"The first world war was perceived to be a futile waste of life." Consider this statement in light of the poetry you have studied.

“The first world war was perceived to be a futile waste of life.” Consider this statement in light of the poetry you have studied.

“The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” these words were once uttered by the poet and soldier Wilfred Owen, this line needs to be remembered as the poem is based on the idea of it as 'the old lie' mocking the established belief of nationalism and duty to your country, conveyed as patriotic propaganda to the people back at home .How is it sweet and fitting to die for your country if nobody knows about your death? The war was only meant to last till Christmas however it dragged on for four futile years. Studying the poem “Dulce et Decorum est” by Wilfred Owen, “In An Underground Dressing Station” by Siegfried Sassoon and “Clearing Station” by Wilhelm Klemm it is definitely clear that the Great War was a waste of life, time and effort. Though these poems were written by poets from opposing sides these three men illustrated the fact that war only caused the destruction of innocent lives. Klemm and Owen used powerful imagery to show the reader that the war only degraded strong men and turned them into victims of trench warfare, gas attacks and severe bullet wounds. Sassoon also conveys the image of death, however he writes more simplistically yet this works just as effectively as the gory details in both Wilfred Owen and Wilhelm Klemm’s poetry. These three men quickly realized that dying out there in a far off land was a waste of a life and was completely pointless. As each man aimed to get the reality of war back home through their intense poetry .The British Empire lost over 908,371 men who were willing to fight to gain self respect and freedom for our country yet nobody cared about these men, they were slaughtered on battlefields as if their sole purpose in life was to be bred like cattle and killed.

“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, focuses on the absolute horror experienced during World War I. Throughout the transition of this poem, Owen portrays the reality of the battlefield and makes a direct connection with one soldier ,dealing with the consequences of a gas attack. The detailed descriptions of blood, guts and death are overpowering, similarly Klemm uses this approach to convey the realism and futility of war with graphic images of the injuries inflicted on the soldiers, although his poem is set in a dank, disgusting and dingy makeshift hospital. Sassoon also deals with the devastating effects of war although he does not use disturbing imagery, to get the reality of war across to his patriotic readers back at home. He describes a filthy dressing station, which is meant to be a sanitary place where their aim is to cure people that are wounded; however this is not the case in both these poets writing. The injured and disabled soldiers are left in these horrific hospitals and their only hope is to die, that is what these once strong, healthy men are waiting for, their lives have been ruined, these ignorant men thought that they would come back home safely as hero’s. Owen stresses how war should not be glorified. The title meaning ‘It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country’ is used sardonically because the poem describes the horror and agony that the soldiers endured during their time in the trenches, which Owen himself experienced, this poem is focused on one soldier and it is very personal, Sassoon also takes this approach. Their poems maybe based on their own agonizing experiences. Owen gives a shocking description of once young and healthy boys, so tired and worn out by war that they are degraded former shadows of themselves, “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knocked-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge.” It is considered that Owen is criticizing Jesse Pope, he is angry with this man for letting children recruit in full knowledge that they are not old enough , he conveys his anger indirectly towards him, both Klemm and Owen are expressing their irritation towards the foolish soldiers in their writing, for joining up for ridiculous reasons and wasting their lives . After all Owen describes how the soldiers were treated once they were dead “you too could pace behind the wagon that we flung him in” nobody cared about this dead man he is just another victim who has given up his life and it was not even for a worth while cause, it is clear that the other soldier’s had no respect for this man.

