In lines 1-8, Wilfred describes how the soldiers are going back to camp for some rest. These lines tell us a lot about the mental and physical conditions of the soldiers and also the conditions that the men had to live in. By using punctuation, he creates a slow rhythm to imitate how tired and miserable the soldiers are. He also uses metaphors like ‘drunk with fatigue’ to show how tired the men are. This leads the reader to think that the men are so tired that they are unaware to the death and destruction that is around them. Their unawareness is also shown in the phrase:
‘…..deaf even to the hoots of tired, outstripped five-nines that dropped behind’
Words like ‘sludge’ and ‘trudge’ show that the conditions were awful for the troops. These words leads the reader to think that the ground is wet and very unstable.
In lines 9- 16, we see the men getting caught up in a gas attack.
‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting clumsy helmets just in time.’
The rhythm suddenly quickens to show the soldier’s panic during the attack. Exclamation marks and the use of short sentences speed the rhythm up.
The use of ‘stumbling’, floundering’ and ‘fumbling’ help the reader to imagine the desperate actions of the dying man.
‘As under a green sea, I saw him drowning’
This phrase describes how the misty green gas surrounds them. This helps the reader to visualise what is happening and gives us a sense of unreality.
In lines 17- 28, shows the real tragedy of war. He uses adjectives such as ‘hanging’, ‘vile’ and ‘writhing’. These words help the reader to create a detailed description in their mind.
‘Behind the wagon that we flung him in’
The word ‘flung’ is used to give the idea that the other soldiers had no respect for the soldier. This also shows that this action had become a routine which shows that there must have bin many deaths.
‘His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin’
This simile portrays how this man was giving up his fight for life.
‘To children ardent for some desperate glory’
The phrase refers to how naïve the men are towards war, that they are brainwashed into thinking that it’s about glory. The word ‘children’ is used because children are naïve and easily persuaded if there is some kind of reward.
‘The old lie: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.(it is sweet and proper to die for your country)’
This phrase shows Wilfred’s opinion to the war, that he feels betrayed and lied to and that glory doesn’t mean that much as it did do.
‘Before Agincourt’ was wrote by William Shakespeare for the play Henry V. This piece is an extract that was said by Henry before the battle of Agincourt. This piece is about raising the fighting spirit in his troops to lead them to victory.