The First World War, with the continuing advent of broad-range communications, marked one of the first instances in which the civilian public was made aware of the atrocities and hardships of battle. It was especially defined as such with the overtly brutal nature of trench warfare and an a descent into chemical warfare. Amidst pro-war propaganda posters and a swelling sense of instilled national pride, there were instances of first-hand accounts from those that had traversed the front lines and seen the horrors the fields had held. In Dulce Et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen uses shock-value, brutal imagery, and quipping sarcasm to denounce any glory in war and bring light to the suffering and dehumanization of soldiers to the general populace.
Owen's first foray in his anti-war niche is the contrast of the name of the poem and the body. The phrase Dulce Et Decorum Est translates from Latin to Sweet and Fitting it is, with the latter lines of the phrase included at the end of the poem being to die for one's native land. In his poem, Owen makes no reference to national pride or glory; merely suffering and fatigue that focuses on the individual, rather than some greater notion or ideal. The title of the poem is meant to be bitterly sarcastic, with the narration to be a direct contradiction of any sweetness in a soldier's death.
The poem, written in 28 lines of iambic pentameter, makes copious usage of simile, metaphor, imagery, and gratuitous detail. His first description of the soldiers on the march goes against any preconceived notions of proud warriors romping triumphantly over the battlefield. Rather, they are compared to lower classes of humanity. Hags, old beggars; both similes used to describe the posture, health, and apparent morale of the troops. It is meant to convey that, in war, the soldiers are used up to their fullest in a sense similar to slavery. They are forced to march and trudge until their minds are numb and their bodies take upon the characteristics of a husk. An elderly person exists as such seemingly because they have used up their life. The soldiers are seen as signs of the same fate, but horribly premature because of their hardships. The war is cited as draining away their life, so to speak, and leaving them as empty versions of themselves without vigor or lofty purpose.
The second stanza continues on the path of disassembling the men into subhuman monsters. They are deaf to all sounds, blind and lame in the same sense, and have lost their wit in their drunken fatigue. Even pain is robbed of them, as they march on, blood shod without any apparent care. Owen's goal is to show their dehumanization from every aspect possible; in the body, senses, and mind. The first two stanzas reflect this drunken stupor, giving an almost blissful reprieve from the pains they would go through if they were coherent. The promise of rest is a tantalizing salvation that may yet curb the anti-war sentiment and send the soldiers out again, refreshed an invigorated. But Owens instead takes an opposite turn, and describes the events of the gas shells dropping when the soldiers are most vulnerable.
Gas, gas, quick boys! begins the first line of the third stanza, seemingly snapping out of the fluid description of the haggard soldiers. Boys, while it could in essence refer to the youth of the soldiers and the irony of their elderly description, could also allude to British preconceptions of wartime. The word boys when envisioned from the mouth of a British colonel or lieutenant, gives arise to images of straight, tall, proud soldiers of the British army. It reflects a strong, youthful group cohesiveness that is otherwise severely lacking in this poem. As such, it could be seen as another bitter attempt at sarcasm.
The discord of the third stanza is a sharp contrast to the first two. The situation goes from a dream-like state to a panic. Just in time almost gives a sense of comfort, though Owens makes short work of that in the next line break. The next line, beginning with but, jettisons that relief straight back into helpless turmoil. Owen's description of the man as he sees him through the foggy green tint of his gas mask could allude to Britain's population looking out onto the field of battle; themselves untouched as they watch their soldiers die. The dying man advancing on Owens would signify Owen's own attempt to bring that pain to the forefront and force Britain to come to terms with what is actually happening, rather than watch from afar.
The next short stanza describes the soldier's mindset. The agony of post-traumatic stress syndrome and the plight of the man haunting Owen's dream is brought to light. The fact that he feels helpless is again a nod towards both the helplessness of those watching from afar, and his helplessness to cure himself of the horrors that he has witnessed.
The final stanza is the most blatant display of shock-value persuasion. The intricate description of the corpse, eyes writhing, hanging face, gargling from froth-corrupted lips. sores on innocent tongues is meant to parallel the death and overall sorrow inflicted on young soldiers that would otherwise be happy and relishing life. All of these together are meant to solidify his final point, which is that dying for one's country is not glorious, but and old lie.
Throughout the poem, Owens relies heavily on description, sarcasm, and mood to portray his thoughts. Rather than simply a blatant out lashing against the war, he instead chooses to let his personal narration do the majority of his speaking, only denouncing the war by citing said experiences. Owens uses a fairly persuasive method to contrast pro-war messages that rely solely on hype or blind adherence.
Already have an account? Log In Now
7343