'Dulce Et Decorum Est' - Wilfred Owen wrote this poem which describes a group of soldiers being gassed when they where returning to their trenches after fighting a long battle.

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'Dulce Et Decorum Est'

Wilfred Owen wrote this poem which describes a group of soldiers being gassed when they where returning to their trenches after fighting a long battle. It has war as main theme but it also mentions other subjects like heroism, patriotism, the victims and the enemy. 'Dulce Et Decorum Est pro patria mori' is a quotation of what Horace, a Latin poet, wrote from an ode. This means 'it is sweet and honourable to die for one's country'.

The poem is divided in three clearly separate sections. Each of them consists of an eight-line stanza and there are extra four lines at the end to show the main message of the poem. There is a couplet between the second and third section. The tone of the poem is indignation and bitter. Owen uses presented hard words and sounds. It is a poem, which impresses and disgusts the reader simultaneously. The rhythm of the poem changes depending on what is happening with the soldiers, it reflects what goes on verses. The rhythm is often affected by punctuation, vowels and consonants.

The poem deals with various language features. There are lots of alliteration, enjambments