Analysis Of Dulce Et Decorum Est

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Analysis Of Dulce Et Decorum Est

‘All a poet can do today is warn.  That is why the true poets must be truthful.’

The quote above is taken from one of Wilfred Owen’s many letters home to his mother from the frontline.  Dulce et Decorum Est, written from the Craiglockhart psychiatric hospital, is one of the most famous pieces within the genre of war poetry.  Owen has become one of the most prolific poets of his generation, he depicted war as the atrocity it really was.  His work was a contradiction to the patriotic works of writers such as Jessie Pope, drafts of the poem were dedicated to her in response to ‘Who’s for the game?’ which, originally published in the Daily Mail, was a call to arms, encouraging young men to enlist.  Owen himself was seduced by such propaganda and saw frontline action with the Second Manchester regiment, ironically he was killed in action on 4th November 1918.  Whilst the poem was dedicated to Jessie Pope it is also aimed at older adults, parents, grandparents and politicians.  

The poem has a two-fold purpose, in the first instance it is an anti-propaganda piece and it implores the older generation to tell youngsters the truth about the horrors of war.  The title is taken from ‘Carminum liber tertius’ by Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as Horace, written in 23BC, and translates as ‘It is sweet and proper to die for ones country’.  The poem was also a catharsis, by putting these images down on paper Owen was attempting to release the pent up horrors which he had been exposed to on the battlefield.  The semantic fields of war and death are evident throughout the piece and very dark and negative connotations give the poem a very sombre tone.  The register of the piece is very informal which allows the poet to strike up a personal relationship with the reader, making his plea at the end of the piece much more poignant and effective.

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The poem is written in iambic pentameter, this regular rhythm calls up images of the disciplined marching soldiers, but this directly contrasts with the visual imagery Owen uses.  The simile ‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks’ creates an image of men so worn down by the constant struggle that they can hardly stand let alone march. It is also the first example of Owen’s use of cohesive elements throughout the poem, it is an example of cataphoric referencing, the subject of the phrase is left until the end, this has the effect of heightening the suspense and drawing ...

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