Comparative Essay On Dulce Et Decorum Est And Suicide In The Trenches
Comparative Essay on Dulce et Decorum est and Suicide in the Trenches
"Suicide in the Trenches" and "Dulce et Decorum est" are two poems about soldiers' experiences in the trenches during World War I. Both of these poems focused on the soldiers weakness and vulnerability rather than the way how we usually see soldiers as brave, fearless and tough. In this essay I will be comparing both of these poems, looking at their similarities and differences and explaining them.
Both of these poems begin with, and are mostly in the past tense. However, both of these poems, towards the end, change to the present tense. In the poem "Suicide in the Trenches", the first two stanzas are in the past tense, for example, in the first line, "I knew a simple soldier boy..." and then in the third stanza, after the soldier dies, it switches to," You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye, who cheer when soldiers march by..." and in the poem "Dulce et Decorum est" a similar thing is done. The first stanza is in the past tense," Coughing like hags, we cursed our backs" and then in the second stanza it very suddenly changes to the present tense, for example," Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!" is the opening sentence of the second stanza and it just seems to be very in your face and very sudden. This really gets the reader's attention and it also makes it sound like the writer is directly addressing you. This is the first of many similarities between these poems but in "Suicide in the Trenches" three asterisks are used to show time passing between stanza two and stanza three, and this is also where the poem goes from past to present tense.
Both of these poems look at soldiers differently to the way they are commonly looked at. Most of us see soldiers as noble, fearless and brave people, to say the least. However, both of these poems highlight the soldier's vulnerability and weakness, they both display the soldiers as helpless and fearful, much unlike the way how most people look at soldiers. The poem
"Suicide in the Trenches" and "Dulce et Decorum est" are two poems about soldiers' experiences in the trenches during World War I. Both of these poems focused on the soldiers weakness and vulnerability rather than the way how we usually see soldiers as brave, fearless and tough. In this essay I will be comparing both of these poems, looking at their similarities and differences and explaining them.
Both of these poems begin with, and are mostly in the past tense. However, both of these poems, towards the end, change to the present tense. In the poem "Suicide in the Trenches", the first two stanzas are in the past tense, for example, in the first line, "I knew a simple soldier boy..." and then in the third stanza, after the soldier dies, it switches to," You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye, who cheer when soldiers march by..." and in the poem "Dulce et Decorum est" a similar thing is done. The first stanza is in the past tense," Coughing like hags, we cursed our backs" and then in the second stanza it very suddenly changes to the present tense, for example," Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!" is the opening sentence of the second stanza and it just seems to be very in your face and very sudden. This really gets the reader's attention and it also makes it sound like the writer is directly addressing you. This is the first of many similarities between these poems but in "Suicide in the Trenches" three asterisks are used to show time passing between stanza two and stanza three, and this is also where the poem goes from past to present tense.
Both of these poems look at soldiers differently to the way they are commonly looked at. Most of us see soldiers as noble, fearless and brave people, to say the least. However, both of these poems highlight the soldier's vulnerability and weakness, they both display the soldiers as helpless and fearful, much unlike the way how most people look at soldiers. The poem