Dulce Et Decorum Est

802 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of World Wars on Twentieth Century Literature pdf

“Patriots always talk of dying for their country but never of killing for their country.”
-Bertrand Russell
The above quote was written by Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher, logician, historian, and political activist. In the poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, by Wilfred Owen, the main theme of the poem is fear and death. The narrator tells of the true horrors of war, and the chaos that ensues it. The poem is the persona’s tale of the perils of war, and how it is nothing to be dreamt of.
In “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, there are two clear images given in the poem. The first image/story is given in the second stanza. The words, “GAS! Gas!” (9), are attention grabbing words that display the personas sudden surprise, and presumable fear. The above exclamation is followed by complete chaos and men stumbling around in the sudden mayhem. …show more content…

The speaker tells his audience that there is no reason to glorify battle or tell tall tales of war. The speaker is not against war, but discourages the celebration of it, It is not a sport, and war is a very serious matter. The death of a man is nothing to be celebrated and fighting for your country is patriotic, but it is better to support your nation without starting a war. There cannot be glory in a deadly battle, and children should not look forward to the day they can leave their loved ones to fight. In the second to last lines of the fourth stanza, the poem read; “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori.” (27-28). This Latin phrase translates to “how sweet and right it is to die for one’s country.”, but this is not the case. Death is not sweet, nor will it ever be. The narrator is desperately trying to persuade the reader not to dignify war and violence, along with not putting exciting war stories in the minds of young children. War is a treacherous place and is not meant to be fantasized, especially not by a

Show More
Related

  • Literary Analysis Of All Quiet On The Western Front

    2059 Words  | 5 Pages

    Similarly, Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” describes a soldier who witnesses the death of his comrade from poisonous gas. Using imagery and irony, Owen presents a blunt contrast between the propaganda practiced for recruitment and the truth behind the suffering endured by the soldiers. While presented in different formats, both literary works criticize the romanticism of war, arguing that there is no glory in the suffering and killing caused by conflict.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry

    3054 Words  | 7 Pages

    Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry Before 1900, war was always seen as a glorious thing. People truly believed in the words of the ancient writer Horace, "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori. " This phrase can be translated, as "It is a lovely and honourable thing; to die for one's country". Pre 1900 war poetry was strongly patriotic and glossed over the grim reality of death, preferring instead to display the heroic aspects of fighting. If death was mentioned, it was only in a noble and glorious context.

    Read More

  • Dulce Et Decorum Est Thesis

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dulce et Decorum Est is about the horrific situation that men went through in trench war fare, ‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge’. The poem depicts the struggle to survive and the traumatic experiences of the first world war from the horrible conditions that the men had to face, to the gassing of all those around them. This is evident throughout the poem. ‘Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots, of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!- An ecstasy of fumbling’. This use of oxymoron’s allows the reader to create an image in their minds thus bring them closer to the horrific setting of the poem and allowing them to really feel as if they were there themselves.

    Read More

  • 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade' - Poem Comparing And Contrasting Essay

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, depending on the position from which one views war, the standpoint may vary ranging from being supportive of the soldiers because those who die are dying for the country or they are completely unsupportive of war activities because it is a brutal and gruesome experience involving countless unnecessary injuries and deaths. Affected by a number of factors, the authors of the two poems have chosen opposing standpoints on the issue of war where Tennyson glorified it with the main message that it is an honour to die for one's country whereas the other, Owen suppresses the idea of war by illustrating all the horrid experiences of a soldier.

    Read More

  • Comparing In Flanders Fields 'And Dulce Et Decorum Est'

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” attempts to make war seem as repulsive as possible. The author’s goal is to discourage people from joining the war or any future conflicts by shattering the romantic image people have of the fighting. The setting of this poem helps

    Read More

  • The Theme Of War In Stephen Crane's The Red Badge Of Courage

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    The youth, naive at first, believes in the glory and reputation of war. He romanticizes the idea of fighting in a battle to be filled with admiration and respect from others. Just like the Greek tradition to commemorate

    Read More

  • Wilfred Owen's Ability to Draw in the Audience in His Poems, Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori and Anthem for Doomed Youth

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the poem Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori, he shows his feelings of betrayal, pity and the sense of sacrifice of human life due to the war, as the consequences do not result in any good for anyone, especially the family and friends of the victims. The title, when translated to English from Latin, means ‘It is sweet and honourable to die for one’s country’, being very ironic, compared to what he is writing throughout the poem, by his sense of hatred and pity towards war. He starts off with a simile, “like old beggars under sacks”, which does not depict a masculine image, already, ironic to the title, as it is not honourable to die “like old beggars”. Throughout the poem, a very graphical and comfronting image can be pictured in the reader’s head, recounting all of the shocking details of the war, such as the gas, “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!” which is also a reminder of their youth and innocence, being put into a war where they thought it might be fun. I...

