Compare and Contrast Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est and Shakespeare's Speech From Henry V.

The main emphasis in the first verse is to tell us of the men's terrible physical condition, this is to provoke opposition to war in the reader, as it tells us how bad the men feel.

The second stanza starts in a very contrasting manner to the first. Where the first was slow, the second is fast and jumpy. "Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!" starts the second verse; this is the first introduction of humans, as it is a man's voice shouting this. The word "ecstasy" is used; this usually describes a very good feeling, whereas here it is used to describe the anxious, panicking movement of a group of soldiers. "Fumbling", "clumsy" and "stumbling are all used to depict the movement of men frightened in case they would not fit their gas masks and get gassed. Owen then describes a man who did not manage to fit his mask as "floundering" and "a man in fire or lime". Floundering is usually used to describe a fish out of water, and the resemblance is obvious here, as a fish cannot survive outside water and this man cannot survive in the gas. "A man in fire or lime" lets us imagine the man panicking and jumping around, as you would do if you were on fire. Owen then says, "under a green sea, I saw him drowning" this again uses language usually associated with water. Owen says he saw him drowning, as you cannot breath during a gas attack, as you cannot breath while drowning, the gas also creates the image of a green sea. This is also the first time he is introduced in the poem, letting us know that he has personally experienced this.

In the second verse he has described the event and will later go on to describe the effects. He chose a rather undignified death, it is seen that everyone is shot in a war, and this is a horrific death, which again turns the reader against war.

The next verse starts "In all my dreams before my helpless sight" this continues on the theme of I, reinforcing his experience, and telling us that he is tortured by the image during his dreams, and dreams are usually seen as peaceful rest. Instead, he is tormented by these terrible scenes. He then goes on to say how the man "plunges" at him. If you plunge at someone you are desperate for help, suggesting he is guilty he could not do anything for his fellow soldier and maybe friend. He describes the man as "guttering, choking, drowning" they help to depict the scenes in the imagination of a terribly painful death.

The main purpose of this short paragraph is to tell us that it is not just the pain of witnessing such an event, it is even worse that you are tortured by it while you are asleep, somewhere were you cannot close your eyes or look away.

The final stanza starts by addressing the reader for the first time, trying to make them feel guilty. He then appeals to the senses, by saying if the reader could "watch", then "hear" this brings the reader to the realisation that this man was just another normal person, and war caused this terrible state of events. He uses the line "his hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin" this creates a grotesque image, although it is a very complex use of language even the least intelligent human could understand the image. He continues to depict the terrible image by using phrases such as "incurable sores on innocent tongues" and "froth-corrupted lungs", these create image of the body no longer being under the control of the man. The last two lines, are completely directed at the reader, playing on the guilt he has most certainly built up throughout the poem, he says "My friend" this is written in a sarcastic and bitter tone, were we are not really his friend, as we have put these men through these horrors. He then goes on " you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory" this again is playing on the guilt of the reader. He then disgraces and devalues a very respected Latin line written by the old poet Ovid " Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori" this means "it is sweet and fitting to die for your native land". While devaluing this statement, he is also devaluing war in itself, and he uses this last verse in a last gasp effort to appeal to the reader in a much more obvious way than all the other verse, through grotesque images. The most important component to the last verse, is that the tension is built in tremendous fashion. He achieves this by using only a single sentence in the whole verse, of which you only get the full meaning at the end of the sentence, which is that it is not sweet and fitting to die for your native land. This is a superb ending, and leaves the reader exactly how he would have wanted, thinking how is it possible for countries in this day in age to go to war.

Shakespeare wrote Henry V in his typical iambic pentameter, which means there is 10 syllables in each line, and they don't have to rhyme. He also uses enjambment, which creates the flowing, conversational style usually associated with prose. The piece is from his play Henry V this particular part, is a speech made by Henry V to rouse his troops before the oncoming battle at Agincourt, were the French out number the English by 20,000 to 5,500.

