World War One was one of the deadliest wars America has fought. With over thirty-eight million casualties, soldiers drafted into this war were most likely being written their death sentence. Also, it was not just about putting their physical life on the line but for the ones that made it back alive, their psychological mentality was jeopardized from what they have experienced. So poets and other writers emerged to express to readers all over the world the true and harsh reality of the war. The perception that war was not all about being nationalistic and making your country proud, instead there was gruesome and immoral factors involved. Through two examples of World War One based poetry, “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Dreamers” …show more content…
Both poems begin the same rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefef, as Sasson rhymes with words such as end of the first four lines consist of “grey land” and “they stand” or “to-morrows” and “sorrows” (Sasson). Owen’s first four lines also have this commonality as he rhymes “sacks” with “backs” or “sludge” with “trudge” (Owen). However, even though Owen continues the same rhyme scheme throughout, (ghgh and so on), Sassoon instead ends his poem with a repetition of the previous rhyme. So, in Sasson’s poem the last four line’s rhyme scheme is efef. Other than the obvious rhyme scheme, the literary device that brings these poems to life and makes the readers feel certain emotions is the imagery. The very descriptive imagery helps display the severe conditions of the war in order for readers to understand what the soldiers went through. For instance, Owen uses the sense of hearing to help readers imagine the hurt solider or civilian in the war as he states, “But someone still was yelling out and stumbling” (Owen). As a reader, you are able to grasp on the feeling that this solider was holding on to his life and was hurt because he could not put his helmet on “just in time” (Owen). This imagery using the senses not only makes the poem more interesting but puts stronger evidence towards the point the author is trying to make about war. Sasson also uses imagery to show the severe conditions of the war. One example of this imagery is through the description of the weather and the war environment as he talks about the soldiers “in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain” (Sasson). This imagery helps show the lack of humanity and daily conditions the soldiers have to be in everyday in order to fight for their country. As the reader, Sasson helps you imagine the soldiers drenched in rain and trying to fight a war they do not even want to be a part.
Both authors use sensory imagery to create vivid images in the reader's mind with ease. In Harrison “In the trenches,” he uses descriptive similes and personifications to show the reader the disturbing reality of war effectively. After being viscously bombed, Harrison beautifully describes the “S.O.S” flare that is sent up shortly after being attacked, saying that “the sky is lit by hundreds of fancy fireworks like a night carnival.” This descriptive simile creates a visual image of a sky so bright that it resembles a carnival at night. As incoming bombs were dropping Harrison describes them by using the simile “the air screams and howls like an insane woman,” from this line any reader can imagine what it would sound like if artillery was dropping and exploding near you. Similarly, in twains “two ways of seeing a river,” he uses similes to create vivid images of the “majestic river.” Right from the beginning twain states that “I [have] mastered the language of this water and…every trifling feature…as familiarly as I [know] the letters of the alphabet.” This simile compares his vast knowledge of all the features of the river to his familiarity to the alphabets. The reader can visualize the importance and beauty of the river. Also, both authors similarly utilize sensory
Although there were still poets who wrote of the glories of fighting, poets such as Wilfred Owen, who fought and in the end was killed during the First World War, began to write realistically, showing war in a true light, removing any romanticism. In the poems I am going to look at, we can see a clear divide between the poetry of the pre 1900's and that of the post 1900's. A good example of this pre 1900 approach to war is "Before Agincourt" from William Shakespeare's play "King Henry the Fifth. " This is a speech written in blank verse, which is appropriate for such a significant subject.
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” World War I British Poets. Ed. Candace Ward. Dover Publications, Inc; New York, 1997.
Post 1900 War Poetry By looking at several war poems written before and after 1900, I can see that many elements of the types of poetry change greatly in several ways. I will be looking at a selection of war poems written by three different poets, in chronological order, so as to see if the attitudes to war and writing styles change over time or during various stages of the war. Firstly I will be looking at a poem written by Alfred Tennyson about the charge against the Russian gunners in 1854. The poem is called "The Charge of the Light Brigade" as it is exactly what happened.
