Poetry Essay: Dulce Et Decorum Est.
Fred Davis 3806238 English: Fact and Fiction Poetry Essay: Dulce Et Decorum Est Draft Copy The title of Wilfred Owen's famous World War I poem, 'Dulce Et Decorum Est', are the first words of a Latin saying which means, 'It is sweet and Right'. The full saying, which ends the poem, 'Dulce et decorum est // Pro patria mori', means it is sweet and right to die for one's country. This was the saying that was commonly understood and used widely in the propaganda at the beginning of the War. It made war out to be honourable and heroic. Owen shows in this poem, by depicting the horror and cruelty of the War, how far the common belief that war was proud and honourable, was from the truth. In the first stanza we are introduced to the setting of the poem as well as to a few of the horrors of the war. The men are leaving the battlefield and are moving to a place of rest when they are hit by gas filled artillery shells. It gives a description of how fatigued and weary the men were and how badly injured many of them were after spending time in the trenches of the front lines. The image of tiredness and sleep is introduced in the first stanza phrases such as 'Bent-double' (line 1), 'distant rest' (line 4) and 'Men marched asleep' (line 5). The men are so tired they turn their backs on the flares that are sent up to show the bombardiers where to shoot their shells. Another
to what extent and why had soldiers' attitudes to war changed by 1918
Question 3 To what extent and why, had soldiers' attitudes to war changed by 1918. In 1914 people agreed with war and men wanted to fight for their country fro the benefit of themselves and others. People wanted to join the army because there were many benefits offered, there was a lack of employment at the time and the army seemed to open prospects for their futures. Being a soldier was viewed upon as being as masculine thing to do and if you did not join you would have been looked down upon. People were told that the war would only last until Christmas and this encouraged them to join even more. The truth about what you would actually experience whilst in the army was far from what anyone had expected, it lasted for 4 years, the majority of the men who joined died and many men actually would injure themselves in order to escape the horrors of war. People saw that the war had not finished by Christmas and so lost hope in the war and joining voluntarily was pointless, they realised that they had been lied to by the propaganda. Women handed out white feathers to the men that were not in uniform, to humiliate them and encourage them to join the army. Some pacifists or people who did not agree with war would join the army in a non-violent position in the infrastructure of war. Soldiers' views changed because they witnessed terrible events. Before Christmas and before there was
Compare and contrast the poems 'I remember, I remember' and 'to the virgins to make much of time'
Compare and contrast the poems 'I remember, I remember' and 'to the virgins to make much of time' As humans we all face the passing of time and inevitably death but how each person deals with this is different. This essay will compare and contrast two poems, called 'I remember, I remember', and 'to the virgins, to make much of time'. A comparative essay will illustrate how differently different people can experience life, yet how connected we all are through this experience we share. Both of these poems deal with the theme of youth and looking back in wisdom, a regret for the passing of time and a longing for it return. The first poem ' I remember, I remember' is written in the point of view of the poet. As the title suggests, this poem is about a mans reflection on his past and his comments on his present. He explains what he felt like as a child growing up, and how he took pleasure with everything that surrounded him. This is highlighted when he writes "my spirit flew in feathers then" this portrays his happiness as a boy and how he felt so free. He doesn't speak much about his future, creating an impression that he does not want to think about it too much and this keeps the reader at a distance, or maybe he is not enjoying the present and going through deep depression. We assume this when he writes ' but now, I often wish the night had borne my breath away', this draws
In Liam O'Flaherty's
Name : Raghav Goyal Grade : X B IGCSE Date : 7th July 2005 English Assignment The Sniper How does the author depict the turmoil and plight in a war-torn city in "The Sniper"? Anger, pain, death and remorse- all unpleasant, but all are faced and handled in every war. In Liam O'Flaherty's "The Sniper," all of these are brought to an acute reality in a single war-torn city. Strong cerebral convictions and opposing philosophies, due to which people want to destroy the seemingly "wrong" plague this world and are the main reason for plight. To aid in his creation of such emotional conflict, turmoil and plight, the author has portrayed the sniper as a very controversial character. This story is oriented around one character in the Civil War which he should not even be in as he is mentioned to be a "student" in the story. The story whose main theme is violence, attempts to chronicle the short span of fanaticism that inspires youth that leads to turmoil in the first place. In this chaotic situation however, fanaticism is what one may need in order to survive and this is exactly what the sniper is facing. This is shown when the sniper is said to be the "student with the face of an ascetic". He has one task to perform- to kill the soldiers of the Free States. However, the most important line that catches the attention of the reader is "...the eyes of a man who is used to looking
Remind yourself of the last poem in the book: ‘An Arundel Tomb’.To what extent do you agree with the view that in terms of subject matter and style, this poem is an appropriate ending to the whole collection?
