Pro Patria Mori

Wilfred Owen’s war poem, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” portrays and condemns the horrific nature of war. Through the use of imagery and metaphor, Owen relates the idea that the hypocritical nature of politicians and civilians causes the alienation of soldiers from the political and societal realm of humanity. Owen implores politicians and civilians to consider the damaging aspects of war as its true depiction as opposed to their commonly-held and much-heralded view that war is patriotic.

The first stanza of the poem is characterized by a sense of duty and union. This is seen with phrases such as “Men marched asleep” (Owen 5) and the speaker’s use of the terms “we” and “us”. The sense of union is broken when Owen refers to his fellow soldiers as “boys” (9) in the second stanza as compared to “men” (5) in the first stanza (Class Discussion: “Dulce”). The short sentences and abrupt punctuation that characterize the first line of the second stanza also break the sense of union created by the first stanza. They create a sudden sense of “every man for himself” as each man puts on their “clumsy helmets just in time” (Owen 10). The “someone still… yelling out and stumbling” (Owen 11) further heightens this sense of abandonment as no one is able to come forward to help this soldier. The speaker’s regret at not being able to help the soldier drives him to challenge the status quo behind war.

The poem altogether is divided into four stanzas; however, the second and third stanzas appear to be connected to one another as together, their rhyme scheme is consistent with the rest of the stanzas. Owen’s choice to split the stanza into two parts mirrors the fragmented society of his day: the war-torn soldiers and the sheltered civilians. These usages of ...

... middle of paper ...

... audiences may be more familiar with tanks and rocket launchers as military weapons rather than “[g]as” (Owen 9). These points illustrate that the poem is “a product of its time” (Melville 8) which is consistent with the poem being historical.

“Dulce Et Decorum Est” is literature in that it is literary, emotionally affective, political, and historical. The poem, written during an horrific war and published soon after, presents an alternate view to war in contrast to the general existing belief that war is patriotic. This is done through poignant imagery and an implied criticism of the hypocrisy behind decisions of war.

Works Cited

Melville, Peter. Writing about Literature: An Introductory Guide. Toronto: Nelson, 2012. Print.

Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce Et Decorum Est." Custom Courseware: ENGL 122 B01. Ed. Lucinda Rasmussen. Edmonton: University of Alberta, 2014. Print.