Compare the Different Attitudes to War Shown in the Poetry of Tennyson and Owen

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Todd Simmons

Compare the Different Attitudes to War Shown in the Poetry of Tennyson and Owen

        I have studied two poems 'The Charge of The Light Brigade', by Alfred Lord Tennyson, a poet laureate, and 'Dulce et Decorum est', which was written by Wilfred Owen, who served as a soldier in world war one.

        There is a very large difference between the attitude to war in the different poems, 'The Charge of The Light Brigade' was secondary evidence because Tennyson read his information for the poem in an article and was inspired, while Owen, on the other hand, is speaking in first hand evidence as he was a soldier in the famous trench wars, on the front line.

        Tennyson was inspired by the bravery of the soldiers of the Light Brigade and was intrigued by the article and decided to write a poem to commemorate the sheer glory of the courage. The poem emphorcises the bravery and glory of the men that charged at the Russians during their war. Honour was an important factor in this war, as the time of the war everybody who joined the army only did so, for the glory of the British, to fight for their country was a great achievement for every soldier, although there is a good feel to the poem, it is gloomified by the horrors of battle.

        Owens poem is completely different it is about horror and fear of the men who suffered in the trenches of world war one, it starts off with the suffering of ill soldiers "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks", Owen is talking about the poor health state of the soldiers, the men in the poem where going to rest for a night, "till on the haunting flares we turned our backs", which symbolises that they hated their horrific experiences and do not want to return.

        Alfred Lord Tennyson grew up in a very proud time, where he became a Lord, this contributed to his very, proud to be British style, poem that describes and explains a battle that he didnt fight in. Whereas Wilfred Owen was a commoner until he joined the army where he had live experience of the rotten trenches. The almost snobbery of Tennyson compared to the common touch of Owen was remarkable as their attitudes to a horrific war which many people lost their lives. The commoner Owen wrote his poem as a warning to the unsuspecting future soldiers of world war one and the terrible conditions of the trenches. Tennyson writes about the glory of the noble soldiers, who were all very high classed gentlemen.

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        In 'Ducle et Decorum est' it briefly explains the trench life for the men of the first world war, it also explains the struggle of gas masks as a soldier struggles to fit his mask on, then dies, "But someone still was yelling out and stumbling and floundering like a man in fire or lime", it explains that this man was dying as onlookers fell helpless. This was as hard an experience for these onlookers as it was for this helpless man, "In all of my dreams, before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, choking and drowning."

        In 'Charge ...

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