"Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owen, "Exposure," by Wilfred Owen, "Perhaps," by Vera Brittain - Explain what the writers of these poems thought about the war and how their poems show a change in the way that war was depicted.

English - course work. "Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owen "Exposure," by Wilfred Owen "Perhaps," by Vera Brittain Explain what the writers of these poems thought about the war and how their poems show a change in the way that war was depicted. Wilfred Owen and Vera Brittain where poets of the First World War. The three poems "Dulce et Decorum Est", "Exposure" and "Perhaps" are very different from each other, discussing the horror of war and the loss through their experiences. They wanted the people of England to know what war was really like. All of the poets use an attack approach at people like Jesse Pope who wrote to promote war. The first poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" describes to those in England what the war was like. Owen uses good word play in the title "Dulce et Decorum Est", which is Latin meaning "It is a sweet and seemly (glorious) thing", and at the end he repeats the title but adding at the end of it, "Pro patria mori", which means "to die for your country". In this poem Owen describes how it is not a 'Sweet and seemly (glorious) thing to die for your country." Owen does this by starting the poem describing how the men of war come of the battlefield thinking about their rest to come. He uses lots of similes to get this affect of comparing the men to other things. 'Like old beggars under sacks' and 'coughing like hags.' He says that they are

  • Word count: 1807
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"Dulcet et Decorum Est," is probably the most famous anti-war poem by Wilfred Owen.

"Dulcet et Decorum Est," is probably the most famous anti-war poem by Wilfred Owen. It has a harsh meaning and persuasive argument. The anti-war theme and serious tone are effective at portraying war as horrid and devastating. I felt overpowered by blood, guts and death. Although my reaction hasn't changed much through numerous readings, my emotional feelings become more intense with each reading. This poem makes me feel as if I am right there watching the soldier who cannot fasten his mask fast enough and suffers the full effects of deadly gas. 'but someone still is yelling out and stumbling'. This poem also makes me look beyond the death and question the pain inflicted on the mothers who kissed their sons goodbye as they went to defend their country. I imagine the mother receiving word her son has died and being told how noble and patriotic his death was. In his last moments, the soldier and his family become victims of "The old lie". I can clearly understand what the author is saying. Words like "guttering", "choking", and "drowning" jumped out at me and made my body shake. Other words like "writhing" and "froth-corrupted" made me understand just how tragic war is. Not only do these words show how this man is suffering, but also they show precisely the level of pain and torment this man must have endured. The fact that the gassed man was "flung" into the wagon convinced me

  • Word count: 661
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Simon Armitage´s poems, ‘Poem´ and ‘About His Person´

Two of Simon Armitage´s poems, 'Poem´ and 'About His Person´ are written about someone who has, for unspecified reasons, passed away or gone. One is in the style of a eulogy and looks back on the life of its persona, presenting contrasting views of it, while the other examines the articles found on a man after his death. Both give the readers some impression of the personas, but are somewhat ambiguous, inviting us to form our own mental pictures of the people and judge them for ourselves. The man in 'Poem´ seems to have a split personality. Each of the first three stanzas is made up of four lines - the first three dealing with good things he did and the fourth mentioning a drawback, something bad. For example the third and fourth lines of the first stanza read, 'And he always tucked his daughter up at night And slippered her the one time that she lied.´ Although there are more good than bad things mentioned, the bad is cleverly positioned at the end of the line and this seems to make it overshadow and even cancel out all of the positive actions mentioned. In the context of a eulogy the three positive lines could be what is being said with the last line representing the thoughts of those present at the funeral. Simon Armitage does not conclude on the life of this man, but finishes the poem with: 'Here´s how they rated him when they lookef back; Sometimes he did

  • Word count: 713
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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The poem Jilted, written by Sylvia Plath, has its subject based on the disappointment of love which resulted from a female being neglected by her male lover,

