Dulce et Decorum est free essay sample

Dulce et Decorum est is a poem written by poet Wilfred Owen in 1917, during World War I, and published posthumously in 1920. Owens poem is known for its horrific imagery and condemnation of war. It was drafted at Craiglockhart in the first half of October 1917 and later revised, probably at Scarborough but possibly Ripon, between January and March 1918. The earliest surviving manuscript is dated 8 October 1917 and addressed to his mother, Susan Owen, with the message Here is a gas poem done yesterday, (which is not private, but not final). Formally, the poem can be understood as the combination of two sonnets, though the spacing of the stanzas is irregular. [citation needed] The text presents a vignette from the front lines of World War I; specifically, of British soldiers attacked with chlorine gas. In the rush when the shells with poison gas explode, one soldier is unable to get his mask on in time. The poet’s intention is to show the reader that dying to fight for your own country is the most honourable thing to do. In contrast to Brooke’s poem, Wilfred Owen expresses the harsh realities of war in the poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum est†. Owen speaks from first-hand experience shown by the use of â€Å"we. In the first stanza, the poet uses a slow dragging rhythm to bring out the image of the tired, â€Å"blood shod†, suffering and wounded soldiers. He also uses a simile to show how sick the soldiers were â€Å"coughed like hags†. In second stanza, however, the poet uses a fast, quick rhythm and effective use of punctuation to show a sudden panic and tension in the gas attack; â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick boys†. Here the poet describes the â€Å"ecstasy of fumbling† of the soldiers quickly putting on their protective masks but one soldier fails to do so. Owen portrays a vivid description of the suffering soldier â€Å"Like a man in fire or lime† and compares the dying soldier to someone â€Å"drowning†. In the final part of the poem, Owen addresses Jessie Pope as â€Å"my friend† who wrote in favour of war. He concludes by saying that it’s an â€Å"old lie† that it is sweet and honourable to die for your country – â€Å" Dulce et decorum est Pro Patria mori† because in reality it is very mush the opposite which is true. Although the subject of both these poems is about war, they sharply contrast each other. This is because Rupert Brooke’s poem shows a positive attitude towards war expressing feelings of patriotism and honour, whereas Wilfred Owen shows the harsh realities of war and clearly shows what the soldiers are faced with.