Critical Analysis Of Dulce Et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen

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The First World War was a devastating event that brought to many people, pain, sorrow and bitterness. The occurred compares to no other wars existing conventions, morals and ideals in the same way as did World War 1. Many people are blinded by the portrayed illusory of war. Those who sacrifice themselves for their country are looked upon for their meritorious conduct. However, others have been touched by the terror written in pieces of literature, wishing people to understand the horror and tragedy that befell those involved. Poet Wilfred Owen composer of"Dulce et Decorum est” presents to the reader a vivid elegy, aiming to prove that war is not heroic nor decorous. As an English soldier he had to endure the hardships, but wishes that through…show more content…
Nevertheless, Shreya Kashyap explains the title of the poem is a “satiric and a manifestation of the disgust and bitterness the narrator holds for the warmongers.” The Poem is a combination of two Sonnets. The first sonnet is composed of the speaker's experience during war. In the beginning Wilfred Owen describes a group of soldiers returning from combat: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knocked-Kneed, coughing like hags.” Wilfred Owen’s use of similes to illustrate the soldiers physical and mental exhaustion, “induces the convincing image of horrid and terrifying experiences of war”(Shreya Kashyap 2). Furthermore, Owens uses repetition of words such as “marched asleep”, “blind”, “limp” and “blood” to allow the readers to feel how long the march is for the soldiers. However, Shreya Kashyap points out that the soldiers were not simply tired and lacking sleep, nonetheless “they could not even hear the sounds of all the noises, hoots, bombs or the mighty shells”(3) . The action of the second stanza of the gas attack sees a change of pace and a sense of urgency. “An ecstasy of fumbling” Wilfred Owen uses irony once again. The situation that the speaker is describing, soldiers fighting to put on their…show more content…
Furthermore, there is a clear difference between those who have experienced wars traumatic events and those who unconsciously promote its violence. Thus, the subliminal believe in its impactful experience, nevertheless, Wilfred Owen knew its ultimate destination. The speaker illustrates mechanized warfare, “and towards our distant rest we began to trudge”, Shreya Kashyap explains that this stanza could be a “subtle description of death as the ultimate destiny for the war-soldiers”(3). Hence, the speaker newly gained knowledge of war and its cos of lives lead him to conclude that “death could be the real guarantee of rest”(3) states that “people make rallying cry for youths to enlist to fight war in name if glory and national honour” The speaker invites the reader to try and accompany him in remembering the death of a fellow soldier that was flung in some wagon. Wilfred Owen newly makes the effort to imply the wastage involved with war. The aftermath of the gas attacks is addressed in the last stanza. The reader is now apart of the poem by the use of the possessive pronoun "you too" that imposes the reader to empathise with the injured
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    Wilfred Owen wrote about the suffering and pity of war from his firsthand experience at the Somme. The overwhelming and senseless waste of life appalled him. In both ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ he writes with intense focus on war as an extraordinary human experience. The poems also document other experiences. As an early twentieth century poet, Owen is careful in his attention to structure, rhyme and meter to convey meaning, and in his use of figurative language, especially

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