Wilfred Owens World War poetry Dulce et Decurum est and Mental Cases

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Zuhair Crossley

English Coursework

Mr Lockwood

Wilfred Owen’s World War poetry

‘Dulce et Decurum est’ and ‘Mental Cases’

In 1914 war broke out in Europe and on both sides it was greeted by jubilation from the general public. It was commonly believed by the British community that the war would be over by Christmas, ending in a huge battle and glorious victory.  It was a similar scenario in Germany, where thousands lined the streets to celebrate the announcement. There had not been war in Europe since 1871 and even that had been a lightning victory for Germany against the French forces. The result of this was Germany gaining the Provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, traditionally French territory. Throughout Europe young men were gripped with war fever. Newspapers and propaganda showed images of brave soldiers charging the terrible enemy. They believed that they would sign up to be part of a magnificent encounter and go home afterwards. In Britain alone, half a million young men signed up in the first four weeks.

Propaganda is “The organised dissemination of information and allegation to assist or damage the cause of a government or movement.” Britain used propaganda to great effect throughout the war. A sense of duty was fed to readers of papers, encapsulated in Horace’s poem “, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori: mors et fugacem persequitur virum: nec parcit inbellis iuventae: poplitibus timidove tergo.” A line of which was used in Wilfred Owen’s poem of the same title. It means “, how sweet and fitting it is to die for one’s country: death pursues the man who flees: spares not the hamstrings or cowardly backs: of battle shy youths.” Men disillusioned by the glory of war would sign up only to, if they survived, see friends shot and too live in a world of sickness and decay and yet there were very few desertions due to the great sense of patriotism and comradeship.

Source one, captioned “Are you in this?” is a brilliant example of government propaganda. It was designed by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the scout movement, and was published in 1915. Baden-Powell had fought before in the Boer war but never before had been confronted by such deadly weapons. He had fought in a siege before but never before in this new type of total war.

The poster depicts a number of men, women and children doing their part in the Great War on the home front. For example, there is a nurse preparing bandages and a young boy handing out munitions. Not only are both genders shown but there are also a range of ages. At the top of the poster there is a British flag. A navy officer and an infantry man stand by it on the top of the hill. The navy officer mans a cannon whereas the foot solider holds a rifle in one hand, the other reaches back for ammunition. They are both facing the right of the portrait and lean forwards whilst looking both confident and calm. Although they infantryman has greying hair he still looks brave and strong. At the bottom there is a women and man, making munitions. The nurse and young boy are also dressed in uniform. The fact that there is such a range of ages and people suggests that everyone is getting involved. It also implies that no matter who you are you can contribute to the war effort. The sun is shining down on them suggestive of a divine cause or the huge amount of hope and glory. This image of superiority is supported by the fact that the soldiers are on the high ground. They are also prepared to fight, leaning forwards; their body language suggests that they are confident and ready to fight. The British flag at the top of the poster suggests that the empire comes first and it is your duty to defend it.

The question of “Are you in this?” is directed at the casually dressed rich man who has his hands in his pockets and is detached from the situation. It questions him and his morals and this is meant to play on the conscience of men who don’t sign up because he is meant to represent them. The main aim therefore of this poster is to make Britons who have not already signed up sign up because of that sense of duty, earlier discussed.

So, for the government to entice men into volunteering to sign up, they printed a number of poems in national newspapers, written by contemporaries such as Jessie Pope and Harold Begbie, to try and increase the numbers joining the army. ‘Who’s For the Game’ by Jessie Pope is a four-verse poem with a simple rhyme structure of juxtaposing rhyming couplets, as this was intended for a less educated audience, unlike ‘Vitai Lampad,’ another of her poems. It is light-hearted and an understatement of the horrors to come.  

The title immediately assumes a positive answer from the reader and evokes a ‘gung ho’ spirit as if you were rallying people for a hunt or a sport. The use of the word ‘game’ is very striking, and is repeated twice in the first two lines, changing the mindset of possible soldiers into possible participators in a game, ‘the biggest game that’s played’ as it says in line 1. The use of the superlative giving the reader a sense of excitement that they could be taking part in the grandest of all the games, ‘The Great War’ as it was referred to at the time.

This poem is challenging the audience to sign up to prove their masculinity, not just by labelling the War as a game, but also through a series of rhetorical questions; an example being the title of the poem, which re-occurs throughout. ‘Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid?’ it says in line 3, using the words ‘grip’ and ‘tackle’ to give the action of fighting a more sporty signature. Also saying that you’ll tackle the job unafraid implies that any men who don’t sign up are afraid and are therefore less of a man, as this poem appeals to stereotypical masculine traits, much like ‘The Call’.

Join now!

In lines 5 and 7 there are other references to war as a game when Pope writes ‘Who’ll toe the line for the signal to ‘go!’, like the start of a race and asking who wants to take part in ‘the show’, glorifying killing through the comparison with entertainment. This poem, much like Pope’s other conscription poetry, plays on clichéd masculine concepts, presented in the first three lines of each verse, then the fourth acts as a reminder that if you don’t join the army, you are invariably a coward, for example ‘Who would rather come back with a crutch than lie low and be out of ...

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