comparing war poems

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Post – 1900 Poetry                                          

‘Dulce et Decorum est’    Wilfred Owen  (1918)

‘The Dead’    Rupert Brooke  (1914)

Coursework question: Compare and contrast one First World War poem written before battle began with one poem written in the light of battle experience. Consider in particular the language used, and the different attitudes to dying for one’s country, in the two poems. 

‘Dulce et Decorum est’ written by Wilfred Owen in 1918. The poem expresses different ideas because of the writer’s experience, knowledge and understanding of war. Some may say the poem is only from one mans view and Owen only speaks for himself, however, ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ was written in the light of the battle and has details and knowledge behind it.  Owen rejects Brooke’s romantic style.

Owen uses many words that are ugly in texture, words like "guttering", "choking", and "drowning". These not only show how the soldier is suffering, but that he is in a terrible pain that no human being should suffer, this use of diction creates a sense of horror in the poem. The word "blood shod" also shows how the troops have been on their feet for days, not having much time to rest. This is an effective metaphor of suffering.

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Wilfred Owen’s poem 'Dulce et Decorum est’ tells us the true insanity of the First World War and how bloody it was. The aim of the poem is to also show how horrific war is. Owen does this by creating images, which create an ugly image of war. The dying soldier’s eyes are described as “writhing in his face”. This implies the soldier had no control over himself and is in agony. This shows how ugly and dreadful the war was.  

Owen uses strong similes. From the first line he describes the troops as being “like old ...

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