Wilfred Owen Dulce Et Decorum Est Analysis
Literary Device #4 - Imagery
Imagery originates from the Old French word imagerie, which comes from imager, meaning to “make an image.” In literature, one of the strongest devices is imagery, wherein the author uses words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize the author’s writings more realistically .
Example: “Watch the white eyes writhing in his face, / His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; / If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud/ Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues” (Lines 19-24). Wilfred Owen Dulce Et Decorum Est
FUNCTION
Context: Prior to the quote, there is an army of men who are “drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots” (Line 7). War-ridden, these men are suffering the costs of war, but the situation only gets worse for them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Five-Nines are dropped behind them from the enemy, and gas spreads through the area quickly. To survive, many of the men instantaneously put on their gas masks to avoid the gas. …show more content…
Unfortunately, due to fatigue and the unexpected forthcoming of the invasion, one life is taken away by the fumes.
Concept: After listening to the poem, listeners are swept away by the dark terror that war entails and cannot help but feel sympathetic for the men fighting in these wars because of the descriptive imagery Owen utilizes. In the context, the man who gets caught in the gas dies “under a green sea” (Line 14). This outlines the events as they happen and prepares readers for the bulk of emotions held in the last stanza of the poem. Listeners have already seen the men “marching asleep. Many had lost their boots but limped on, blood-shod,”and now they see one man suffer the most undesirable experience, death by gas (Lines 5-6). Coming into this third stanza, Owen begins to give an account of the man’s death in grave detail. His meticulous choice of words does an excellent job of portraying death, not as a memorial, but rather, as the cruel experience it is. Owen directs listeners to “watch the white eyes writhing in his face,” and this makes them cringe at the very thought of white eyes twisting and turning, never to see the light of day again (Line 19). Additionally, Owen describes the blood “gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer” (Line 22). This comparison to cancer allows readers to picture in their heads about how disgusting the scene of death really is on the battlefield. If cancer is seen as one of the worst ways to die in current society, how horrible can dying to this gas be? These two examples of imagery plant mental illustrations that set the brutal tone of the poem. Disgusting as the descriptions are, readers cannot help but feel a new kind of sympathy for the men of war. Continuing, Owen does not restrict himself from showing listeners the reality of death, as opposed to other poems, such as “Hymn Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument,” in which death is beautifully celebrated for its honorable sacrifice. Owen even tells listeners this when he compares the phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” which means “it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country” in English, to “the old Lie” (Lines 27-28). The imagery supports this claim because the images Owen creates in listeners’ brains are not sweet and glorious, but rather, revolting and painful. This theme of “war deaths are not as beautiful as they seem” can not be truly expressed without imagery. Saying, “War is ugly,” does not have the same value as describing the deaths, which is why Owen chooses to use imagery in his poem.
Connection: Within the quote itself, listeners can take note of two similes, which actually emphasize the imagery in “Dulce et Decorum Est.” “[The man’s] hanging face” is compared to “a devil’s sick of sin” using the word “like” (Line 20).
This simile supports the imagery by helping listeners create the picture of the devil in their minds. Continuing, “the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs” is compared to “cancer” using the word “as” (Line 21-22). As mentioned in the context, the way cancer is compared to the man’s death highlights how terrifying war deaths actually are. When something is compared to another thing that readers know about, they can clearly realize the intensity of death, which is what this poem advocates. Therefore, listeners cannot look at war deaths the same way ever again because of the two similes and the imagery Owen
applies.
Imagery originates from the Old French word imagerie, which comes from imager, meaning to “make an image.” In literature, one of the strongest devices is imagery, wherein the author uses words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize the author’s writings more realistically .
Example: “Watch the white eyes writhing in his face, / His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; / If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud/ Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues” (Lines 19-24). Wilfred Owen Dulce Et Decorum Est
FUNCTION
Context: Prior to the quote, there is an army of men who are “drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots” (Line 7). War-ridden, these men are suffering the costs of war, but the situation only gets worse for them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Five-Nines are dropped behind them from the enemy, and gas spreads through the area quickly. To survive, many of the men instantaneously put on their gas masks to avoid the gas. …show more content…
Unfortunately, due to fatigue and the unexpected forthcoming of the invasion, one life is taken away by the fumes.
Concept: After listening to the poem, listeners are swept away by the dark terror that war entails and cannot help but feel sympathetic for the men fighting in these wars because of the descriptive imagery Owen utilizes. In the context, the man who gets caught in the gas dies “under a green sea” (Line 14). This outlines the events as they happen and prepares readers for the bulk of emotions held in the last stanza of the poem. Listeners have already seen the men “marching asleep. Many had lost their boots but limped on, blood-shod,”and now they see one man suffer the most undesirable experience, death by gas (Lines 5-6). Coming into this third stanza, Owen begins to give an account of the man’s death in grave detail. His meticulous choice of words does an excellent job of portraying death, not as a memorial, but rather, as the cruel experience it is. Owen directs listeners to “watch the white eyes writhing in his face,” and this makes them cringe at the very thought of white eyes twisting and turning, never to see the light of day again (Line 19). Additionally, Owen describes the blood “gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer” (Line 22). This comparison to cancer allows readers to picture in their heads about how disgusting the scene of death really is on the battlefield. If cancer is seen as one of the worst ways to die in current society, how horrible can dying to this gas be? These two examples of imagery plant mental illustrations that set the brutal tone of the poem. Disgusting as the descriptions are, readers cannot help but feel a new kind of sympathy for the men of war. Continuing, Owen does not restrict himself from showing listeners the reality of death, as opposed to other poems, such as “Hymn Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument,” in which death is beautifully celebrated for its honorable sacrifice. Owen even tells listeners this when he compares the phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” which means “it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country” in English, to “the old Lie” (Lines 27-28). The imagery supports this claim because the images Owen creates in listeners’ brains are not sweet and glorious, but rather, revolting and painful. This theme of “war deaths are not as beautiful as they seem” can not be truly expressed without imagery. Saying, “War is ugly,” does not have the same value as describing the deaths, which is why Owen chooses to use imagery in his poem.
Connection: Within the quote itself, listeners can take note of two similes, which actually emphasize the imagery in “Dulce et Decorum Est.” “[The man’s] hanging face” is compared to “a devil’s sick of sin” using the word “like” (Line 20).
This simile supports the imagery by helping listeners create the picture of the devil in their minds. Continuing, “the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs” is compared to “cancer” using the word “as” (Line 21-22). As mentioned in the context, the way cancer is compared to the man’s death highlights how terrifying war deaths actually are. When something is compared to another thing that readers know about, they can clearly realize the intensity of death, which is what this poem advocates. Therefore, listeners cannot look at war deaths the same way ever again because of the two similes and the imagery Owen
applies.