Remind yourself of the last poem in the book: 'An Arundel Tomb'. To what extent do you agree with the view that in terms of subject matter and style, this poem is an appropriate ending to the whole collection? The 'Whitsun Weddings' are a collection of poems written by Phillip Larkin that take you on an emotional, thought provoking rollercoaster ride as he describes the everyday things that he sees around him and in his own unique way brings them to life through his poetry. Possibly because he is unimpressed by the concept of mass consumerism: refusing to even buy himself a television until the 1970's. Larkin can be cruel in his portrayal of the 'cut-price' crowd and their 'cheap suits, ... red kitchen ware and sharp shoes.' Ably and uniquely using a variety of language tools to give his poems vibrancy, for example using alliteration to emphasise his subject 'ships up street, the slave museum' and using one long sentence to signify the train track and train sounds. You are in no doubt that he is on a train which is an excellent way of starting a journey, both his own and the collection of poems. The last poem in the collection 'The Arundel Tomb' talks about a 'stationary voyage' in which 'The earl and his countess lie in stone'. I feel that the enduring nature of the stone carving and the relationship between the earl and the countess demonstrates that after death there
Died of Wounds was written by another well-known ww1 Poet, Siegfriel Sassoon. Sassoon was a brave and well- respected officer.
Died Of Wounds Died of Wounds was written by another well-known ww1 Poet, Siegfriel Sassoon. Sassoon was a brave and well- respected officer. He won the military cross for courage and fought at several battles, yet he also detested the slaughter and the misconduct of the war by generals and politicians. Sassoon's poems are aimed to tell the truth about the war that he had fought in. He used a plain, direct style, often bringing in soldiers slang. Also a pattern of sharp lines often leads to a ' knock - out blow' in the last verse. Died of the Wounds was based on a dying soldier who Sassoon had seen in a hospital near the Somme in July 1916. Sassoon firstly focuses on the soldiers face in the first verse. He uses the words ' wet', 'white' and ' miserable eyes'. The word ' white' emphasises the illness of the soldier and also the fear of dying. The soldiers face was a face full of suffering. In this first he describes how he ' Brought Nurses to him more groans than sighs'. This line indicates that the nurses came to him more because of his pain and the look of his face. He describes the physical condition of the dying soldier. By saying " he did the business well", highlights that he was a good soldier who was in the thick of the war. Some people said at the time of ww1 that people who came back wounded are looked up to as heroes of the war. Sassoon concentrates on sounds to
In what ways were the lives of people at home affected by the First World War?
