In contrast to ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ suggests a bitter and reflective mood. Owen has obviously been deeply scared by his time spent in the army and this is demonstrated by his description of the horrific death of a fellow soldier that has likely haunted him greatly. Owen uses very vivid similes such as ‘bent double, like old beggars’ and ‘knock kneed coughing like hags’ in order to help convey scenes that, within the 21st Century, we cannot begin to imagine. This use of similes is repeated further into the poem when Owen describes the soldiers desperate attempt to fit his helmet. He reveals that the soldier was ‘flound’ring like a man in fire or lime’. Again, by comparing the mans torture to that of being burnt, Owen related the soldiers agony to that of which the reader may have experienced. This writing technique allows the reader to feel more involved in the poem and makes the horrific events Owen is reliving more comprehensive. The poet describes his view of this scene as ‘Dim, through the misty panes’ referring to his gas mask. I think this is an important idea as the mask represents separation. Owen is separated from the soldier as he is wearing his own mask. He wants to help, however without removing his own mask, Owen can only stand and watch. This emphasizes to the reader the guilt that must have plagued Owen and perhaps explains why the tone of the poem is generally quite bitter. The gas mask could also be interpreted as representing the detachment of the British population from the soldiers. Throughout the poem, Owen seems resentful of the general public, stating that ‘’My friend you would not tell with such high zest’. By talking to the readers directly, Owen makes them feel more involved in the terrifying events
When conveying the horrific events of war, the language and imagery used by the poet is extremely important. By studying ‘Charge if the Light Brigade’, it can be seen that Tennyson believes that sound as well as visual imagery is important when expressing themes. Tennyson uses words such as ‘volleyed’, ‘shattered’ and ‘thundered’ when describing the sounds surrounding the soldiers. This writing technique allows the reader to be submerged into the action, creating an almost three-dimensional atmosphere within the reader’s imagination. This therefore allows the reader to fully experience the horror of war, perhaps giving them insight as to the conditions the soldiers were fighting in and therefore explaining why Tennyson believes they should be seen as heroes. Tennyson also repeats phrases such as ‘jaws of death’ and ‘mouth of hell’. Words such as ‘death’ and ‘hell’ obviously suggest the danger the soldiers were in, as well as their negative spirits. However, words such as ‘jaws’ and ‘mouth’ would suggest that war, as a whole, could be seen as a metaphorical monster, and that by entering the battle, the soldiers were riding into the mouth of the monster. This emphasizes to the reader that war consumes lives and that the soldiers may have entered war, but they never left. It can also be seen that Tennyson uses repetition to convey the heroism of the soldiers riding into battle. Tennyson uses repetition of sound, using words such as ‘thundered’, ‘sundered’ and ‘wondered’. Using repetition helps to set up a rhythm within the poem, the resulting rhythm mimicking that of the horses’ hooves clattering as they ride into battle. Again, this adds sound effects to the readers’ image of war, making the plight of the soldiers more real. This repetition of sound is repeated within the last line of each stanza. The first three stanzas end with the line ‘rode the six hundred’, with the final three ending ‘not the six hundred’, ‘left the six hundred’ and ‘noble six hundred’. These slight variations within the set phrase allow the reader to follow the progress of the soldiers within the battle, making it clear what is happening to the soldiers. Tennyson uses quotes within his poetry, “Charge for the guns!’ he said’. This gives the reader the idea that authority is involved, as the only person given speech within the poem is this unnamed authority figure. In a later stanza, Tennyson writes ‘Some one had blundered’, suggesting that the authority figure was to blame for sending the soldiers into a impossible battle. Using quotes allows the reader to feel involved in the battle and empathize with the soldiers killed by their mistake. In contrast to ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, Tennyson does not address to reader directly, fir example ‘their but to do and die’. This distances the reader from war, and makes them feel less connected to the soldiers. Tennyson’s intention throughout the poem seems to be to convince the reader that war is not necessarily a bad thing, and therefore by distancing the reader from the soldiers, Tennyson is removing the horror of war.
