Interview
Dulce et decorum est - Owen Analysis
- Course
- English Home Language
- Institution
- 12th Grade
This is an in-depth analysis of Dulce et decorum est by Owen.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Dulce et decorum est - OwenBackground
Dulce et decorum est: Analysis
- Dulce et decorum est = it is good and honourable
- Propaganda was used to recruit young men
- semi-autobiographical
- Owen's purpose is clear which is to reveal war for what it is of course
there is the irony that a man who volunteered for service who was
wounded promoted and rewarded for his courage under fire should
expose the powers that be in such a brutal and uncompromising
fashion.
Title:
- Paradoxical as the title sounds like a pro-war poem, while the poem is
anti-war
A Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
B Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
A Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
B And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
C Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
D But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
C Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
D Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
E Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
F Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
E But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
F And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
G Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
H As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
G In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
H He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
, I If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
J Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
I And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
J His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
K If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
L Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
K Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
L Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
M My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
N To children ardent for some desperate glory,
M The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
N Pro patria mori.
Structure:
- Iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line starting on an unstressed syllable)
- This imitates the constant gunfire of war
- 28 lines
- Double length of a regular sonnet
- Emphasis on length of war (or how long the war / the walk felt to the
soldiers described in the poem)
- Four unequal stanzas
- Blank verse
- Rhyme Scheme: ABAB alternating rhyme scheme
- Emphasises uniformity of soldiers or how the killing/explosions/horror
was constant
Theme:
- Horror and futility
- Senselessness of war
Diction:
- Jargon of war (This helps the reader see what Owen saw firsthand as a
soldier)
- This is contrasted with plain language of the human body (backs, faces,
lungs, tongues, etc) which helps the reader recognise the frailty of the human
condition while trying to survive in a violent and unforgiving environment
- The poet uses short sounds and heavy monosyllabic words with the
emphasis on the vowels in the first stanza contrasted with the longer guttural
words in the lines describing the gas attack
- All of these words add to the sense of REALISM
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller liezlbroodryk. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R75,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75323 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 14 years now