Jilted-Sylvia Plath: Analysis on Craftsmanship The poem "Jilted", written by Sylvia Plath, has its subject based on the disappointment of love which resulted from a female being neglected by her male lover, who probably must have gone off in pursuit of another female. This poem has a simple abab rhyme scheme. The words of this poem were expertly chosen to describe the sour and acidic feelings that accompany betrayal and abandonment. Overall, it is obvious that the tone of this poem is sour and caustic. The title "jilted" is a word that has harsh sound which already hints to readers that the poem is not about any pleasant or happy experiences. In the first stanza, Plath compares her tears to vinegar, which is a substance that is corrosive, pungent, and stinging. The word vinegar shows on a surface level that her relationship was over, emphasizing the fact that she is extremely depressed. Later, she refers to an acetic star and a caustic wind. All of these rich imageries imply a tone that is harsh and corrosive. By comparing her tears to "vinegar", Plath successfully expressed the idea that not only the crying was sad, but the tear in itself was sad. This creates a realistic image of her sadness after being abandoned by her lover. In the second stanza, Plath uses the imagery of a sour expression that ensues after tasting a lemon to describe her inner feelings. "Wry-face"

  • Word count: 411
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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dulce et decorum est and

Pre-post 1914 poetry course work (Dulce et Decorum Est and The Last of the Light Brigade) One of the poems I studied was a poem called Dulce Et Decorum Est. The poem was written in 8th of October to March 1918 by Wilfred Owen. This poem is about a company of men in World War 2 who are trudging on and seem to be tired and old. They then get attacked by gas and one of the men can't get his mask on in time. The poet explains how it is not 'sweet and right to die for your country' because of the horrors of war. The other poem is called The Last of the Light Brigade. This poem was written in 1891 by Kipling. This poem is about how after the Crimean War the soldiers of the light brigade were forgotten so they went to a writer and asked him to write about what they are now like. Also about how poor they are and how their past glories amount to nothing. The main points of comparison in this poem are that they are very similar in the anti-war message they are giving but not similar in the way they are presenting it, for example the structure, language and other points which I will explain later. The main message of Dulce et Decorum Est is that because of all the terror, horror and death of war it is not "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" (it is sweet and right to die for your country). In the poem he says this right after, in horror, he sees a man die from a gas attack and

  • Word count: 948
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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An Introduction to The Great Famine

An Introduction to The Great Famine After a warm, uninterrupted summer, the late summer beckoned, and at the beginning of September, when the potatoes were to be harvested, it became clear that entire crops were diseased and unfit for consumption by either man or animal. Within months the disease had spread and the Irish were in the grip of a dire potato blight, which within months had wiped out three quarters of the entire potato crop in Ireland. It should not be thought that the potato blight was the only reason for the famine, granted it was a primary factor, however when coupled with a huge inflation within the Irish population, and that meant due to this, people had significantly less land to grow and harvest crops, this when coupled with the potato blight made it neigh on impossible to prevent the starvation of an entire country. "Our accounts from the northern parts of this country are most deplorable. What the poor people earn on the public works is barely sufficient to support them. All their earnings go for food; and the consequence is, that they have nothing left to procure clothing. Since the extreme cold set in, sickness and death have accordingly followed in its train. Inflammation of the lungs, fevers, and other maladies, resulting from excessive privation, have been bearing away their victims. Many have died in the course of last week; and the illness in

  • Word count: 702
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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theme of loveliness

THEME OF LOVELINESS: John Keats is one of the prominent Romantic poets. His life encapsulates a lot of pain and suffering due to the loss of his family members and also his unrequited love for Fanny Browne. Anything in its authentic and original form can be regarded as beauty. Similarly, for Keats beauty is synonymous with Truth. It is in this pursuit of beauty that he completely forgets his pains and sufferings and also the world around him. Thus, he transcends into an imaginary world. Keats saw beauty in truth and truth in beauty. He never escaped the realities of life in pursuit of the beautiful visions of his imagination. Infact his imaginary visions are based on reality. In one of the sonnets, "When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be", John Keats has explored the theme of loveliness and love. In this sonnet, the poet has explored his fatal love besides the mortal beauty of his beloved Fanny. The poet proclaims: "When I behold upon the night's starr'd face, Huge cloudy symbols of high romance, And think that I may never live to trace Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance, And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, That I shall never look upon thee more". In these lines the poet takes the "Huge cloudy symbols" as a threat to his clear love, which is connoted by the phrase, "night's starr'd face". A clear reference to the poet's beloved is witnessed as the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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'From our study in the "Clearances" collection, what is revealed about Seamus Heaney and his relationship with his mother, and his thoughts and feelings about other members of his family'

