‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen is a very powerful poem that reveals the unseen truths about World War I. The poem is greatly authentic as Wilfred Owen served in World War I, so the poem comes from personal experience. Immediately, the poem begins with an ironic title. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ roughly translated means ‘sweet and proper’ and is a reference to one of Horace’s Odes (poems). Horace was a Roman philosopher and poet living from 65BC to 8BC. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is an ironic title because this poem is anything but sweet and proper. Horace’s Odes teach about how dying in battle is a brave and honourable act. Owen uses this irony as he believes this is the opposite of the truth, detailing the real, gruesome reality of war.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags”. The poem begins with this simile. This provides the reader with an unexpected view on a soldier as soldiers are generally seen as strong athletic man. Here, Owen compares them to them to ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’. This means that war has causes them to age prematurely.
Arguably the most important poetic technique in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is imagery and more specifically, visual imagery. The composer brilliantly uses extensive imagery in this poem to convey and describe the gruesome reality of war. “we cursed through sludge” In this quotation, Owen uses his effective imagery to convey exhausted, struggling soldiers. “And towards our distant rest begun to trudge” This quotation includes the onomatopoeia of ‘trudging’, suggesting slow movement to a still very far away rest.
“In all my dreams, before my helpless sight” This statement is the composer conveying the message that he has to face the never-ending nightmares of war every night in his dreams. From this point in the poem and on, the composer takes the readers on a horrific and emotion journey about his personal experience of a man drowning before his eyes. The last stanza is full of brilliant visual imagery. “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.”
The poem ends with it’s title and backs up that it is ironic. “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est” Owen ads ‘The old lie’ to the beginning of this statement, proving he is referring to the old belief of it is a how dying in battle is a brave and honourable act and that he completely disagrees with the statement.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags”. The poem begins with this simile. This provides the reader with an unexpected view on a soldier as soldiers are generally seen as strong athletic man. Here, Owen compares them to them to ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’. This means that war has causes them to age prematurely.
Arguably the most important poetic technique in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is imagery and more specifically, visual imagery. The composer brilliantly uses extensive imagery in this poem to convey and describe the gruesome reality of war. “we cursed through sludge” In this quotation, Owen uses his effective imagery to convey exhausted, struggling soldiers. “And towards our distant rest begun to trudge” This quotation includes the onomatopoeia of ‘trudging’, suggesting slow movement to a still very far away rest.
“In all my dreams, before my helpless sight” This statement is the composer conveying the message that he has to face the never-ending nightmares of war every night in his dreams. From this point in the poem and on, the composer takes the readers on a horrific and emotion journey about his personal experience of a man drowning before his eyes. The last stanza is full of brilliant visual imagery. “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.”
The poem ends with it’s title and backs up that it is ironic. “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est” Owen ads ‘The old lie’ to the beginning of this statement, proving he is referring to the old belief of it is a how dying in battle is a brave and honourable act and that he completely disagrees with the statement.