The word choice from the first stanza also shows the poor physical and mental state of the retiring soldiers:
“But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind.”
The term “blood-shod” could refer to the soldier’s feet, which as many of them had lost their boots would have been cut and blistered, though it could also refer to injuries received from fighting. “ All went lame, all blind” does not literally mean that all the men were lame and blind but shows they are mentally as well as physically fatigued. This is again effective in showing some of the truths of the war.
There is a contrasting style of word choice in the start of the second stanza to that of the first:
“Gas! Gas! Quick boys – an ecstasy of fumbling.”
The soldiers are no longer limping, lame and blind but are in a rushed, confused state. The word “ecstasy” above all emphasises the scene. However, the poem then returns to a more solemn mood:
“But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.”
The words “fire” and “lime” convey a similar idea of burning – a property of mustard and chlorine gas. Having inhaled the green gas the man’s lungs would be dissolving and he would effectively be drowning in his own body fluids:
“As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.”
“He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.”
The harsh, almost un-poetic use of words is very effective in emphasising the horrors of the war.
In the last stanza the word choice remains sombre, blunt and realistic:
“His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gurgling from the froth-corrupted lungs.”
This usage of words contributes greatly to the power of the poems effect on the reader, emphasising Wilfred Owens’s morals and the message of the poem.
The strong word choice is further reinforced by the usage of poetic devices throughout the poem. In the first stanza the usage of similes aids the word choice in showing how the soldiers were affected both physically and mentally by battle fatigue:
“Bent Double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge,”
The soldiers would usually have walked at a fast, disciplined pace. The term “bent double” shows that their physical state is so bad that they are unable to stand upright. The term “like old beggars under sacks” gives the imagery of men in ragged, dirty clothes walking as if they were under a heavy load.
In the second stanza the dash on the twelfth line marks the change in tone from the “ecstasy of fumbling” to the slow death of the man:
“And floundering like a man in fire or lime. -
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light.”
This is effective in showing what a scene from a First World War theatre might be like.
The main metaphor used in the second stanza is the idea of drowning in the gas:
“As under a green sea, I saw him drowning,
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.”
Both chlorine and mustard gas have a green colour and dissolve the internal organs when inhaled. The lungs of the soldier that inhaled the gas would have dissolved and he would have effectively drowned in his own body fluids. The term “green sea,” can be related to drowning as can “guttering” and “choking”. This usage of metaphors gives strong imagery of the man dying and is effective in reinforcing the author’s anti-war views. In the last stanza the simile “like a devil’s sick of sin” shows that even the devil would be sickened by the death of the man.
Wilfred Owens’ blunt but strong word choice, reinforced by the usage of poetic devices gives a powerful image of a scene from a First World War, as well as showing how the war affected the soldiers that fought in. This is done in order to show his opposition to the war. His opinions are emphasised in the final lines of the poem:
“My friend you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old lie: Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori.”
Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori – it is rightful and fitting to die for one’s country – the author says is a lie. The harsh realistic style in which the poem was written would convince many readers to agree, meaning his usage of words and poetic devices are very effective. However the poem could also be portrayed as unpatriotic as it denounces the causes of his country fighting the war.
