Dulce Et Decorum Est And The Horrors Of War Poem Analysis

The long standing expression that â€Å"the pen is mightier than the sword† has been repeated often throughout the ages, but it can actually be taken seriously in light of war poetry. Although the soldiers in World War I did not literally fight with swords, their experiences in combat were beyond appalling, and some might say, beyond describable by words. Poetry, however, is a very powerful form of expression, and when written by someone who has experienced the horrors of war, it can deeply convey the grim reality of war. Utilising personal experiences and pre-war ideology, World War I poets Wilfred Owens and Rupert Brookes’ were able to recreate the glory and horror of the Great War through their works ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Soldier’.†¦show more content†¦The poet reveals the truthful and confronting depiction of death to the unknowing eyes who haven’t witnessed it and do not understand. The poem is told from the memor ies of a solider, which gives way to haunting and helpless sights. This is in utter contrast to the sonnet written by Brooke who depicts a highly idealistic and patriotic vision of war. Brooke’s pleasant image of death on the battlefield exemplified both the popular and the governmental view of war. His optimistic ideology may reflect his lack of experience as he never engaged in direct combat and died within seven months of enlistment. The repetitive use of the noun ‘England’ emphasises the strong patriotic mood. England is personified as a kind, giving mother and her sons, the soldiers, are seeds, whose death will sow life into the earth of ‘foreign fields’. While the poem is centred on death, there is no actual reference or description to the painful reality of death as touched on by Owen. The Solider was valuable to the British government, who used it as a means of propaganda. Thus, it was successful in inspiring loyalty and patriotic love in the masses. Poets intentionally implement figurative language devices to add dramatic effect and to paint a specific mood and tone. Such example is evident in Owen’s use of the simile ‘his hanging face, like a devil sick of sin’. The simile tries to describe the soldier’s dreadful facial appearance as being almostShow MoreRelatedWilfred Owen : The Greatest English Poet During The First World War Poem Summary1358 Words   |  6 PagesDulce Et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen Wilfred Owen is recognized as the greatest English poet during the First World War. Wilfred Owen notable poems contains the lives and historical records. He wrote out of his intense personal experience as a soldier and wrote with unrivalled power of the physical, moral and psychological trauma of the First World War. 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