Owen tells us how this memory has stayed with him. The sickening sight of the man lunging at him. Owen seems to have a great fear of the gas attacks when he talks of them. Owen talks of all of the nightmares he has had because of the war and this event in particular. Owen says “In all my dreams before my helpless sight.”
He describes how the man was taken away and how he walked behind and saw his face. There are many horrific adjectives used in the poem portraying the horror and the brutal reality that is war. "We flung him in" The dead bodies are treated like meat, there are so many deaths it becomes a routine thing. He sees the horror that is the man who has been gassed to death. In this last stanza the cruel, horrific use of brutal language again reinforces our thoughts from previously in the poem of the traumatic time Owen had during the war.
"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory." Owen is saying that if you could see the things he had seen then you would not believe the lie. By saying this he is expressing the bitterness he has not only for the army but the situation as a whole.
Overall the fact that this poem is written as a first-hand account it enforces the poem’s message, that the propaganda spread about the war is a lie and consequentially that the government are liars and that we the public are quite gullible for believing it.
“THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE”
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
We are told that Tennyson wrote this poem after reading the description in ‘The Times’ of the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, during the Crimean War. He was a civilian poet so he was not writing as a first hand witness. This poem increased the morale of the British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War and of the people at home.
Tennyson´s poem is a celebration of the bravery of the six hundred British troops who went into battle against all odds, even though they knew that they would be killed. The poem starts in the middle of the action. “Half a league, half a league
Half a league onward.” The repetition establishes a rhythm and gives a sense of the excitement of the galloping horses in the cavalry charge.
“Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” This heroic command in the first stanza, is repeated for effect in the second stanza, sweeps us along without time to question the futility of the command which in itself is stupid, but shows us how courageous the men are and makes us feel pity for them.
“Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die.” Tennyson as an Imperialist celebrates the ideal of unquestioning obedience of the soldiers in the face of death.
He uses noble sounding euphemisms like “The valley of Death”, “The jaws of Death”, “The mouth of Hell” to describe the fate that awaits these men. The personification of these dangers make them seem all the more realistic. These words are also repeated throughout the poem for emphasis. He does not convey the gory reality of their slaughter.
“Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them”. These lines are used to show the extent of the dangers which were faced by the soldiers and shows us how meaningless the attack was.
“Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell.” Tennyson uses alliteration to again reinforce the sense of rhytmn.
“Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air, Sabring the gunners there.” Tennyson creates a vivid impression of the bravery of the soldiers with these many verbs of action.
In the final stanza Tennyson creates a sense of the immortality of the soldiers´ bravery with a rhetorical question and commands: “When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! … Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!”
The repetition of “The six hundred” at the end of each stanza reminds the reader of the enormous loss of life, but at the end of the poem they have become the “Noble six hundred” and are celebrated as heroes.
Tennyson’s aim in this poem is to glorify the war and he succeeds in this aim, even though to a certain extent he makes the soldiers look like cattle being led to the slaughter. In his eyes it is a man’s duty to fight and die for his country, in actual fact this poem is a piece of propaganda.
COMPARING THE POEMS
Although both “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” are about battle and the death of soldiers, they portray the experience of war in different ways.
Tennyson´s poem celebrates the glory of war, despite the fact that, because of an error of judgement “Someone had blundered”, six hundred soldiers were sent to their death. Tennyson´s poem is a celebration of the bravery of the six hundred British troops who went into battle against all odds, even though they knew that they would be killed. Tennyson’s message is flawed, as he himself was not present at the battle and that he was not even a soldier. His only evidence of the battle is from reading a report from ‘The Times’ newspaper and much of his poem could be just his imagination running wild.
Owen´s poem, on the other hand, might almost have been written as a challenge to Tennyson´s rousing and jingoistic sentiments. Wilfred Owen in his poem is asking us to question all the certainties that Tennyson is celebrating. The theme of “Dulce et Decorum Est” is that war and dying for one’s country are not at all not glorious. As Owen’s poem is a first-hand account it has more of an impact to the reader.
Each poet uses different techniques to display their message: Owen uses similes, metaphors and numerous horrific adjectives to describe the events of the war; and Tennyson uses rhythmic verse, repetition, alliteration and onomatopoeia.
To me Owen’s poem is the best at reflecting the poet’s feelings and intentions, his portrayal of brutality accurately reflects our feelings. Tennyson’s message in effect rings hollow after reading Owen’s poem.
James McLoughlin 12M