Dulce et Decorum est
Dulce et Decorum est I chose this poem because ever since I was little I have found this so very moving. I first read and learnt this poem when I was about seven and now when I think of war poetry I immediately think of this poem. I think this poem lies very close to the truth and that the people who entice young schoolboys into thinking war is a great thing are cruel and above all liars. This poem explains things in a harsh and blunt way. It portrays the truth about this war, not the parades and honour part but the death, corruption and brutal murders of so many young men. Owen uses words the men would have used and uses alliteration and metaphors, similes and onomatopoeia. There is a definite rhyme scheme to this poem and some lines do not fit into this. These lines stick out and draw the reader in and create a point. The most poignant lines are the ones that do not fit in and they also are the most important ones, which the poem centres around. In these most important lines there is quite a lot of repetition, which reinforces the importance of them. In the first few lines Owen uses some quite descriptive similes such as 'coughing like hags'. This is effective because it makes the reader think of a raspy, dry cough, the kind which makes your entire body jolt and your breathing restricted. Owen also uses a compound adjective 'knock-kneed' which makes the reader think
A Critical Analysis of 'Anthem for doomed youth' by Wilfred Owen.
A Critical Analysis of 'Anthem for doomed youth' by Wilfred Owen. For this essay I will critically analyse and evaluate the use and effect of literary devices and forms while showing the interaction of explicit and implicit meanings within the poem. I will also refer to the historical and cultural factors affecting the production and reception of the poem. The title 'Anthem For Doomed Youth' is very deliberately ironic with the juxtaposition of anthem, which is associated with praise and triumph with doomed which means certain demise. Through doing this Owen shocks the reader and immediately introduces them to theme of the poem, death of soldiers and gets the audience to question the war; after all, how can you pay tribute to inevitable death? The word 'youth' accentuates his message of the wrong of the war. Owen achieves this as youth conjures thoughts of naivety and innocence that creates even greater pathos then he would achieve had he used the word men. 'Doomed youth' has the use of assonance in the sound with the intention to be drawn out and lugubrious. The poem asks and answers the following question, what funeral and ceremonies are there for the soldiers that die as cannon fodder? The answer the poem gives is none. The meaning it conveys is that the war must be wrong if the soldiers die so cheaply as to not receive a proper burial. The poem is about the First World
The narrative perspective of A Prayer for Owen Meany is first person, which is written in both the
Point of View The narrative perspective of A Prayer for Owen Meany is first person, which is written in both the past and present tenses. The narrator of this novel is also a protagonist in this novel. He, Johnny, reminisces on his experiences with Owen Meany when they were children. In these reminiscing sections, the narrator uses the past tense to tell the reader that the events being discussed already occurred, that they are, metaphorically, carved in stone. When Johnny, reads from his diary, the narrator changes perspective to the first person. Because dates are important in this novel (dates such as Owen's fated day of death and Johnny's diary dates) a time change illustrates a change in not only Johnny's physical world but also in his amount of maturity and knowledge. In the diary, Johnny is much more mature and knowledgeable; he seems to have a purpose for writing the diary. That purpose is his dislike of the US because of the Iran-Contra affair and its similarities to Vietnam, during which Owen was killed. The changes in perspective, from past tense to present tense, develop Johnny as a man filled with bitterness. As his diary entries progress, he becomes more resentful of the US. Therefore, through the use of the diary, the author achieves a litmus test of Johnny's attitude. That is, judging by date of the entries, one can measure Johnny's hate. The