Dulce Et Decorum Est Flashcards
Introduction
Owen uses the poem as a vehicle to refute the glorification of war presented by propaganda from poets like pope and Brooke allowing him to expose the harsh realities that the soldiers faced during World War One. He condemns the futile squandering of youmg lives as a result of conflict. Through Owens personal experience of being diagnosed with shell shock he exposes how war can leave soldiers with life long physical and psychological impact.
‘Beggars’
Conveys their desperation and vulnerability as they are physically and emotionally bankrupt, which directly contradicts the images of strength and heroism circulated in WW1 propaganda.
‘Dropped softly’
Thorough this oxymoron Owen alludes the fatigue of the soldiers as things don’t make sense to them anymore, due to the shock they experiment at war. In line with his shell shock
Gas! gas! quick Boys’
Repetition Creates sense of urgency
Three exclamation marks highlight sense of panic reiterating the effect of repetition of gas
Use of triadic similies
Through the use of the triadic structure of similie amplifies the sense of suffering expeiroces by the so,idea whi did not put on his gas mask on time, being on fire suffering a chemical burn are all horrific ways to die, and some with a great deal of excreutiating pain, by using three different coempaissomt means that anyone should have an idea of the suffering is going through .
plunging towards him’ ‘in all my dreams, before my helpless sight’
Determiner ‘all’ emphasises the traumatic memories consume him and are impossible to escape. reference to his shell shock
Helpless sight - powerless to assist
‘Guttering choking drowning’
Present tense verbs create a sense of immediacy, and emphasises the speaker is reliving the horrendous ordeal on a nightly basis, while being completely powerless to intervene or alleviate the comrades suffering.
Effect of short stanza
Use of short stanza, helps it stand out, reflecting how that memory stands out in the readers mind
Smothering
Dream described as… creates a sense of suffocation and entrapment, emphasising the effect war has on the mental health of soldiers, emphasising that the consequences of war continue long after violences ceases.
Drunk with fatigue’
Emphasises the debilitating exhaustion the soldiers experience as a result of their extreme mental and physical exertion
Writhing in his face’
Emphasising the agony of his prolonged and torturous death.
‘Dulce et decorum est’ ‘to die for your country’
Owen uses the poem to critices the pressure exerted in the young men to enlist to WW1 through propaganda, which he deems manipulative and deceptive.
Sounds like poem will be pro war but in reality he uses this ironically to critice the propaganda war poets. The line Translates to ‘it is sweet right’ alluding to the duty and honour, but it isn’t until the very end of the poem where own FINSIHED this phrase with the final words ‘to die for your country’
‘Glory
Allows Owen to advance his view that propaganda presents a narrow and misleading perception of war, as they focus on ‘glory’ neglecting the harsher realistisch and potential costs of enlistment
My friend’
Scathingly addresses propaganda poets, as he accuses them of telling this old lie and persuading the ‘children’ to enlist.
‘You’ he addresses the propaganda poets
