Dulce Et Decorum Est, By Wilfred Owen

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Hardships from hostile experiences can lead to the degradation of one's mental and physical state, breaking down their humanity. Wilfred Owen's struggles with the Great War has led to his detailed insights on the state of war, conveying his first-hand experiences as a front-line soldier. 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Insensibility' displays these ideas and moreover, exposes the harsh and inhumane reality of war. Through the use of imagery and metaphors, Owen's ideas about the deterioration of human nature resonates with the reader of the repercussions of war.

Dulce et Decorum Est, through the technique of similes, helps describe the state of war. 'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks' details the health of the young soldiers in war. It …show more content…

'Sore on the alleys cobbled with their brothers. This metaphor portrays the soldiers as remorseless as Owen describes the floors of the trenches as being 'cobbled', which building roads require cobble. Here, the cobbles are the skulls and sacrifice of fellow soldiers, which shows how accepted death is on the battlefield and ultimately, how insensitive soldiers have become due to death being so prevalent. The most inhumane metaphor in the poem would come from stanza 3. The whole stanza is a metaphor and gives reason for the insensibility the soldiers suffer from. 'Their senses in some scorching cautery of battle'. Cauterising is a process used in war, halting the spread of infection through their destroying flesh would save lives. The soldiers have had their emotions 'cauterised' resulting in their destruction of their humanity and as a result, Owen explains, in order to survive, 'cauterisation' is crucial to deal with the brutality of war, resulting in one's humanity being sacrificed for survival.

Through Owen's recounting of his experiences as a soldier, he can detail the brutality of war and what it can do to ordinary humans. Owen's strong views on war has led to readers sympathising for soldiers and regrettably, shown the true nature of war as not something courageous, but atrocious. War should never have been as it can devolve normal humans into remorseless beings, not able to recover even after going home with loved

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