Dulce et Decorum Est Flashcards
Title (Dulce et Decorum Est)
The poem’s title is taken from a latin saying which was often quoted at the start of the First World War to encourage men to fight. It means, ‘It is sweet and honourable…’, yet in this poem Owen presents the harsh and unglamorous reality of trench warfare.
Crouched over (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“Bent double”
The words ‘bent double’ shows that the soldiers are so exhausted that they cannot even stand up.
Sleepwalking (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“Men marched asleep”
The metaphor ‘men marched asleep’ suggests the extreme exhaustion of the soldiera. They are ‘deaf’, ‘lame’ and ‘blind’, which suggests that war has completely broken these men.
Another verb (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“trudge”
The verb ‘trudge’ suggests a slow and heavy walk because of the harsh conditions suffered by the soldiers.
Gas chambers (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!”
Suddenly, the pace of the poem quickens with the warning ‘Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!”, creating a sense of urgency as the soldiers scramble around trying to fit their gas masks.
The Feral kid from meet the Thornburys (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“yelling out and stumbling”
The speaker describes the terror and panic of a soldier who has not managed to pull on his gas mask in time.
Eyeballs (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“White eyes writhing in his face”
The grotesque image of the man’s eyes rolling back in his head suggest that he is still alive when he is ‘flung’ into the wagon. The verb ‘flung’ shows that there is no time or space for dignity in death at war, and no burial for its victims.
Latin (Dulce et Decorum Est)
“The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum Est Pro patri mori”
The latin used at the end of the poem means, ‘it is sweet and honourable to die for your country’. Owen rejects this as an ‘old lie’, and highlights that war is cruel, degrading and horrifying.
