Dulce et Decorum Est Flashcards
When did Own enlist to fight in WW1 and at what age?
In 1915, aged 18
Why was Owen critical to his fellow troops?
Due to their poor behaviour. He called them ‘expressionless lumps’ in a letter to his mother.
What happened to Owen in 1916?
He fell into a shell hole and suffered concussion. He was blown up by a trench mortar, and spent several days lying amongst the remains of his fellow officers.
What was he diagnosed with?
Shellshock.
Where was Own sent for treatment after his shell shock diagnosis?
Edinburgh.
Who did Owen meet in Edinburgh?
Another WW1 soldier poet, Siegfried Sassoon. They became friends and Sassoon influenced Owen’s writing.
When did Owen return to active services and decide to serve in France?
July 1918
What did Owen see his duty as?
To add his voice to Sassoon’s and tell the harsh reality of WW1 warfare (Sassoon had been shot in the head and put on sick-leave for the rest of the war).
What was Owen awarded and when?
In August 1918 he was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery and leadership. He desperately wanted this so that he could prove that he was a war poet.
When did Owen die?
In battle, a week before WW1 ended.
What was Owen writing in direct opposition of?
WW1 propaganda, as he didn’t want war to be glorified.
What was a popular weapon in WW1?
Chlorine gas.
What does ‘dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ mean?
‘It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country’. These lines were commonly used by pro-war supporters.
Give 4 pieces of context about Jessie Pope’s ‘Who’s For the Game?’ poem:
-Propaganda poem published originally in The Daily Mail, early on in WW1 (Around 1916, early enough for men to still want to enlist but not too early where people were naive about war)
-Encouraged men to enlist, using rhetorical questions to persuade - or pressure them to do so
-An idealised depiction of war is given, harsh realities ignored
-This could be an example of ‘the old lie’ told ‘with such high zest’
‘Bent ______, like ___ ______ under ____,’
‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,’
‘_____-_____, ________ like hags, we ______ through sludge,’
‘Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,’
‘Till on the _______ _____ we turned our _____’
‘Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs’
‘Men ________ ______.’
‘Men marched asleep.’
‘Many had ____ their _____ But ______ on,’
‘Many had lost their boots But limped on,’
‘_____-shod.’
‘blood-shod.’
‘All went ____; all _____;’
‘All went lame; all blind;’
‘_____ with fatigue; ____ even to the _____ of ___ _____ dropping ______ _____.’
‘Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hooting of gas shells dropping softly behind.’
‘___! ___! _____, ____!’
‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!’
‘An ______ of _______,’
‘An ecstasy of fumbling,’
‘And __________ like a man in ____ or ____…’
‘And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…’
‘Dim, through the _____ _____ and ____ green ____,
As under a _____ ___, I ___ him ______.’
‘Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.’
‘In ____ my ____, before my ______ _____,’
‘In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,’
‘He ________ at me, ______, ______, _______.’
‘He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning.’
‘_______ dreams’
‘smothering dreams’
‘Behind the _____ that we ______ ____ __.’
‘Behind the wagon that we flung him in.’
‘And _____ the _____ ____ _______ in his face,’
‘And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,’
‘His ______ face, like a ______ ____ of ___;’
‘His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;’
‘If you could hear, at every ____, the _____ come ________ from the _____-_______ lungs,’
‘If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,’
‘Obscene as _____, _____ as the ___ of _____,’
‘Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud of Vile,’
‘________ ______ on _______ tongues,’
‘incurable sores on innocent tongues,’
‘you would not tell with such ____ ____ to ________ ______ for some ______ _____,’
‘you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory,’
‘The old ___: _____ __ _______ ___ ___ _____ ____.’
‘The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.’
