The Views of Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen on War

The Views of Rupert Brooke and Wil

My selected poems are 'The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke and 'Dulce et

Decorum est' by Wilfred Owen. Both war poems but conveying their

different feelings and presenting their views of war in radically

different ways.

The poets have polarized views of war with Rupert Brooke writing his

poem in a romanticized and patriotic way referring to the possibility

of death as a noble cause, for England the land that gave him life.

This is at odds to how Wilfred Owen views the reality and horror of

war.

The poets choice of title 'Dulce et Decorum est' which translated

means 'It is lovely and honourable to die for your country' which in

its self is irony, misleads you to think that the poem is going to be

about how blissful it is to die for your country and how proud you

should be, when the reality is so different.

The title 'The Soldier' is also very misleading. The title suggests

it's going to be about a solider at war and facing death when in fact

it's about the glorification and pride or the author Brookes at the

thought of serving his country.

'Dulce et decorum est' is a poem about Soldiers in 1st world war. The

poet Wilfred Owen has created and described images in great detail. He

creates the horrific images of war and the soldier's pain.

The poem begins,

'Bent double. Like old beggars under sacks'

Which instantly has great impact on my feelings and creates the image

of the young soldier's hunched backed in pain and agony carrying

enormous packs, walking slowly and haggard like old women. The pain

that the soldiers are feeling is shown

'Knock-kneed, coughing like old hags, we cursed through sludge'

implying that the soldiers were cold and afraid and feeling very ill...

... middle of paper ...

...ormat to write a war poem in. It is written in

the form of a sonnet because it is very romanticised poem

e.g. 'Gave once her flowers to love, her ways to roam'

'Dulce et decorum est' was my favourite poem of the two, it's a very

emotional poem and shows the harsh realities of war rather than a

dreamy, imaginative poet writing about his fairy tale life style. Also

it seems to me that as Rupert Brookes didn't fight in the war and lost

his life to a measly mosquito bite, his poem is party deceptive and

untruthful.

I have come to the conclusion that both poets have polarized view on

war.

Wilfred Owen believed that war was a useless thing, risking young

lives and seeing the pain that many of the men went through and Rupert

Brookes saw war as a noble act. Brilliant and consequential thing

risking your life to show you are faithful towards your country.