Dr. Jonathan Dewberry
English 102-(02)
November 2014
“Dulce et Decorum Est” Metaphors and Similies
The first of two similes is “bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. Here Owen is compairing the men in service to old beggars by the way they are walking. When Owen says “bent double”, it is telling you that the men are not standing up straight, but are bent over, as if they were beggers who are tired from begging all day. The next simile is “coughing like hags”, Owen is comparing their coughs to a witch or an old women. When he says “coughing like hags”, he is saying that they are as worn out as an old woman would be, and are coughing as if they were old. The first of two metaphors is “men marched asleep”. The men are not literally marching while sleeping, they are just so tired from the war that is going on that they are basically sleep walking. My second metaphore is “Drunk with fatigue”, the men are so exaused that is actually looks like they are drunk while they are walking because they are so disoriented. They are been awake for so long, fighting that they are not even functioning the right way.
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