From 1914 to 1918, World War I ravaged the lives of countless individuals. Such devastation, however, resulted in the emergence of immensely influential poets who produced some of the most poignant, and often fiercely persuasive, poems of the century. Wilfred Owen, an English soldier who served primarily in the trenches, crafted poems detailing the horrors he encountered and urged readers to spread realities rather than misleading, glorified tales. This determination to illustrate necessary truths contrasted with public perception of war, for propaganda in Great Britain at the time relied heavily on hyperbolized images of heroism to motivate and promote patriotism (Gingrich). Jessie Pope, an English journalist well-known for her distasteful and arguably insensitive pro-war writings, appealed to such propaganda. She often relied on humiliation, cowardice, and public admiration, as well as a depiction of war as a sport or game, to manipulate men into enlisting. Her dishonest portrayals of war and unfair pressures to enlist resulted in an increase in volunteers for service, but left those influenced by her writings feeling betrayed once they reached the frontlines. Although Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est and Pope’s The Call and The Beau Ideal all attempt to sway citizens’ views on war, Owen strives to appeal to truth, while Pope endeavors to propagandize. Before delving into the analysis of …show more content…
Pope’s The Call and The Beau Ideal were published in 1915 and 1916 respectively, and they were met with sharp criticism by none other than Owen himself. Having served in the war, Owen was deeply insulted and disturbed by the false images she fabricated. He addressed his discontent regarding her work in a September editorial of The Hydra when he served as an editor.
Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen and Seaman, 1941 by Molly Holden both present different interpretations or views on war. These different views will have a variety of impact on the reader. The two poems also have several recognizable similarities, which connects them both together. There are many factors to be considered when comparing the similarities and differences between these poems, such as perspective, imagery, time period, etc. These, and many more, will be looked at and analysed in this essay.
...ntation in 20th century war poetry undoubtedly shapes its type and purpose, be it for nationalistic propaganda or to prompt a global paradigm shift, the purpose can be seen to stem largely from the author’s involvement in combat or war life. Authors such as Owen Seaman, who have no first hand experience of the content of their poems, create patriotic propaganda in an attempt to keep young men enlisting, and others such as Rupert Brooke who exemplify blind optimism and nationalistic intentions in a romanticised view of what it would be to die.
was all lies created to make people sign up for war and it's not in
On the first read-through of Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est it seems to just be a poem describing a soldiers experience in World War I, but there is much more to the story than that. Through the use of several literary techniques, Owen is able to vividly describe the speaker’s experiences and at the same time make them relatable to the people reading the poem. He also is able to criticize the people who he thinks are at least partly responsible for “tricking” a younger, more gullible him into the situation in the first place.
Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poem about World War I. Owen describes the horrors of war he has witnessed first-hand after enlisting in the war. Prior to his encounter with war he was a devote Christian with an affinity towards poetry, and after being swayed by war agitprop he returned home to enlist in the army; Owen was a pacifist and was at his moral threshold once he had to kill a man during the war. The poem goes into detail about what the soldiers had to endure according to Owen, “many had lost their boots / but limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; / drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots” (5-7). Owen’s conclusion to the poem is that “the old Lie; dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori” (27-28), Latin for “it is sweet and right to die for your country,” is not easily told when one has experienced war. In his detailed poem Owen writes about the true terrors of war and that through experience you would probably change your conceived notion about dying for your country.
Both Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” as well as “next to of course god america i” written by E.E. Cummings preform critic on war propaganda used during the first world war. Besides this the influence war propaganda has on the soldiers as individuals as well as on war in more general terms, is being portrayed in a sophisticated and progressive manner. By depicting war with the use of strong literary features such as imagery or sarcasm both texts demonstrate the harshness of war as well as attempt to convey that war propaganda is, as Owen states “an old lie”, and that it certainly is not honourable to die for one’s country. Therefore, the aim of both writers can be said to be to frontally attack any form of war promotion or support offensively
Owen as a young soldier held the same romantic view on war as majority of the other naive soldiers who thought that war would be an exciting adventure. The documentary extract illustrates how markedly Owen’s perspective of the war changed, as noted in a letter to his mother while he was still in the front lines: “But extra for me, there is the universal perversion of ugliness, the distortion of the dead ... that is what saps the soldierly spirit.” In ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, Owen’s change of heart is evident through the irony of the poem title and the ending line “The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est, Pro patria mori.”, an allusion to the Roman axiom made famous by Horace, which translates to “The old Lie; It is sweet and right to die for your country.”. The line depicts Owen’s realisation that the horrific nature of war through human conflict is not sweet and right at all, rather, it is appalling and “bitter as the cud” as death is always present on the battlefield. Additionally, Owen indirectly responds to Jessie Pope’s poetry, a pro-war poetess, through the reference “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest… The old lie…”, further highlighting his changed perspective towards the war which has been influenced
The two poems about World War 1, ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke, and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen, each present their views in different ways. World War one started in 1914 and ended after four years. There are two main responses from soldiers. The two approaches have been written each in these poems. Both have similarities and differences. They are conveyed in different ways that affect the reader more at some points and less than others.
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.
In “DEDE”, Owen uses tone and repetition of the title to exemplify the lie in war “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”. Owen’s bitter and sarcastic tone makes it clear to the audience that for anyone who knew the truth of war could not see it as a heroic act of patriotism. By quoting the Latin poet Horace, this also shows the audience his discontentment. The repetition of the title makes us reconsider our attitudes to war due to what Owen has revealed to us by highlighting the carnage and destruction of
“Compare and contrast “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke with “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen with regard to theme, tone, imagery, diction, metre, etc”
... The history of the old lie is that it means that it is sweet and
... Instead of idealizing war in a romantic way, war poets such as Wilfred Owen aimed to expose gruesome truths about these wars and how they impacted lives. It points a finger and criticizes the governments and authorities that wage these wars but don’t fight in them themselves but rather watch as lives are lost. It exposes propaganda for what it is, a tool for brainwashing. It puts into question the notion of dying for ones country to be noble, honourable and admirable.
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.
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.