Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen and The Soldier by Rupert Brooke – Why Are They So Different?
The poems ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke were both written between 1914 and 1918, the time of the first world war. On reading the poems for the first time, they may seem very similar because they are based on war but after analysing them closer I found out that this isn’t the case. They are different in many ways.
With these poems being written at the same time the content of the poems are very similar. The similarities that emerge in these two poems are much more obvious than the differences. They are very superficial. War is evidently the main topic with ‘The Soldier’ being about a soldiers opinions on fighting for his country and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ being about the blood and gore which appeared during the end of the first world war. Both poems also feature death although it is more apparent in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ than ‘The Soldier’. The feelings we get from ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ are a lot more negative about death because the horrors of war are described more and in greater detail. The ideas of death in ‘The Soldier’ are more patriotic and seen as a good thing. It is also noticeable that Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen were involved in the war.