The Portrayal of War in Lord Byron’s The Destruction of Sennacherib, Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est and Tennyson’s The Charge of The Light Brigade
We have studied three poems on the subject of different views of war.
‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ and ‘The Charge of the Light
brigade’ were written pre 1914 whereas ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est was
written post 1914’. Dulce et decorum est, was written by Wilfred
Owen, and is meant to portray the harshness of the first world war.
This was mainly to combat writers such as Jesse Pope, who portrayed
the war as “a game”. Lord Byron’s the destruction of Sennacherib, was
written pre 1914, and he used secondary evidence (2nd book of
chronicles chapter 32 in the Old Testament) to structure his poem.
Most of his poems were based on religious stories however, it is
strange that he should do this, when he lived the kind of lifestyle
that he did. Tennyson also based his poem on secondary evidence – a
newspaper article. He shows war to be heroic and that it is patriotic
to die for your country.
Lord Byron’s poem was published. The Destruction of Sennacherib in
1815. The poem is written about a story in the bible describing how
the King of Assyria (Sennacherib) invaded Judea planned to destroy
Jerusalem. It talks about how the king who praised the one real god
was rewarded for being faithful in his darkest hour.
The first stanza describes the power Assyrian army, by using vibrant
colours “Purple and Gold”. By using the vibrant and victorious
colours, he shows his view on war as victorious.
He goes on to compare their “spears to stars on the sea” - in a
romantic way. This shows how Byron views ...
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...cause describing the terrible
effects of war on people would interfere with the heroic, noble
atmosphere he is trying to create. Wilfred Owen’s works shows the
effects on him up to his death in 1917, relating to his experiences in
the First World War. He condemns war and writes a small poem aside
from his personal encounters. The poem reads: “in all my dreams,
before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, chocking and
drowning.” I think this creates powerful, terrible images. It
describes his nightmares of people being gassed, using three of the
most shocking and revolting sounding words in the poem. For me,
showing the horrendous and distressing effects on ordinary people is
an incredible way of expressing his opinions, and trying to persuade
people not to go to war, as it is a very powerful emotional appeal.
In this essay I am going to compare and contrast the differences between ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is written by Poet Lauriat Lord Tennyson and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ is written by Lord Byron. They both contain different poetic techniques and write about a battle in completely different ways.
Tim O’Brien states in his novel The Things They Carried, “The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (77). This profound statement captures not only his perspective of war from his experience in Vietnam but a collective truth about war across the ages. It is not called the art of combat without reason: this truth transcends time and can be found in the art produced and poetry written during the years of World War I. George Trakl creates beautiful images of the war in his poem “Grodek” but juxtaposes them with the harsh realities of war. Paul Nash, a World War I artist, invokes similar images in his paintings We are Making a New World and The Ypres Salient at Night. Guilaume Apollinaire’s writes about the beautiful atrocity that is war in his poem “Gala.”
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.
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est." The Faber Book of War Poetry. Ed. Kenneth Baker. London: Faber, 1997. 3-4.
How Wilfred Owen Uses Language and Imagery in His Poetry to Communicate his Attitudes of War
In this essay you will notice the differences and similarities between ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ was written in nineteenth century by Alfred Lord Tennyson. In contrast, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ was written in the twentieth century by Wilfred Owen. The main similarity we have observed is that they both capture war time experiences. However, the poets’ present these events using their own style, and the effect is two completely different observations of war.
World War One had an inevitable effect on the lives of many young and naive individuals, including Wilfred Owen, who, like many others, joined the military effort with the belief that he would find honour, wealth and adventure. The optimism which Owen initially had toward the conflict is emphasised in the excerpt, in which he is described as “a young poet…with a romantic view of war common among the young” (narrator), a view which rapidly changed upon reaching the front. Owen presents responders with an overwhelming exploration of human cruelty on other individuals through acts of war and the clash of individual’s opposed feelings influenced by the experiences of human cruelty. This is presented through the horrific nature of war which the
Human conflict is a violent confrontation between groups of people due to differences in values and beliefs. During World War I, poet and soldier, Wilfred Owen, faced the harsh realities of human conflict, dying at a young age of 25, only six days before the war ended. Owen’s personal encounters during war had a profound influence on his life as reflected in the poems and letters he wrote before his passing. In using a variety of poetic devices to write about the suffering and brutality of war, vividly captured in his poems ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, Owen effectively conveys his own perspective about human conflict. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ depicts the horrific scenes on the battlefield and a grotesque death from drowning
Analysis of Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen and Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson. In this essay I intend to discuss the two passionately opinionated wars. poems, 'Dulce et Decorum est' by Wilfred Owen based on WW1 and 'Charge'. of the Light Brigade' by Alfred Lord Tennyson which portrays the Crimean war against Russia.
As a poet, Wilfred Owens wants to show the effects of warfare from the viewpoint of a soldier during a War. Owens uses his own experience as a fighter to capture the reader’s attention and get across his point. He often uses graphic imagery and words to depict his thoughts about war. Wilfred Owens, poems, “Dulce et Decorum est” and “Anthem for doomed youth” talk blatantly about the effects of warfare on the soldiers, their loved ones, and those who make an ultimate sacrifice by making a statement about the efficacy of war.
Considered the leading English poet of the First World War, Owen is remembered for realistic poems depicting the horrors of war, which were inspired by his experiences at the Western Front in 1916 and 1917. Owen considered the true subject of his poems to be "the pity of war," and attempted to present the true horror and realities of battle and its effects on the human spirit. His unique voice, which is less passionate and idealistic than those of other war poets, is complemented by his unusual and experimental style of writing. He is recognized as the first English poet to successfully use pararhyme, in which the rhyme is made through altered vowel sounds. Owen’s distinct way of both writing and reading poems led to influence other poets in the 1920s and 1930s.
The theme of war is explored in both ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Despite this they differ in the way they are written. Wilfred Owen gives a first-hand experience including all of the details which may disturb people. Alfred, Lord Tennyson is an omniscient narrator. This means he was ‘looking over the battle’.
World War I impacted poetry profoundly. Poets who served in the war were using poetry to share their horrific stories about the hardships they faced. These poets became known as “war poets.” They wrote about the traumatic, life changing experiences that haunted them once the war was over. Intense poems started emerging that portrayed the mental and physical struggles soldiers faced. Two examples of the impact that World War I had on poetry is seen in the poems “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Repression of War Experience” by Siegfried Sassoon.
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” makes the reader acutely aware of the impact of war. The speaker’s experiences with war are vivid and terrible. Through the themes of the poem, his language choices, and contrasting the pleasant title preceding the disturbing content of the poem, he brings attention to his views on war while during the midst of one himself. Owen uses symbolism in form and language to illustrate the horrors the speaker and his comrades go through; and the way he describes the soldiers, as though they are distorted and damaged, parallels how the speaker’s mind is violated and haunted by war.