The First World War Perceived to be a Futile Waste of Life in Poetry

The First World War Perceived to be a Futile Waste of Life in Poetry

"The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori," these words were

once uttered by the poet and soldier Wilfred Owen, this line needs to

be remembered as the poem is based on the idea of it as 'the old lie'

mocking the established belief of nationalism and duty to your

country, conveyed as patriotic propaganda to the people back at home

.How is it sweet and fitting to die for your country if nobody knows

about your death? The war was only meant to last till Christmas

however it dragged on for fourfutile years. Studying the poem "Dulce

et Decorum est" by Wilfred Owen, "In An Underground Dressing Station"

by Siegfried Sassoon and "Clearing Station" by Wilhelm Klemm it is

definitely clear that the Great War was a waste of life, time and

effort. Though these poems were written by poets from opposing sides

these three men illustrated the fact that war only caused the

destruction of innocent lives. Klemm and Owen used powerful imagery to

show the reader that the war only degraded strong men and turned them

into victims of trench warfare, gas attacks and severe bullet wounds.

Sassoon also conveys the image of death, however he writes more

simplistically yet this works just as effectively as the gory details

in both Wilfred Owen and Wilhelm Klemm's poetry. These three men

quickly realized that dying out there in a far off land was a waste of

a life and was completely pointless. As each man aimed to get the

reality of war back home through their intense poetry .The British

Empire lost over 908,371 men who were willing to fight to gain self

respect and freedom for our cou...

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...language is soft compared to the other poems. Death has

become peaceful, it is considered as an escape. The soldier is

described as a burden, his individuality has been taken, he is no

longer a brave strong man, but a helpless burden, just another life

that war has claimed. Sassoon does not give a vivid description of

what is going on; instead he leaves it up to the reader's imagination.

The reality of this poem is very sad, the only thing that the doctor

can do is keep the boy comfy, and as reader it is made clear that this

particular soldier is very young because he is referred to as a lad.

In some way's this piece of writing is more effective than the other

poem's because it is short, blunt and hard hitting no extravagant

metaphors and similes are used to convey the futility of war and the

suffering of the soldiers.