Another poem that use sense imagery is “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen. In this poem Owen describes the hellish life of a solider in World War I. An enveloping scene of the poem give vivid details of the soldiers being attack with poison gas. Owen depicts the horrid sight of a solider dying from the attack. “As under a green sea, I saw him drowning” (Owen 1356), this line gives the audience an undeniable visual of war. The use of sense imagery in Owen’s poem bring the taste of the battlefield, the smell of blood, the sound of bombs and the touch of death.
All exceptional poetry displays a good use of figurative language, imagery, and diction. Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" is a powerful antiwar poem which takes place on a battlefield during World War I. Through dramatic use of imagery, metaphors, and diction, he clearly states his theme that war is terrible and horrific.
The poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen portrays the horrors of World War I with the horrific imagery and the startling use of words he uses. He describes his experience of a gas attack where he lost a member of his squadron and the lasting impact it had on him. He describes how terrible the conditions were for the soldiers and just how bad it was. By doing this he is trying to help stop other soldiers from experiencing what happened in a shortage of time.
Rupert Brooke was born in 1887. He joined the Navy at the start of the
Poets from many civilizations and across vast amounts of time were always considered agents of change. Their remarkable poems gave them the power to play an influential role on human culture and society. One such poet is Wilfred Owen, who was a soldier for Great Britain during WW1. His writing described the horrors of war that he had seen and it was these antiwar poems which gave voice to the suffering soldiers in the trenches of WW1 and altered the British Empire’s view on warfare as a whole. Today, ladies, gentleman and students of the Brisbane Writers Festival, I am here to present an informative analysis on this man’s revolutionary poems “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and “Disabled.” They are two of his many poems remembered in English history as some of his greatest works. The poems
A leading researcher at the University of Washington, Elizabeth Loftus, is specialized in the area of memory. She has recently discovered that when an occurrence is recalled it is not always re-created accurately. Loftus’ research revealed that instead, it is a reconstruction of the actual event. Newly collected information in relation to the topic being re-called can interfere with the memory you’re attempting to recall resulting in inaccurate recollection of the experience. If not be newly collected information it could be from other sources, such as the previous times you’ve told it, experiences from a television episode, a movie, or many other factors. You may have even experienced this yourself when you’ve been in the same place with another person for an event but have two un-matching stories of how the story took place and what occurred.
Owen’s poem uses symbolism to bring home the harsh reality of war the speaker has experienced and forces the reader to think about the reality presented in romanticized poetry that treats war gently. He utilizes language that imparts the speakers experiences, as well as what he, his companions, and the dying man feels. People really die and suffer and live through nightmares during a war; Owen forcefully demonstrates this in “Dulce et Decorum Est”. He examines the horrific quality of World War I and transports the reader into the intense imagery of the emotion and experience of the speaker.
Through the use of dramatic imagery in Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Owen is able to recreate a dramatic war scene and put the reader right on the front lines. The use of language is very effective in garnering the readers’ attention and putting the dire images of war into the mind. He emphasizes that war is upsetting and appalling at times. There is nothing sweet about it. He only strengthens his argument by the use of strong descriptive words and vivid figurative language. The utilization of these techniques gives the poem a strong meaning and provides the reader with a vivid portrayal of the events that took place during this grisly occurrence.
The poetic techniques used in Wilfred Owen’s war poetry sweep the reader from the surface of knowing to the essence of truly appreciating his ideas. Through sonnets, Para rhymes, ironic titles, voices and strong imagery, not only is the reader able to comprehend to the futility and the horrors of the Great War, but also they can almost physically and mentally empathise with those who fought. Through the three poems examined, it is evident that Owen goes to great effort to describe the conditions and thoughts of the First World War, thus his works are considered an invaluable asset to the modern literature.
If we look at the history of the world with a kaleidoscope, we can see the different aspects of war and what effect it had on the mind of different people and artists such as poets, painters and authors. Many poets romanticized war, luring it with their pen and giving it a beautiful look by glorifying death and obliging young blood to fight for their motherland. For example the poems “Peace” by Rupert Brooke and “Fall In” by Harold Begbie painted war with the highlights of glamorous and sensation. Apart from poets there are also politicians who achieved their aims with the help of war and violence while others who used the weapons of non violence to achieve their goals. The most famous example is of Adolf Hitler who took the aid of war to conquer the territories. The media also has a great impact on the mind 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.
He may have used this technique to make war seem if it had made men