Dulce Et Decorum Est
In what ways does Owen present Ideas about war and conflict in Dulce et Decorum est?
Dulce et Decorum est is based towards the end of the First World War, where many were becoming cynical about the reasons why war was occurring. A lack of patriotism was becoming prominent due to the horrors of war which are witnessed throughout the poem. Within verse one, Owen presents the physical transformation of the soldiers who have become dehumanised as a result of the harsh trench lifestyle alongside the hardship of fighting within a war: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks…coughing like hags”. The youthful and innocent soldiers are now likened to ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’, accentuating the physical degradation the soldiers have undertaken. The idea of a ‘hag’ suggests that the once youthful men are now unrecognisable through comparing them to an other-worldly cripple, who has become decayed by the war. This is particularly shocking as the majority of the men fighting, and those Owen describes, were typically teenagers, once eager to fulfil their duty to serve their country. Likewise, the reference to ‘coughing’, further serves as a stark reminder of the horrors of warfare, particularly with its reference to chemical warfare which became prominent in the First World War. Further reminders regarding the horrors of war can also be witnessed in verse one: “all went lame; all blind”. The animalistic nature of the verb ‘lame’ further reflects the severity of the men’s condition, who are further dehumanised in describing them as being almost pathetic as animals. Through the hyperbole of ‘all blind’, we further become reminded of the severity of the men’s physical degradation.
Contrastingly, within
Dulce et Decorum est is based towards the end of the First World War, where many were becoming cynical about the reasons why war was occurring. A lack of patriotism was becoming prominent due to the horrors of war which are witnessed throughout the poem. Within verse one, Owen presents the physical transformation of the soldiers who have become dehumanised as a result of the harsh trench lifestyle alongside the hardship of fighting within a war: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks…coughing like hags”. The youthful and innocent soldiers are now likened to ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’, accentuating the physical degradation the soldiers have undertaken. The idea of a ‘hag’ suggests that the once youthful men are now unrecognisable through comparing them to an other-worldly cripple, who has become decayed by the war. This is particularly shocking as the majority of the men fighting, and those Owen describes, were typically teenagers, once eager to fulfil their duty to serve their country. Likewise, the reference to ‘coughing’, further serves as a stark reminder of the horrors of warfare, particularly with its reference to chemical warfare which became prominent in the First World War. Further reminders regarding the horrors of war can also be witnessed in verse one: “all went lame; all blind”. The animalistic nature of the verb ‘lame’ further reflects the severity of the men’s condition, who are further dehumanised in describing them as being almost pathetic as animals. Through the hyperbole of ‘all blind’, we further become reminded of the severity of the men’s physical degradation.
Contrastingly, within