'Dulce et Decorum Est,' by Wilfred Owen (a WW1 poem) Flashcards
Knock-kneed…
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge
Gas!
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!
In all my dreams…
In all my dreams … / He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If you could hear … the blood come gargling…
If you could hear … the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
My friend, you would not tell…
My friend you would not tell with such high zest … / The old lie
What is the poem about?
Owen describes a sad march and a horrifying gas attack to expose the ‘lie’ that it is good to die for your country.
What does the latin phrase, ‘Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,’ mean?
It means, ‘it is sweet and fitting to die for your country.’
What made Owen enlist in the war?
Reading the Daily Mail made Owen feel guilty for not enlisting, so he did so.
What did he once have to do?
He had to walk through No-Man’s Land at night through mud that was 3-5 feet deep. (He described the mud as a ‘sucking octopus of clay.’)
What was first used by the Germans in 1917?
Mustard gas was first used by the Germans in 1917 - Owen experienced gas attacks.
What did mustard gas do?
It caused severe burns outside and (if inhaled) inside the body.
Did Owen experience the worst of warfare?
Owen experienced the worst of warfare: serving on the front-line and even beyond the front line in a ‘dug out’. He was horrified by the smell of rotting dead soldiers.
What condition did Owen suffer from?
He suffered from PTSD (shell-shock) after being blown up.
What happened seven days before the end of the war?
Owen died just seven days before the end of the war.