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There was no nobility in the way that they treated him,
he was in no way treated like a hero, and all he wanted was some grandeur and respect. Owen describes how the dead soldiers are “children ardent for some desperate glory” He is trying to send the reality of war back home, Klemm calls the dying men in the church “wasted faces” however both poets are being ironic as they volunteered to go to war themselves. Klemm questions war he needs an answer and in his poem he expresses his anger towards God, He graphically describes men waiting to die, they are unhappy, degraded men who have now come to understand the futility of war, these three poems make the reality of war unbearable to even comprehend, it is tragic and devastating that people can do this to each other then die lonely and miserably without any comfort. Sassoon even goes as far as to describe a dying soldier as a burden, his name is not significant, all the reader needs to know is that he is a wounded soldier and he is going to die, there is a period of time passing in Sassoon’s poem, which makes it have an unusual rhyme scheme, it is an indication of how long the soldier has been in the hospital for, he has gone in, they tried to treat him however he was not going to live. This poem though short and simplistic is more effective then Klemm and Owen’s poems because it shows the reality better ,the soldier goes to war he has been wounded terribly and he is going to die, it is shocking to think that , that this is what his life is, he is going to die there is nothing more to tell. The only thing that the hospitals in both Sassoon and Klemm’s poems can do is to make the soldiers remaining hours comfortable.

The reality of war is conveyed through imagery, each poet’s use of language effectively creates what as reader we imagine. Gas! Gas! Quick boys!" direct speech is used to create panic. Owen also uses vocabulary such as stumbling, floundering, and fumbling to describe the desperate actions of the dying soldier. The verbs such as yelling and drowning give the reader a feeling of pandemonium. Owen uses the simile, "like a man on fire" to describe the agony, which the man is encountering, it suggests how the man is suffering incredibly, as the gas burns him "As under a green sea, I saw him drowning", this describes how the gas causes a thick green haze around the men. This is a useful phrase as it enables us to visualize what is happening and use our imagination. Owen obviously feels guilty about this individual’s death as he states, "In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, and drowning". The fact that he dreams about this all the time, indicates Owens’s guilt, he was obviously traumatized by this agonizing experience. The final verse of this poem describes the tragedy of war and how it is not a sweet and fitting thing to die for your country, it is a desperate and excruciating way to die! He is trying to discourage people from the war by informing the patriotic reader’s back home that it is not worth it, strong men are degraded and killed horrendously. Owen uses Similes such as, "his hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin" this portrays how the man was desperate and giving in to death "Obscene as cancer", is used to describe the sores on the men's tongues, cancer is an awful disease to get, so if these sores are compared to cancer it is clear to understand just how much pain this man is experiencing. The language used on the last line is directed to people back home, Owen is showing just how angry he is and is trying to discourage others.

Like Owen, Klemm uses harsh and graphic language to portray the futility of war, in his first stanza he soullessly gives the reader a description of the situation, there are sounds of “moans” and the image of “choking” in the background, this indicates the desolation of the church and the sense that these pitiable men are eventually going to die, this has become their only purpose in life. Next Klemm creates the feeling of complete despondency as he personifies the candle stump’s, nobody is around, there is a lack of care for these deprived men, there is no indication of a nurse rushing around to cure the injured soldier’s , the candles are the only on lookers. The image of nocturnal creates the sense of isolation. In the second Stanza Klemm horrifically describes what the environment is like, the room is filled with dying men, unable to help themselves, it is made clear how dirty and utterly disgusting this place is. The word ooze indicates how these men are dying they are falling apart, this situation is truly horrific, their only hope is to die, they are suffering silently , unable to do anything for themselves, yet in the last stanza Klemm describes how the battle still rages on. The bloodshed is on going and the year is only 1914, he describes how it thunders grimly on, this creates a negative perception, the war appears to never end it carries on day and night, more men will die.

Sassoon’s interpretation of war is mild compared to those of Klemm and Owen, his language is not as graphic, yet it still carries the same message, war is barbaric and is a horrific thing to engage in. The title is rather simplistic as is the poem; it is a negative poem however the language is soft compared to the other poems. Death has become peaceful, it is considered as an escape. The soldier is described as a burden, his individuality has been taken, he is no longer a brave strong man, but a helpless burden, just another life that war has claimed. Sassoon does not give a vivid description of what is going on; instead he leaves it up to the reader’s imagination. The reality of this poem is very sad, the only thing that the doctor can do is keep the boy comfy, and as reader it is made clear that this particular soldier is very young because he is referred to as a lad. In some way’s this piece of writing is more effective than the other poem’s because it is short, blunt and hard hitting no extravagant metaphors and similes are used to convey the futility of war and the suffering of the soldiers.