Dulce Et Decorum Est

In the early 20th century when countless wars occurred, men were encouraged to fight for their country. That time, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” was a prominent term which sparked multitudes of men to participate in wars. Translated into English, the saying means “it is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country;” however, in Wilfred Owen’s poem, the speaker emphatically contradicts this idea. Motivated to prove his point of view, he shares his and his colony’s physical, mental and emotional tribulation during the war.

Dulce et Decorum Est was written in 1917—the time when World War I took place. This led scholars to believe the poem was written to depict the horrific events that occurred during the war. Moreover, since historical records show Owen was one of the men who enlisted in World War I, they also suspect the events are closely tied to his personal experiences. Upon examining the poem, I came across the word ‘we’ in lines 2 and 3. In addition, I saw

the constant usage of ‘I’ and ‘my’ in the next lines to follow which made me realize the words of the speaker represents the voice of the author himself.
As perceived in the first stanza, the speaker depicts his colony’s physical sufferings during the war. “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, / Knock-kneed, coughing like hags” (1-2). In these lines, the speaker describes the immense deterioration of their colony’s health and compares themselves to crippled beggars. Moreover, the speaker further illustrates their physical agony in the succeeding lines. “Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, / But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind” (5-6). Within these lines, the speaker portrays their colony’s deprivation of sleep, immobilized of limbs, and loss of eyesight. These incidents embody the casualties and physical struggles the speaker’s colony encountered during the war.
On the second, third, and fourth stanzas, the speaker briefly illustrates the gruesome death of his comrade.

“Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, / As under a green sea, I saw him drowning” (13-14). In these lines, the speaker illustrates his comrade’s intoxication with lethal chlorine gas. “In all my dreams before my helpless sight, / He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning” (15-16). Within these lines, the speaker witnessed the traumatizing sight of his dying comrade. He describes the tears streaming down the unfortunate man’s face. In the subsequent lines, the speaker further depicts his comrade’s gruesome death. “If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace / And watch the white eyes writhing in his face / His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” (17-20). Along these lines, the speaker reveals the horrid sight of his comrade’s death incessantly haunts him in his dreams. The traumatizing sight of his comrade’s gruesome death caused the speaker’s mental

sufferings.
Additionally, the speaker turns extremely emotional in the fourth stanza. “If you could hear, every jolt, the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, / Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud” (21-23). In these lines, the speaker contemplates and recalls the surreal destruction of the human body the war brought upon them. The powerful words truly express his rage. In the last few lines, the speaker confronts the audience. “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory, / The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (25-28). In these lines, the speaker warns children in thirst for honor and glory that it is not sweet and glorious to die for one’s country. The act of reminiscing and relaying his horrid encounters during the war stirred the emotional torment of the speaker.
Overall, after analyzing the poem, I realized the poem does not merely refer to a random soldier’s experiences during an indefinite war. Rather, it tells the true to life story of Wilfred Owen as he battled in World War I. As the poem progresses, we see not only the physical hardships he and his troops experienced but also the emotional and mental struggles they went through. This led me to believe the main motive of the author is to share his tribulations to receive the empathy of his audience and relay the message that it is neither a sweet nor glorious experience to die for one’s country.