Dulce Et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen Flashcards
What is the main theme of Dulce et Decorum Est?
The poem critiques the glorification of war, exposing its horrors through the traumatic experiences of soldiers in WWI. Themes include war, propaganda, patriotism, trauma, and martyrdom.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” — What is the significance?
A similie that Highlights the soldiers exhaustion, physical degradation, and dehumanization. The soldiers are no longer strong and heroic but appear weak and broken.
What is the significance of the phrase “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags”?
This phrase employs alliteration (“knock-kneed”) and a simile (“coughing like hags”) to depict the soldiers as debilitated and prematurely aged by the harsh conditions of war. It highlights the dehumanizing and physically destructive impact of their experiences.
What does the term “blood-shod” mean in the line, “Many had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod”?
“Blood-shod” describes the soldiers’ feet, which are covered in blood, as if it were their footwear. This vivid image underscores the physical agony and suffering endured by the soldiers, some of whom may have lost their boots or even parts of their feet due to explosions or injuries.
What is happening in the line, “Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!”
This line depicts a sudden gas attack, highlighting the chaos and terror of chemical warfare in World War I. The capitalization and exclamation marks convey urgency, while “ecstasy of fumbling” captures the frantic scramble of soldiers trying to put on their gas masks to survive.
What is the effect of the simile “as under a green sea, I saw him drowning”?
The simile compares the thick, green toxic gas to a green sea in which the soldier is drowning. This vivid imagery emphasizes the suffocating and inescapable nature of the gas attack, portraying it as a slow and agonizing death.
Why does the persona say, “In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning
his line reveals the psychological trauma of the speaker, haunted by the memory of a comrade dying from gas exposure. The vivid imagery of “guttering, choking, drowning” reflects the agony of the soldier and the helplessness of the persona, underscoring the devastating emotional toll of war.
What does the poet mean by “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin”?
This simile compares the soldier’s distorted, suffering face to that of a devil disgusted by its own wickedness. It conveys the unnatural horror and grotesqueness of his death, stripping away any notion of nobility in war.
What is the significance of “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”?
The phrase, taken from Horace’s Odes, translates to “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” Wilfred Owen calls this a lie, as the poem vividly portrays the gruesome realities of war, rejecting the idea that there is anything honorable or sweet in the suffering and deaths of soldiers.
