Dulce et Decorum est commentary

The Misleading Ideas of War During the times of war, young men were taught into believing that one must sacrifice his own life in order to demonstrate worshipped patriotism. Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” is an eye-opening poem that illustrates powerful imagery and diction. He creates the theme of false idealism being that the deceiving ideas of war as a glorious act of loyalty to one’s country in reality causes traumatizing experiences and memories that can scar individuals for life. As warfare may often be associated with guns and violence, Owen starts off by creating a clear motif of pain and suffering. Using diction, he creates a dark and intense atmosphere in his poem as well as setting a suspenseful mood as the narration progresses. He describes that the type of environment soldiers were exposed to was highly dangerous and risky yet soldiers themselves have become prone to the risks and do not consider them as deadly. This was cleverly shown through line 3 when Owen states how they have ignored to even take a glance at the horrific sights war has given them. Owen uses irony when speaking of the “gas-shells dropping softly behind” (line 8). He creates more of a calming atmosphere which indicates that many times at battle, it may seem as though it is all over when really the war has still only begun. Such experiences can’t affect a person in ways that when and if they ever get back to the real world, they may no longer feel safe. The roaring of gas-shells and the deafening sounds of numerous gun-shots will forever be planted in their minds. Through Owen’s poem, we understand the hardships men had to suffer through believing the misleading ideas of war being an act of patriotism when in the end, has only taken away their freedom. Other than the diction which has showed the atmosphere and the mood of the poem, imagery plays a huge role in portraying the theme allowing us to fully grasp the emotions the soldiers may have been