However, Larkin begins the poem with a sense of naivety, by describing the awaiting to be enlisted as a somewhat enjoyable daily event;
‘Grinning as if it were all
An August Bank Holiday lark;’
The word ‘grinning’ suggests the soldiers are unaware of the reality of the situation, or perhaps choose to be ignorant in acknowledging the truth, therefore allowing the reader a perception of the soldiers’ emotions and once again presents - similarly to ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ – an authentically closer look into the lives of soldiers.
Owen writes, ‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks’ conjuring an image of the soldiers being exhausted and the fact they are like ‘old beggars’ implies they are low in rank. ‘Coughing like hags’ suggests that these young men are prematurely aged by the spreading of disease, as the word ‘hag’ is used. This constructs a picture of the severity of the conditions they lived in.
Whereas, in ‘MCMXIV’ an improved picture is made:
‘With flowering grasses, and fields.’ The description of the grasses being ‘flowering’ has connotations of buds and new beginnings, however this is a paradox because although the war may be starting; lives are ending.
In ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ Owen writes, ‘Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--’ the word ‘vile’ creates an angry tone when read. The word ‘incurable’ creates a sense of hopelessness, similar to that of the feelings of the soldiers fighting in the war. The word ‘innocent’ is used, which insinuates an emotion of sadness as the majority of the soldiers were young and should have had long lives to lead.
The idea of innocence is once again applied in ‘MCMXIV’ where Owen writes,
‘Never such innocence,
Never before or since,’
The poem suddenly takes on a gloomy outlook as the word ‘Never’ is repeated which makes a harsh, hard sound when read aloud. The fact there is ‘never such innocence’ evokes a loss of innocence as soldiers will be faced with many horrors to come. The poem ends with ‘Never such innocence again,’ which dramatizes the effect of ‘never’ at the start of the stanza.
Both Owen and Larkin use language and imagery effectively to produce dramatic poems which consequently portray the life of war and the emotions that are felt. However, despite the two poets present their ideas and perspectives differently, there is still the ambience of death and sadness present.
