Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce Et Decorum Est'

Wilfred Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum Est" conveys in a bitter, sardonic tone the true macabre and dolorous reality of a popularly romanticized view of war. The simplicity of diction and rhythm provide a sense of verisimilitude, while paralleled by mimicry of the highly romanticized poetic form of the sonnet communicates a harsh, dramatic anti-war sentiment while mocking the opposition to his outlook. The natural rhythm of iambic pentameter and frequent caesura creates a lull that imitates the surrealism experienced by the "men [as they] marched asleep" while the cacophony of how they "cursed", "knock-kneed, coughing like hags" illustrate a bleak and bitter disposition within the first stanza. The rhythm slackens as it precedes – thus amplifying