The piece opens on the comment by Westmoreland that the army needs more men, Henry is completely opposed to this suggestion and says "if we are marked to die, we are enow to do our country loss;" this tells us that Henry is instilling in his men that it is not the war which will kill them, if they are going to die they will do so whether they are in the war or not. He then goes on to say that if they survive they will have a greater share of honour among them. Honour is a word he plays on throughout the whole speech, as it is a uniting force, as both the nobles and the ordinary men want it and both can have it. He then goes on to say "Outward things dwell not in my desires: but if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive." By this he means, that he does not want material goods, it is honour he wants. This is a very important part in the speech, as this relates him to the common soldiers, as they also desire honour also, and they cannot have riches, so it is the only thing they can realistically desire. Henry then goes on to turn on his cousin Westmoreland, and says "No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England", this is also an even present theme throughout the first section, as he cannot say he wants more men, as it then seems that even the leader does not believe they can win, and this would be very damaging to morale. Instead he takes the opposite stance, saying that he would not want more, even if he could have them. Then Henry goes even further on this theme and says, "he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart;" saying he wants even fewer men if the men are not up for the oncoming fight. He continues "his passport shall be made, and crowns for convoy put into his purse:" this is extremely good use of reverse psychology, telling the men they will paid to leave if they don't want to fight, and that he wants them to leave if they are not ready, obviously no man (with the normal male pride, from the prehistoric days) will say that he is scared to fight. The next line says that he would not die with a man with such feelings, this will make all the men who feel like this (which is probably most) feel embarrassed. "Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, and say, To-morrow is Saint Crispian". On the day this speech was made it was Saint Crispian's day, and Henry uses this to his advantage, by saying that when this day comes round every year they will be able to boast, and will be respected for what they have done today. He then says "And say, These wounds I had on Crispian's day", telling the men that they will be able to show there scars with pride that they received here today. This skips beautifully over the pain and horror of the oncoming battle to the future, when he is letting them think they will survive. This also gives the men something to fight for. He also goes on to say that they will be able to say they fought with Harry the king and uses other nobles names. The "Harry the king" is very important, as this is obviously not a formal name, making the common men be able to say they are friends with the king. Henry then says "This story shall the good man teach his son," this is telling them that they will have a place in history, giving them pride way beyond what they could ever expect. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers," this is the most outstanding statement in the entire speech, it unites all the nobles and all the common soldiers, which will bring an immense feeling of camaraderie, to enforce this he uses alliteration in "band and "brothers", and repeats "few", to make themselves a special unique group. He then turns back to the men at home saying "Gentlemen in England now-a-bed shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here," this lets the soldiers think themselves better than the men at home, and many of these may be higher in society than them, and this is their chance to change this.

These two are both from completely different eras, however they are both on the same subject and differ completely in their view towards war. In Owen's piece the men are demoralised and seemingly cannot be roused, however in Henry's speech they are demoralised but are easily roused by the speech. Were Henry skips completely over the war, leaving it out between the present and the homecoming of the men, Owen bases his whole piece on the horrific death of a man during the war. Owen graphically describes the man's death uses adjectives, which arouse the feelings of pain and suffering, and Henry arouses the feeling of honour throughout, of which there is no mention in Owen's poem. Both use specific events in Owen's case it was the death of a man from a gas attack and for Henry it was the oncoming war. The man in the poem was completely anonymous leading the audience to believe that it could be anyone, even them, whereas in the speech there is constantly names mentioned, letting the audience warm to the characters. You can constantly feel Owen's hatred of war and spite of anyone who puts people through it, however Henry is one of these people instilling exactly what Owen ridicules, the honour of dying for your country. In the poem the men have lost everything that makes them human, whereas in the speech they are going to gain what every human wants the respect of his fellow species. The end of the poem is a monosyllabic pounding "my friend you would not tell with such high zest" instils the poet's hatred for war, whereas Henry's speech is obviously building to a climax. The poem starts bleak, and ends bleaker, however the speech starts bleak but ends on a triumphant note.

I actually prefer the poem, it is the most inspiring poetry I have ever read, and it perfectly recreates the image of the man dying, and lets you feel the poets hatred for war. However a good speaker can change the mind of even the most stubborn person, or at least make them think.

Owen I am sure would be disgusted that nearly a century on from his death in a war we would be facing another, he would be most disappointed that his poetry had no effect. I think that if everyone stepped back they could most certainly find another solution, however in today's impatient society they want everything now.

Chris Gallagher