaposes something so lyrical with hoorific descriptions makes it even more shocking and imminent for reader: to put something so ugly in poetry= leaves reader speechless
stucture for rest so architectually speaking, horace, etc
- Architecturally speaking = two fairly proportional stanzas and then volta of middle stanza, which is fragmented and disjointed= this part the mot memorable and traumatic event. There is a change of retelling the events to RELIVING it = “in war there are no survivors “ quote for readers prominent in wars- (mametz effect century later, manhunt ptsd etc)
- LAST stanza directly addres reader= also to jesse pope and forcing guilt = accused and feel responsible
- BIG JAMIE POINT
- Structure draws parallels to HORATIAN ODE, and this classical form of poetry is normally used for DEDICATIOn and is pretty. NOT ONLY THAT but liens dulce etc comes from roman poet HORACE too
- However here owen corrupting it to ugly descriptions and death = SHOCKS the reader as this not what you expect from an ode, again shows sheers cynaical views on those who trap young naïve men etc… - Finally “Lie” capital- told so many times
- (enjambment caesura + disjointed and irregular line length and metre + sense of uncertainty showing how unpredictable war is )
structure summary
Summary of structure
- Abab rhyme scheme = juxtaposition with horror war = jar the reader. Also homogenous =gives soldier identiy of fatgue matches trudges too repeition etc
- Structure wise= stanza then volta, fragmented = most memorable = “in war there are no survivors “. Retlling to reliving to philosophy
- Last stanza directly address reader and jesse pope= disdain= accused and responsible
- Horacian ode parallels, and words actually from Horace= shocks reader these ode for dediation and pretty= shows owen harsh bitterness for those in charge= shock reader you not expect from ode such horror
- Enjambment caesura= disjointed effect= ireegualr line length and metre= uncertainty = just like unpredicatblity of war
- Lie capital
- “bent double, like old beggars” and “knock-kneed, coughing hags”
- Implies soldiers physically exhausted and broken by fatigue of war by simile , completely sibverts readers expectation of poem based off title and goes against the public depiction of a heroic stoic strong soldier, undermining tradional view during world war. (compared to the soldier, which is the ideal soldier , here goes against it ).
- “old” adjective here suggests prematurely aged and lost youth, touched on later on too- sad.
- “beggar” is broken down by society, suggesting here the institutions abused these like pawns in a game and bent double suggests extreme discomfort as fatigued
- “knock kneed, coughing like hags”. First alliteration accentuates the struggle of the soldier , showing hiw knocked they are. Second “hags” suggest an old ugly woman, sexist undertones but at that time suggests they have their MASCUILINITY taken away from war weakening them too. old and suffered a lot
- “haunting”- foreshadows ptsd and also eerie
- More signs of weakness and tired= “trudge” “men marched asleep.” (also deaf lame and blind- dehumised )
- Verbs of trudge and sludge suggest laborious , claustrophobic and painful settings. Shown by CAESURA too slows down poem emhasises how the sodiers are so slow by fatigue throughout this stanza
- Images relating to mametz feet “ limped on, blood shot “.
This verb is past tense of word to shoe a horse which kick it. Essentualy what happe is they bled an blood run down their boots and is COMPARED TO HORSE (same way blood runs down theirs)= zoomorphism = not only dehumises them, but shows attitudes of generals on how EXPENDABLE THE SOLDIERS ARE= sad because they youthful and young…
- Repletion of “all”
suggests how it was widespread damage similar to wife and mamerz, everyone suffered
- “drunk with fatigue”-
metaphor captures overrding image in stanza of brutal and inability to function properly.
- “softly”
auditory language ti place the reader right in the midst of the scene .
- “gas gas quick boys
continues in ecstasty analysi
”- change of tone from third person to direct speech. Creates sudden change of pace with exclamations too shown by MONOSYLLABIC language= urgency and alarm
Yet its also “an ecstasy of fumbling” . here “ecstasy” paired with exclamation marks
- can be seen as rather exciting then horrifying. Could be because trying to highlight NAIVIETY of soldiers- these were literally “children” sometimes as young as 15 (although illegal generals sometimes so desparate for soldiers would turn a bkind eye- again shows uncaring nature of those in charge) who found these things ecstatsic and ike an adventure. Didn’t understand what happens if gas gets to them because seems exciting. Again attacking HIGH RANKS, suggests children lied to
- However also experience of getting so close to death , almost tangible, heightens the sense of being alive- and only at that point do they understand the difference of fine line between life and death.
green sea , I saw him drowning “
green sea is not only figurative, it is so thick he is almost dorwning in the gas, but LITERAL too- chlorine gas creates liquid in lungs- causing you t drown in own mucus. Death you wouldn’t even wish on your worst enemy- thus war crime
- Ath this point it transitions to real time, showing the image stuck t his head and gives certain sense of guilt- owen takes responsibility for welfare of friend somehow- mentally arduous
