Louis Simpson's The Battle and Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est

When looking at poetry we notice many things. The language, meaning, and emotion all speak to us in many ways; some the author may have not even intended. When we look at the subject of war there have been many poems documenting the horror soldiers feel at their surroundings. The tragedy and atrocity that happens in war have all been written about with great impact. When we look at Louis Simpson's "The Battle" and Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" we can read first hand of the experiences of soldiers. But when we compare these two poems we can clearly see that "The Battle" seems to have far greater impact than "Dulce et Decorum Est."

The first thing that is noticeably different between these two poems in the language that they use. "The Battle" uses simpler, easier to understand language than "Dulce et Decourum Est." "The Battle" has simple words like "thudded" (line 3) and "clammy" (6) to describe the scene while "Dulce et Decorum Est" has words such as "haunting" (3) and "sludge" (2) to describe its scene. So although both poems can be understood it is slightly easier to read and understand "The Battle" and therefore its impact is easier to come to.

One thing that is similar in these poems is the subject matter of them. It is obvious that both poems are about war and the horrors of war. "The Battle" tells of soldiers preparing themselves for a great battle in the middle of a field while "Dulce et Decorum Est" speaks of soldiers wearily returning to their camp only to be assaulted by gas and loose one of there own. Examples from "The Battle" can be seen in "They halted and they dug. They sank like moles into the clammy earth between the trees." (4, 5) and "At dawn the first shell landed with a crack" (9). In "Dulce et Decorum Est" lines like "Gas! Gas! Quick, Boys!" (9) And "As under a green sea, I saw him drowning." (14) Also show the horrors of war. These examples show that both of these poems illustrate war and its atrocities.

A final difference that can be seen between these two poems is the style of the poems themselves.