Wilfred Owen Essay
Wilfred Owen successfully creates the truthful and terrifying image of war within his poems. The loss, sacrifice, urgency and pity of war are shown within the themes of his poetry and the use of strong figurative language; sensory imagery and tone contribute to the reader. This enables the reader to appreciate Owen’s comments about the hopelessness of war and the sacrifice the men around him went through within his poems, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ and ‘Futility’.
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ reveals the recount before, during and after the WWI gas attack. Not only does Owen address the horrific images in detail through visual imagery, but the title acts as an ironic lie meaning: ‘it is sweet and honourable to die for one’s country’. Throughout the poem, we see a reoccurring theme that addresses the soldiers to endure in the pain and suffering that war and pity brings to them. Urgency is also focused throughout the poem to indicate the hesitancy and danger Owen wants the audience to appreciate. Owen successfully highlights these themes within his poem in order for the reader to comprehend his words overall and also see that war should not be glorified.
Owen effectively uses figurative language within his poem so the reader is able to apprehend the state of the soldiers’ pains and sufferings through the use of hyperboles and similes. Within the first stanza, Owen describes the soldiers to be ‘coughing like hags’ using the simile of ‘like’ and imagery to make the audience picture the soldiers walking on and coughing horrendously trying to relieve their lungs during the war. The hyperbole ‘Men marched asleep’ heightens the struggle of the men as they trudge their way through war. They’re robots struggling to stay awake through their journey of survival and the pity of war. ‘All went lame; all blind’ is another hyperbole that symbolises the soldiers bodies not being able to respond and unable to see what was happening in front of them because of the gas.
Owen emphasizes
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ reveals the recount before, during and after the WWI gas attack. Not only does Owen address the horrific images in detail through visual imagery, but the title acts as an ironic lie meaning: ‘it is sweet and honourable to die for one’s country’. Throughout the poem, we see a reoccurring theme that addresses the soldiers to endure in the pain and suffering that war and pity brings to them. Urgency is also focused throughout the poem to indicate the hesitancy and danger Owen wants the audience to appreciate. Owen successfully highlights these themes within his poem in order for the reader to comprehend his words overall and also see that war should not be glorified.
Owen effectively uses figurative language within his poem so the reader is able to apprehend the state of the soldiers’ pains and sufferings through the use of hyperboles and similes. Within the first stanza, Owen describes the soldiers to be ‘coughing like hags’ using the simile of ‘like’ and imagery to make the audience picture the soldiers walking on and coughing horrendously trying to relieve their lungs during the war. The hyperbole ‘Men marched asleep’ heightens the struggle of the men as they trudge their way through war. They’re robots struggling to stay awake through their journey of survival and the pity of war. ‘All went lame; all blind’ is another hyperbole that symbolises the soldiers bodies not being able to respond and unable to see what was happening in front of them because of the gas.
Owen emphasizes