"Dulce Et Decorum Est"& "The Charge of the Light Brigade" - Poem Comparing and Contrasting Essay
War is a subject that often stirs upon many emotions with those directly or indirectly involved. It may bring tears, memories of suffering and loneliness, struggles, or victories. Such disturbance of peace has wounded and killed many souls. It is on the battlefield we see the most hideous side of human nature, for every soldier's only objective on the battlefield is to survive and win. Many people have opposing views about wars which may have been developed over time based on many factors such as family upbringing, culture, political views, or personal experiences. In the two poems studied, Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade", war has been described with completely opposing views. In the former, Owen describes war as a horrifying and inglorious event with men in war being grim and sorrowful while the soldiers died devastatingly. On the other hand, Tennyson describes war as being a glorious and victorious event where it is an absolute honour for a soldier to die on the gallant battlefield.
To compare and contrast the two poems, the tone of the poems are examined where in "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Owen depicts the war as dismal, while in Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade", the author enlightens the experience of war as a heroic battle. To provide evidence of Owen's dreary portrayal of war, it is illustrated clearly in this tedious scene of war, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge,". (Owen, 1-3) Owen used the simile of comparing soldiers to beggars with ill health and cursing effectively because the comparisons instantly draws accurate pictures in the reader's mind of what Owen witnessed. This portrays a soldier's experience as wearisome and gloomy, behaving as if they are on their way to death. On the other hand, a quotation in
To compare and contrast the two poems, the tone of the poems are examined where in "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Owen depicts the war as dismal, while in Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade", the author enlightens the experience of war as a heroic battle. To provide evidence of Owen's dreary portrayal of war, it is illustrated clearly in this tedious scene of war, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge,". (Owen, 1-3) Owen used the simile of comparing soldiers to beggars with ill health and cursing effectively because the comparisons instantly draws accurate pictures in the reader's mind of what Owen witnessed. This portrays a soldier's experience as wearisome and gloomy, behaving as if they are on their way to death. On the other hand, a quotation in
Cited: Owen, Wilfred. Dulce et Decorum Est. Lord Tennyson, Alfred. The Charge of the Light Brigade