'From our study in the "Clearances" collection, what is revealed about Seamus Heaney and his relationship with his mother, and his thoughts and feelings about other members of his family' One of the most moving and emotional of Heaney's works is his collection of sonnets called 'Clearances'. These sonnets were written in dedication and memoriam to his mother Margaret Kathleen Heaney, who died in 1984. The eight sonnets are filled with lively, detailed and vivid memories, but the strong and loving relationship between Heaney and his mother is constantly referred to also. Heaney has no difficulty in expressing openly the love felt for his mother, both by him and his family, as we see in the invocation at the beginning of the collection; 'She taught me what her uncle once taught her'. Here we immediately see how his mother has taught him simple but great life wisdom, how to live and deal with problems in everyday life. This immediately identifies a clear picture of love and devotion towards her son, illuminating right from the beginning their strong mother/son relationship. This life wisdom is reflected again in sonnet 2, whereby she commands him on various rules before entering the house she grew up in; 'And don't be dropping crumbs. Don't tilt your chair'. This yet again shows the close bond Heaney and his mother share, as she warns him in order to avoid him getting into

  • Word count: 1915
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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We have been studying many poems written by various poets during the 1914-18 war. In this analysis I will explain how the poets express their differing views on the war.

Poem analysis We have been studying many poems written by various poets during the 1914-18 war. In this analysis I will explain how the poets express their differing views on the war. Whether it is for or against war, I will explain how their opinions are brought to the reader in their poems. I shall start with how poets express their opinions "for" the war. Jessie Pope was a pro-war poet living in England. Her poem "Who's for the Game," describes the war as a 'game' that everyone should play. She writes it in a simple way and highlights the cowardice of all those who, "Wants a seat in the stand" She also expresses the vulnerability of the country and making it sound feminine. "Your countries up to her neck in a fight" "She's looking and calling for you" Any man reading this would feel that he had a duty to go out and protect his country. "Peace" by Robert Brooke is also pro-war but his feelings are expressed in a much more complex, descriptive way. He says that war has, 'Wakened us from sleeping" He thinks it will be an adventure, the highlight of his life. He then says to conclude his poem, "But only agony and that has ending," And the worst friend and enemy is but Death." This convinces himself and the readers that he has nothing to fear apart from that of Death, which can also be a friend. Moving on to the other side of the argument, Arthur Graeme West not

  • Word count: 1044
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Explore the portrayal of war in the poetry of William Shakespeare and Wilfred Owen

Explore the portrayal of war in the poetry of William Shakespeare and Wilfred Owen. 'Dulce et Decorum est', or it 'It is sweet and right' is a post traumatic experience of war written to not only shock but haunt a readers conscience or perception of war, the old lie, 'Dulce et Decorum est'. 'Before Agincourt' by William Shakespeare is a poem so far away from Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum est' in meaning, context and time that the two portrayals of war are hard to compare. To make the comparison successful it is important to establish that Wilfred Owen is responding to direct experience and Shakespeare is merely guessing at words possibly spoken by King Henry V before the 'Battle of Agincourt'. The Battle of Agincourt, 1415 was led by King Henry V. The aim being to seize the French throne. Henry's army succeeded, an amazing 19,000 men down. Shakespeare's poem reflects this victory through the continuous use of blank verse and never changing optimistic approach. The initial reading of the poem is motionless; it appears that men are simply talking (possibly because the Middle English used is somewhat irrelevant to me now) however subsequent reading reveals that the poem is in fact extremely spiritual. King Henry V believes that honour is actually worth dying for, he 'is not covetous for gold' 'such outward things dwell not in my desire'. The descriptions depicted by

  • Word count: 1402
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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