    Read More

  • Dulce et Decorum Est

    1737 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is ingrained in soldier’s minds that to die for ones country is a great and honourable sacrifice. However, in the poem Dulce et Decorum Est the speaker uses powerful words and images to portray that patriotic propaganda is an “old lie” (Owen 27). In the first stanza, the speaker explains the effects that war has on young soldiers: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks/ Knock- Kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge” (Owen 1-2). Propaganda portrays soldiers as being young heroes, those who are strong, healthy and vigorous. However, based on the evidence expressed in the previous quotation soldiers are not all what propaganda

    Read More

  • Comparing two war poems written by Wilfred Owen: Dulce et decorum Est

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘The white eyes writhing in his face.the blood.gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.’ The physical horror of this helps shape his message. It is addressed to the propaganda poet Jessie Pope and tells her that it is a lie to say that it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country. A similar message in ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ describes the same. slaughtered young men who ‘die as cattle’.

    Read More

  • Dulce Et Decorum Est - Critical Response

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through reading this poem several times I decided that the message from the poem is that war is full of horror and there is little or no glory. Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor.

    Read More

  • The Affect of War on One's Innocence

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    The simple definition of war is a state of armed competition, conflict, or hostility between different nations or groups; however war differs drastically in the eyes of naive children or experienced soldiers. Whether one is a young boy or a soldier, war is never as easy to understand as the definition. comprehend. There will inevitably be an event or circumstance where one is befuddled by the horror of war. For a young boy, it may occur when war first breaks out in his country, such as in “Song of Becoming.” Yet, in “Dulce et Decorum Est” it took a man dying in front of a soldier's face for the soldier to realize how awful war truly is. Both “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” are poems about people experiencing the monstrosity of war for the first time. One is told from the perspective of young boys who were stripped of their joyful innocence and forced to experience war first hand. The other is from the perspective of a soldier, reflecting on the death of one of his fellow soldiers and realizing that there is nothing he can do to save him. While “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” both focus on the theme of the loss of innocence, “Song of Becoming” illustrates how war affects the lives of young boys, whereas “Dulce et Decorum Est” depicts the affect on an experienced soldier.

    Read More

  • Dulce et Decorum Est

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, the contents of the poem itself in fact contradict the title, and the speaker will actually refuse to accept the Latin saying, and actually detest the patriotic propaganda. Through Owen’s use of metaphors and similes, the argument the speaker is making within the poem becomes more apparent. The similes and metaphors used by Owen illustrate very negative war scenes throughout the poem, depicting extreme suffering of young men fighting during World War I. The first simile used by Owen describes the soldiers as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”, giving them sickly, wounded, and exhausted attributes from battle and lack of rest (1).

    Read More

  • Wilfred Owen's Attitude Towards World War 1 As Shown In His Poetry

    2295 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' is a quotation from the Latin poet Horace, meaning 'It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.' During the First World War, countries made use of mustard gas because it reacted with the water in the lungs and effectively dissolved the ones the inhaled the gas. The effect of the use of these gasses was horrific.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • The Reality of War and Death Depicted in Owen's Poem, Dulce Et Decorum Est

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    The media also has a great impact on the minds of the public, like newspapers, televisions, radios, arouses the public’s interest and motivates the young generation to join the army and fight for the nation. However, there are artists who look at war in its very naked form. For example, the poet Wilfred Owen in his poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est” demonstrates that no sweetness or honor is earned in dying for one’s country, instead humanity is taken away during war. In the first stanza, Owen uses strong metaphors and similes to convey a meaningful warning. The first line, “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”, describes the soldiers tremendous exhaustion.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Smile, Smile By Wilfred Owen

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a oxymoron when it is written "undying dead" (line 9) and this shows how the government emphasizes that more men should fight in war and if they do not, they would feel guilty. If the soldiers do not fight the war, they would die in

    Read More

More about Dulce Et Decorum Est

Open Document