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ also uses language and imagery to convey strong war scenes. The first stanza details the soldiers walking back to camp after a battle. Within this stanza, Owen uses the simile ‘Bent double, like old beggars’, hinting that the soldiers were so exhausted and affected by what has happened to them that they were unable to look up. Owen also describes the flares sent up by each army as ‘haunting’, suggesting the lasting effect the war will have on the soldiers. It can also be seen that Owen uses words that could be seen as ‘slow’ within the first stanza, for example ‘trudge’, ‘limped’ and ‘lame’. However, within the second stanza, Owen uses words such as ‘fumbling’, ‘yelling’ and ‘stumbling. This change in tempo once the gas attack begins makes the panic of the soldier all the more real to the reader. When the toxic gas is released, Owen writes ‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!’. As with the change of tempo, the use of exclamation marks reinforces the panic and urgency of the soldiers. In the same way as Tennyson, Owen uses repetition of sound when he writes ‘guttering, choking, drowning’, however these words also slow the tempo of this fast paced stanza. It can also be seen that ‘guttering’ is a onomatopoeia and it’s use within the poem creates sound imagery, allowing the reader to feel surrounded by the three dimensional poem. When describing the soldiers face, Owen uses the simile ‘like a devil’s sick of sin’. This would suggest to the reader that the war zone is similar to hell, allowing the reader to create vivid mental images associated with devils and hell. When describing the death of the soldier, Owen uses disgusting, shocking words, for example ‘froth-corrupted lungs’ and ‘obscene as cancer’. Using such descriptive words as these shocks the reader, and in doing so forces the audience to remember these phrases. Owen also writes of ‘incurable sores on innocent tongues’. The ‘incurable sores’ suggest evil eating away at flesh, in contrast to the innocent soldiers who don’t deserve punishment. This writing technique makes the reader empathize with the soldiers. However, by far the most effective writing technique used by Owen is addressing the reader. Within the final stanza, Owen addresses the reader, saying ‘My friend, you would not tell with such high zest’. Talking to the audience allows the reader to feel more involved in the war. They may also begin to feel partly responsible for the soldier’s death, sharing in Owen’s guilt. Through the poem, Owen is trying to convince the reader that the title ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ is, in fact, a lie. Excluding the final stanza, Owen does this simple by attempting to convey the horror of war. However, within the final stanza, Owen actually calls Dulce et Decorum est ‘The old lie’. Although this statement is fairly blunt compared to the subtlety of his message within the rest of the poem, calling the Latin title a lie makes Owens views on war very clear.
As well as language and imagery, the structure of a poem is also important when analyzing it’s meaning. ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ is made up of six stanzas, each describing a particular part of the Battle of Balaklava. The last line summarizes the content of each stanza, for example, the stanza describing the soldiers riding into battle is finished by ‘Rode the six hundred’ and the stanza honouring the light brigade is finished by ‘Noble six hundred’. This method of writing makes the content of each stanza clear to the reader, as well as forming a repetitive pattern throughout the poem. Although there is no set rhyming pattern, there is a general pattern of syllables. The majority of lines contain 6 syllables, however the final line of a stanza or lines finishing a sentence tend to contain 5 syllables, for example
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered
Writing in this way makes it obvious when there is a break in the stanza and it is clear to the reader were each stanza, and therefore each section of the battle, finishes. Thus giving the reader a clear understanding as to the time span of the war. Finally, as I have previously mentioned, there is no noticeable rhyming pattern running throughout the poem. However, this is unimportant as each stanza describes a different phrase of the war, and it is therefore unnecessary that each stanza has the same rhyming scheme. In comparison, ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ has a fairly clear rhyming scheme, excluding the final stanza. I think this poem is written in stanza form in order to make the change in pace between the soldiers walking back to camp and the gas attack more noticeable. The rhyming scheme of abab cdcd is constant throughout the poem, apart from the final stanza. The different rhyming scheme within the final stanza is very effective as it is clear that Owen has finished reliving the events of the war, and is instead talking directly to the reader.
Whilst analyzing their content, I have developed a favourite between the two poems. I have come to prefer ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, mostly due to my opinions on war. When writing the poem, Owen has taken on a very realistic and negative view of war. In comparison, Tennyson focuses mainly on the heroic side of war, a view I see as being misleading. I also feel more obliged to read Owens poem, as he written it from experience and has actually suffered through the terrible events he describes through his poetry, however, Tennyson, the poet loriet of the time, has not experienced war.