Introduction Assignment 1: In what ways were the lives of people at home affected by the First World War? Historical Content: The initial impact of War; the losses of men and material; conscription; conscientious objectors; propaganda; employment; the role of women; politicians and generals; the role of Lloyd George; War poets and authors; the armistice. Recruitment and Conscription during World War One When the First World War started in August 1914, Britain had 247,432 regular troops. Of these, 12,000 were British Expeditionary Troops and the rest were abroad. However, it was clear that more troops were going to be needed to defeat the German Army. On the 7th August, Lord Kitchener, Secretary of War started a recruitment campaign asking for men between the age of 19 to 30 to join the British Army. This was very successful with an average of 33,000 men signing up every day. After three weeks of men joining, he raised the age limit to 35 and by the middle of September, the number of men signed up was 500,000. Obviously recruitment was very popular for me to fight the "noble war" for King and Country but they didn't know the nightmare of the War. The recruits of the British Army expected the War to be over by Christmas, but what they didn't know was that the War was going to last four years. At the beginning of the War, the Army had very specific guidelines for people
Wilfred Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth and Siegfried Sassoon's Attack - Explore the ways in which Sassoon's and Owen's words convey powerful feelings about the First World War in these two poems.
Wilfred Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth and Siegfried Sassoon's Attack Explore the ways in which Sassoon's and Owen's words convey powerful feelings about the First World War in these two poems. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are seen as the two greatest British First World War poets. 'Attack' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' attempt to dissuade young men to go to war and to stop them from 'dying as cattle' on the front. These views were not conventional. The British Government and the people on the Home Front were urging people to go to war and said it was 'a noble thing to die for your country. In these poems and many of their other poems Owen and Sassoon redefine war, from being a noble thing to die for you country to the poets mocking the war and describing the brutal reality of trenches and the Western Front. Therefore it is a very controversial poem. Sassoon used his powerful poetic voice to shock Britons and warmongers. His poems savaged the smug cruelty of the generals who sacrificed hundreds of lives of innocent soldiers and told people about the reality of the Great War. Owen had the same views on the war but his work had not yet been published but when he met Sassoon at Craig Lockhart Hospital during the war Sassoon noticed his talent as a poet and it was there that Owen was most inspired writing poems such as 'Anthem for Doomed Youth'. Wilfred Owen's 'Anthem
World War - No Laughing Matter!
World War - No Laughing Matter! Ask someone what their views on war are and your average reply will be something like: " War is unjustifiable, there is no right in war, innocent lives are taken and the effects are devastating." This is a perfectly reasonable answer being both morally and ethically right, but what if you were to ask the same person what they think of programs such as Dad's Army and 'Allo 'Allo, your answer may be: " Excellent, they are hilarious very entertaining programs which keep me amused for hours." These two answers imply to me that the person is a little two faced. They are aware of the horrors of war and yet find it perfectly acceptable to laugh at these tragic situations being portrayed on television for comedy purposes. So, is it right to make war into a laughing matter or should we just leave the past behind us? To answer this question I have studied three war comedies: Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo, and Blackadder. These sitcoms although very entertaining can sometimes become inconsiderate and offensive. Some would say that it is all right to make war into a laughing matter as it helps people come to terms with the past and turns something negative into something positive. Others would say that it could never be acceptable to make a mockery of war no matter what the circumstances. They would argue that although it is right to move on we should show
"The Lady of Shalott" - review
"The Lady of Shalott" The poem "The Lady of Shalott" is about the Lady of Shalott who is on the island of Shalott and in the castle. She loves Sir Lancelot but they cannot be together because if she stops weaving a curse will be upon her and she will die, but she cannot stop loving Lancelot who has not seen her before, therefore she stops weaving and goes out the castle down to Camelot in a boat where she dies. Tennyson uses key elements like imagery and style which he uses effectively to put across his views. Some effective imagery in the poem is mostly movement as in section one there is a considerable amount of movement words, making it seem like there is a lot happening, "And through the field the road run by" This is emphasised by the number of people there are in the poem like the "market girls" and the "village churls", movement imagery also implies there is a lot going on, "Up and down the people go" The use of colours has also been used very much and it has an effect on the mood and the atmosphere created, "Hung in the golden galaxy, the bride bells rang merrily" The gold colour makes you feel happy and cheerful contrary to the pale yellow in the following quote which makes it all dark and gloomy by using words such as "complaining". "The pale yellow woods were waning, the broad stream in his banks complaining." The atmosphere in each section differs and
