Another difference between the two poems is the images portrayed. In The charge of the Light Brigade, Tennyson says “flashed their sabres bare. This is the image of swords being swung in the sunlight, the metal shining, and gives the idea of good looking, well presented fighting, again glorifying the war. On the other hand, Owen portrays a much bloodier, dirtier battle with the soldiers “bent double like old beggars under sacks”. This gives two impressions that they are either walking with heavy backpacks making them look older, or that they are sitting in the trenches sheltering themselves from the bombs dropping around them. Straight away at the start of the poem, Owen shows the audience that the self esteem of these young men have gone already, e.g. “We cursed through sludge” He also says “many had lost their boots” and “blood shod” This is intended to shock and horrify the public who would have believed war was like in Tennyson’s poems.
Different types of armed combat are used in the two poems. During the Crimean war, soldiers used cavalry. Using horses made the battle faster and bloodier, as shown in verse 4 – “charged an army while all the world wonder’d, plunged into battery smoke.” This faster pace is mirrored in the pace of the poem, like the rhythm of horses. Tennyson uses metaphors to describe the battlefield as “the jaws of death”. This implies that it is like a mouth eating the soldier, and that death is inevitable. However he never questions war, unlike Owen, and instead of talking about the bad parts, he focuses on the honourable side. This is why the poem isn’t as politically accurate as Dulce et decorum est. Another sense of bravery is the fact that the soldiers were fighting with “cannons to the left of them, cannons to the right of them.” Using repetition, Tennyson emphasises how the army was completely surrounded, and therefore very brave to keep fighting until the bitter end.
In Dulce et decorum est, the type of combat is completely different to The charge of the Light Brigade. The soldiers use guns and gas – a lethal combination as proved in verse 4 – “The white eyes writhing in his face”, and “the blood come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs”. This graphic description shocks the audience, shows them just how dangerous the gas was, and makes them realise a silent killer is definitely not glorious, but in The charge of the Light Brigade, the weapons are swift, metallic and grand, such as swords. This creates an image of a strong, fearless, handsome fighter, and the deaths suffered were quick and less painful than the internal deaths of the First World War.
Tennyson uses rhetorical questions to get the audience thinking, “Was there a man dismayed?” This shows how the soldiers, even though they knew the order given was wrong, always obeyed these orders. In verse 2, Tennyson says “their’s not to make reply, their’s not to reason why.” This confirms the fact that they were prepared to die for their country, and conveys the patriotism Tennyson had. Next, he talks about the soldiers riding into the “valley of death”. This metaphor is stronger than a simile as it conveys the sheer horror of their blunder, as if they are riding into a trap. Valleys get narrower, so this is effective because it is saying that their lives are getting shorter until the “valley” consumes their lives, the valley being the enemy.
Whilst Owen describes the deaths, Tennyson is quite different. He describes the bravery of the soldier with onomatopoeia, for example “thunder’d and volleyed. These show how the soldiers were fearless, however the onomatopoeia in Dulce et Decorum est conveys the vulnerability and hopelessness of the soldiers, for example “deaf to the hoots of nine to fives”
As well as the different types of deaths, the two poems had different types of enemies. The Cossack and Russian enemies that fought against the Light Brigade were bloody and violent, and the battle is described as “Reeled from the sabre stroke, shattered and sundered.” This shows how the enemy had been swift in their attacks, and it had taken all the soldier’s strength to win the battle. In Dulce et Decorum est, however, no actual human enemy is mentioned, just the gas and the bombs. He shows how it is not the enemy that is horrific, after all they are only doing their job, it is the way they are fighting, the weapons they are using, and the opinions people have about war. He doesn’t put war down in any way. Next Tennyson says “not the six hundred” This is all he mentions about the killing of some of the Light Brigade, unlike Owen who describes how you wouldn’t say it was glorious if you saw what he had seen. He describes the deaths as “obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud of vile, incurable sore on innocent tongues” Here he is saying how the soldiers didn’t deserve to die, and they should be mourned, not honoured.
As well as this, an imperative is used – “Gas! Gas! Quick boys!” This shows the difference between warfare. In the charge of the Light brigade, it is a loud, active battle, but in Dulce et decorum est, the battle is fought in trenches, using stealth techniques and the silent killer – gas. Owen also uses personification to tell us that the feelings people have about war are wrong – “the old lie.” This is shown because it compares the phrase to a person, a liar, and this persuades the audience to change their mind because Owen is saying that they are liars in a very subtle way. Also, the title of the poem is shortened to Dulce et decorum est instead of it’s full title because the full title means “it is sweet and honourable to die for your country” If this was the title, people would believe this was his opinion and then would be surprised when they find it is not. Using the shortened title it is sweet and honourable; this doesn’t indicate a pro-war poem.
I prefer Dulce et Decorum est because it is not propaganda like the Charge of the Light Brigade. It is an actual account of a real battle, so therefore is more accurate and heartfelt. Tennyson’s poems glorify war, and make them seem grand, which is not how it was.
