The poet starts off by describing the boy as ‘ simple ’ and ‘ empty ’. He maybe stating that this boy is sad and lonely. 8 syllables per metrical line and a AABB rhythm is used to keep the poem simple, but very effective. He also describes the trenches as ‘ cowed ’ and ‘ glum ’, to give the idea that it is gloomy. The poet describes how disgusting the trenches are by using the words ‘ crumps ’ and ‘ lice ’. I he also uses ‘ hell ’ as a metaphor for death and suicide. This suggests that it is hell.
The poet criticises the generals and the people who are at home. He describes them as ‘ smug-faced cowards with kindling eye ’, this is suggesting that they are big cowards.
This also gives a direct, powerful approach, which make the reader feel guilty.
In the end, the style is very simple but effective. The AABB rhythm is very effective. A direct technique is also used to add more aggression and it gives a more powerful approach. It makes the reader feel responsible. The imagery changes throughout but it is mostly a dark, gloomy, glum setting.
SETTING + SUBJECT MATTER
This poem is about the soldiers in the trenches. This poem describes the pain and suffering the soldiers had to go through, in the trenches. The poem is very gory and describes the pain and wounds in a lot of detail. Some bits are quite disturbing. The poem mostly deals with the soldier’s pain and suffering. He describes their pain, horror and wounds in a disturbing fashion.
The poem is set in the trenches and it is very horrific and bloody. There is an eerie atmosphere and there is a lot of bloodshed.
STYLE + TECHNIQUE
The poem has alot of figurative devices and he uses alot of techniques that make the poem more interesting, detailed and dramatic. A lot of simile’s and metaphors are used to describe how it was like. The poet describes the soldiers in the first two paragraphs. He uses a lot of similes. He uses similes like, ‘ bent like old hags ’ and ‘ coughing like old hags ’, to describes the appearance of the soldiers, as if they were beggars. Also he uses ‘ coughing like old hags ’, to tell the reader that they were coughing very badly because of the poisonous gas.
Metaphor’s like ‘ men marched asleep ’, tell you that the soldiers very tired. More similes are used to compare how the soldiers looked like. ‘ His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin ’, is one of the similes used to compare how the persons face looked like. Stating that it was disgusting and demented, maybe because of the poisonous gas. He also uses bold, capital letters and exclamation marks to add more drama and suspense. This keeps the reader reading. This can be seen in the beginning of the second paragraph.
Not a lot of hyperbole is used because all of the horror is true. So there is no need for any hyperbole as the situation is already very bad. Longer sentences are also used to give more description and it gives the reader time to think. Emotive language like ‘ pain ’, ‘ deaf ’ and ‘ blind ’ is used to add more emotion. Onomatopoeia is used to add more description. An example of onomatopoeia in this poem is ‘ he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning ’. The poet criticises the generals and he uses irony to do this.
Compared to the first poem, this poem is much different. The first poem is simple but effective. While this poem is more descriptive and more gory. More figurative devices like simile and metaphor are used and other styles and techniques are used like emotive language. The second poem has much more style and more techniques. Things like onomatopoeia and rhyme is used to make the poem even better.
SETTING + SUBJECT MATTER
What are these?, is also about the soldiers in the war. It describes the memories and what the soldiers faced. It describes the events, that the soldiers remembered and it also is describes there pain and suffering. It is very similar to Dolce et decorum est.
STYLE + TECHNIQUE
This poem uses a lot of metaphors and smiles, other figurative devices like personification is also used. The poet uses similes in the first paragraph to compare how the environment looked like. ‘ Teeth that leer like skull’s teeth wicked ’, is a simile used to describe the dead environment. Words like ‘ drooping tongues ’, ‘ walk hell ’ and ‘ misery swelters ’, is used to describe how the soldiers looked like and the pain they were suffering. ‘ Walk hell ’, is suggesting that walking was like hell because of the terrain and blood. ‘ Misery swelters ’, is personification used to describe the misery and sadness.
Also in the poem, are memories that the soldiers remember. The stanza is very gory and is very descriptive. Words like, ‘ multitudinous murders ’, ‘ treading blood from lungs ’, ‘ shattering of muscles ’ and ‘ carnage ’, is used to describe all the gore, pain and suffering. These words could be examples of hyperbole because it is quite exaggerated, but this technique tells you that the situation is very bad.
The poet criticises the generals in the last line and also writes how the soldiers now feel after the carnage. Emotive language is also used to add emotion. An example of this is ‘ pain ’.
Compared to the last 2 poems, this poem is different to the first but is similar to the second. It has more detail, figurative devices and more techniques than the first. It is very similar to the second poem. The second poem has a lot of detail and figurative devices, like this poem. The second poem is gorier and talks more about the soldier’s appearance and suffering. This also talks about the pain and suffering but includes memories as well.
All the poems are saying that war is bad and it is not glorious to die for your country. The mood is eerie and there is alot of tension. I personally preferred Dulce ET Decorum Est. I preferred this poem because it had many figurative devices, detail and it had drama. I liked the way the poet described how the soldiers felt and what injuries were inflicted. This poem told you a great deal about how disgusting and horrific the trenches were. The figurative devices give the poem more style and I liked this style. I also liked the way that the poem described the soldier’s injuries and pain. It was very realistic; the use of similes was terrific.
The poems made me feel quite scared of war, as it was very scary and horrific. The criticism at the end made you feel and if you were responsible because you were not helping out. It made me feel quite sad because so many lives were lost in a bloody battle. These poems ere some of the best war poems ever and they truly tell you how bad and how sad war is.