Wilfred Owen's Poem 'Dulce Et Decorum Est'
TMA 01 - DULCE ET DECORUM EST
1a. Reading about the soldiers during the gas attack was very disturbing and I realise that the poem is an account of the brutal sacrifice soldiers are expected to give. It made me think not only about the physical horrors of war but also the psychological. It made me question and consider the human cost of war.
1b. The poem was written to challenge the accepted perception of what it means to die fighting for your country. It describes the devastating effects of a gas attack and by showing the reality of death on the battlefield, it attempts to dispel establishment propaganda. [102 words]
2a. - Simile
- Alliteration
- Imagery
2b. Owen uses similes to draw out the rawness of the scene he is describing. For example, the simile "like old beggars under sacks" gives you a clear vision of soldiers who are physically exhausted, bedraggled, marching back to their lines carrying …show more content…
The poem begins by describing a group of soldiers marching through a battle in order to get back to their own lines and rest. They are silhouetted against the explosions and fires caused by incessant shelling, they have lost kit, equipment and are so exhausted, they are barely aware of their surroundings. Suddenly they are attacked with gas and have to react quickly by pulling on their gasmasks. Owen vividly describes the sight of the battlefield as seen through the plastic lenses of the gas mask and the sight of a soldier being overcome before he was able to put his mask on is written without restraint. After the attack, Owen describes the death throes of the afflicted men before recounting the callous way bodies are collected on a wagon and how some men are still alive, but that no medical help is given. He closes the piece by stating that if the general public knew the reality of how people die in war, they would not be so enthusiastic about declaring how proud a young man should be when called upon to make the ultimate
1a. Reading about the soldiers during the gas attack was very disturbing and I realise that the poem is an account of the brutal sacrifice soldiers are expected to give. It made me think not only about the physical horrors of war but also the psychological. It made me question and consider the human cost of war.
1b. The poem was written to challenge the accepted perception of what it means to die fighting for your country. It describes the devastating effects of a gas attack and by showing the reality of death on the battlefield, it attempts to dispel establishment propaganda. [102 words]
2a. - Simile
- Alliteration
- Imagery
2b. Owen uses similes to draw out the rawness of the scene he is describing. For example, the simile "like old beggars under sacks" gives you a clear vision of soldiers who are physically exhausted, bedraggled, marching back to their lines carrying …show more content…
The poem begins by describing a group of soldiers marching through a battle in order to get back to their own lines and rest. They are silhouetted against the explosions and fires caused by incessant shelling, they have lost kit, equipment and are so exhausted, they are barely aware of their surroundings. Suddenly they are attacked with gas and have to react quickly by pulling on their gasmasks. Owen vividly describes the sight of the battlefield as seen through the plastic lenses of the gas mask and the sight of a soldier being overcome before he was able to put his mask on is written without restraint. After the attack, Owen describes the death throes of the afflicted men before recounting the callous way bodies are collected on a wagon and how some men are still alive, but that no medical help is given. He closes the piece by stating that if the general public knew the reality of how people die in war, they would not be so enthusiastic about declaring how proud a young man should be when called upon to make the ultimate