Dulce et Decorum Est Flashcards
Who was Dulce et Decorum Est written by?
Wilfred Owen
When was Dulce et Decorum Est written?
1918
What are some context points about Wilfred Owen?
- Enlisted to fight in WW1 in 1915, aged 18
- 1916: fell into a shell hole, suffered concussion, blown up by a trench mortar, spent several days lying amongst the remains of his fellow officers
- Diagnosed with shell-shock and sent away for treatment
- July 1918: returned to active service
- August 1918: awarded Military Cross
- Died in battle a week before WW1 ended
What is the significance of the title of Dulce et Decorum Est?
Uses the pro-war phrase ironically as subverts the expectations of the glory of war
“Bent double, like…
…old beggars under sacks”
“coughing like…
…hags”
What is the purpose of the caesura in stanza 1 of Dulce et Decorum Est?
Slows the pace, imitating the soldiers’ exhaustion
“All went lame;…
…all blind”
“gas shells dropping…
…softly behind.”
What is the semantic field in the first stanza of Dulce et Decorum Est?
Exhaustion: “trudge” “asleep” “lame “drunk with fatigue” - rejects traditional imagery of heroism of war
What is the effect of the volta in Dulce et Decorum Est?
Quickens pace creates urgency and panic
“Gas! Gas!…
…Quick, boys!”
“An ecstasy of…
…fumbling”
“clumsy…
…helmets just in time”
“flound’ring…
…like a man in fire or lime…”
“As under a green…
…sea, I saw him drowning”
“In all my…
…dreams”
“helpless…
…sight”
“He plunges…
…at me, guttering, choking, drowning”
Why is the third stanza in Dulce et Decorum Est so short?
Emphasises it showing it stands out in Owen’s mind, link to his PTSD
“smothering…
…dreams you too could pace”
“watch the…
…white eyes writhing”
“His hanging…
…face, like a devil’s sick of sin”
“froth-corrupted…
….lungs”
“Obscene as…
…cancer”
“vile, incurable…
sores on innocent tongues”
“My friend…
…you would not tell with such high zest”
“children…
…ardent for some desperate glory”
“The old…
…Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”
What is Dulce et Decorum Est about?
Owen rejects pro-war sentiment and reveals the horrific reality of war, thus criticising the propaganda around the glory of war
