Dulce et Decorum Est Flashcards
“Bent double like old beggars under sacks”
Simile and word choice
‘Bent double’ suggests that they are hunched over
‘old beggars’ suggests that they look like old people
‘sacks’ suggests their uniforms are ragged and destroyed
“Knock-kneed coughing like hags”
Simile
‘Knock-kneed’ suggests that the soldiers are hunched over and tired due to the war
‘hags’ suggests that the soldiers look worn out and tired as they are compared to old, frail and sick women
“Men marched asleep”
Oxymoron
‘marched’- marching is an energetic movement
‘asleep’ suggests that the men are moving in a laboured manner as if they are intoxicated, which contradicts the description that they are marching
“Drunk with fatigue”
Metaphor
‘Drunk’ suggests a laboured and intoxicated-like movement
‘fatigue’ suggests that the war has had a toll on the soldiers and tired them out
“GAS! Gas! Quick boys!”
Repetition and punctuation
‘Gas! Gas!’- the repetition of this word conveys panic and shows that the soldiers are in a chaotic state
‘boys’ suggests comradery among the soldiers
“Flound’ring like a man in fire or lime”
Simile
‘Flound’ring’ suggests great pain and desperation
‘fire or lime’- have connotations of burning and pain
“As under a green sea I saw him drowning”
Simile
‘green sea’ shows the colour of the green mustard gas used in the war and suggests that the gas engulfed the man
‘drowning’ shows that the gas caused fluid to build up in the victim’s lungs
“In all my dreams”
This suggests that he is haunted by the things he has seen in the war
“before my helpless sight”
Personification
‘helpless’ shows that the poet feels guilty for the things he has seen as he cannot and couldn’t do anything to help the man that died
“He plunges at me”
Word choice
‘plunges’ suggests desperation and pain and show that the man wanted help
“Guttering, choking, drowning”
Word choice
“Guttering, choking”- these words mimic the sound made by somebody drowning
“drowning” shows that the fluid build up in the victim’s lungs resulted in him drowning
“Like a devil’s sick of sin”
Simile
‘sick’ suggests that even the devil, who is evil, is tired of the sin and horrid acts committed in war
“Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud”
Simile
‘Obscene’ shows that the sights of war are horrid and disgusting
‘cancer’ shows that the damage done by war is incurable
‘bitter’ suggests that there is nothing sweet about war
‘cud’ has connotations of something disgusting which shows that war is disgusting
“The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”
Irony
‘Lie’- the capital letter on the word ‘Lie’ shows the importance of the message of this message
‘Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori’- this means ‘it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country’ which is ironic because the whole poem is about the horrors of war
