Based on the Poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen.

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Which brings us to "Dulce Et Decorum Est"1, by Wilfred Owen. I cannot truly speak to the form and style Owen uses. I do not know. What I can speak to is what makes the poem work from a dramatic standpoint. What is so beautiful about this poem is its ability to move the reader. The poem is an example of writing graphically and from the gut, while adhering to a prevailing, or accepted form. Poetry does not have to be pretty, however some poets do not seem to realize this fact. The language chosen in many poems about grisly subjects flows beautifully and elegantly from the page, leaving one feeling less pain about the subject matter of the poem than one really should.

Owen, on the other hand, hurls the pain into the readers face. The first line gives one of the best metaphors for being tired that I have ever read. Picturing "old beggars under sacks", tell us these men are battle weary, but also gives us a hint that they are scared of what is ahead for them. Using graphic terms such as "blood-shod", Owen is not merely telling us of the hell of war, he is showing us. As a poet, this is the task. Certainly Owen is relaying a specific event to us, but the context of that event is important.

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It is important for many reasons, not the least of which is the universality of the work. I have never seen war of any kind. Most will not have seen the war of Owen's experience. But through his vivid words, his gruesome portrayal, I think we all can know that we do not want to see war.


But how does this apply to us, the poets of today's cities, today's decadence and today's love of violence. How do we of the
Faces of Death generations, strike a chord with people?


Do what Owen did. The pain of this piece ...

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