dulce et decorum est and anthem for doomed youth essay

Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth” Essay

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Anthem for Doomed Youth is a sonnet in iambic pentameter, with war, its atrocities and its traumatic consequences as the theme. The poem focuses on how soldiers become nameless pawns in a struggle controlled by invisible hands, and how civilians are unnecessarily put through violence and devastation upon senseless orders (Par 1 Elite Skills Classic). Onomatopoeia is the sound device used in the first stanza, when the battlefield was being simulated. Metaphors on familial grief over death and mortal pains were used across the lines in the first verse, while the irony that each killer is also a victim resounds throughout the entire poem. In the second stanza, the rhyme pattern shifts from ABAB to ABBACC, but its striking imagery was unwavering at depicting clearly the bitterness, depression and psychological trauma undergone by the civilians and particularly by the soldiers who ceased to be human and became domesticated animals (Par 3 InspiredWritingResearch), mere numbers in doomed conflict.

The title is, in itself, ironic, for anthems have always meant to sing praises about grand things like love and patriotism, and so at first glance the poem seems to praise the damnation of the youth through war, but once read it will be clear that Owen meant for the exact opposite – it is a reminder of the horrors war brings, and a warning to never let it happen again.

Dulce et Decorum Est is another poem on the atrocities of war, yet this one is more graphic, more vivid and more precise than Anthem. From mustard gas chambers to simple methods of torture, it mostly embodies Owen’s disenchanted view on the horrors and vices of violence wrought by maddening and bloody warfare.

Owen’s fascination with war stems from his time as Captain of the British Army; he “witnessed the atrocities of war first hand”, so he wanted “to dispel the notions associated with patriotism and nationalism that were propagated by the media during his lifetime; thus his poetry portrays war as a dehumanising and horrific event (Par 1 Andonopolus).” Probably the most noted anti-war poem of Wilfred Owen is Dulce et Decorum Est, which is “the most famous poem to emerge from World War I” and “can stand unbowed beside Erich Maria Remarque’s novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Par 1 Wood).” The poem was written while Owen was “receiving treatment for shell shock in Craiglockart”, and therefore contains the bitterness he felt, as well as his negative sentiments towards propagandists, particularly on Jessie Pope (Par 1 Mcintyre).

In both poems, it is evident that Owen voices the sentiments of his literary predecessors; as Hemmingway once said: “They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason (Par 40)” and Owen believes that as well. All wars, regardless of the nation and the reason for quarrel, are the same – what matters is not who won or who started it, because there is no victory as all sides lose, and the only figure that people will ever remember is the body count. As Agatha Christie has once said, “One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one (Par 12).”

Works Cited

Andonopolus, Angela. “Literary Analysis: “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen.” Helium. Web.

“Anthem for Doomed Youth Analysis.” Elite Skills Classic. Web.

Christie, Agatha. Antiwar.com. Web.

Hemingway, Ernest. “Ernest Hemingway Quotes.” Goodreads . Web.

InspiredWritingResearch. “Poetry Analysis: Understanding fatalism in Anthem for Doomed Youth, by Wilfred Owen.” Helium. Web.

Mcintyre, Stella. “Literary Analysis: “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen”. Helium. Web.

Wood, Kerry Michael. “Literary Analysis: “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen.” Helium. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2022, January 6). Owen’s "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth". https://ivypanda.com/essays/owens-dulce-et-decorum-est-and-anthem-for-doomed-youth/

"Owen’s "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth"." IvyPanda , 6 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/owens-dulce-et-decorum-est-and-anthem-for-doomed-youth/.

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1. IvyPanda . "Owen’s "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth"." January 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/owens-dulce-et-decorum-est-and-anthem-for-doomed-youth/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Owen’s "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth"." January 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/owens-dulce-et-decorum-est-and-anthem-for-doomed-youth/.

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A comparison between 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' by Wilfred Owen

A comparison between ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen

         Both of these poems were written during the First World War and both concentrate on how innocent people were killed for no particular reason. The titles of the two poems have exactly the opposite meanings to each other. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ translated into English means it is proper and sweet. From this title you would imagine the poem to be about a noble soldier who goes to war to save his country but it is ironic as the poem is about the complete opposite. The title for ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ tells us that the poem will be about a funeral and how young men’s tragic experiences make the reader feel pity for the ‘doomed youth’. This title is also ironic as the poem is about how the dead soldiers are all being thrown into one big hole like ‘cattle’.

        Both the poems portray Owen’s bitterness and anger towards the war and this is shown in the very first few lines of both poems. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ displays this fact by describing the soldiers as ‘beggars’, ‘hags’, and ‘coughing’ where as ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ uses the words ‘die’ and ‘anger’.

The opening lines of the two poems are very effective because they produce either some sort of atmosphere and make the reader feel that they are actually there, or show the feelings for the soldiers who fought in the war. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ does this by using similes such as ‘like old beggars under sacks’ which capture the appearance of the soldiers as cripples and effective onomatopoeia such as ‘sludge’ and ‘trudge’, the sound made of soldiers going through mud.  ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ uses simile to describe the dead soldiers as ‘cattle’ and showing us how little the soldiers were thought of.

 ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ continues to describe the dreadful conditions of the soldiers by using many powerful metaphors in the first stanza such as ‘Men marched asleep’ and ‘drunk with fatigue’. This makes the reader feel sympathetic and shocked and the dehumanising word, ‘blood-shod’ adds to the horror of the helpless soldiers at war.

The use of caesurae throughout this stanza slows down the pace at which the reader reads the stanza.

“Bent double, like beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through

Sludge,”

 Due to the excessive use of commas, it makes every point emphasised, causing the reader to feel angry, helpless and sympathetic because the soldiers were killed for no reason. This makes the stanza more effective as it shows the distress and pain the soldiers are going through.

        The next stanza of this poem describes how one man gave his life for others. The first two words, ‘Gas! Gas!’ is like a statement making it effective and the message clear to the reader of what is going on.

From here, the unseen and unimaginable part of the war is revealed where one man was ‘still yelling out and stumbling’ who sacrificed his own life in order to save other people by warning them about the poisonous gas.

“As under a green, I saw him drowning”

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This thought is probably one of the most effective part in the whole poem and makes the reader feel several emotions such as sadness, helpless and stunned at what one can do for others. It also makes the reader feel extremely angry, full of rage and hatred towards the war. Again, resentment and disgust is felt when the soldiers were nearly killed just because ‘clumsy helmets’ were provided.

         The third stanza of this poem is just like a small statement consisting of only two lines but still powerful and effective. This is when the soldier actually dies, ‘guttering, choking, drowning’, and ‘plunges’ to his death. This repetition makes it seem incredibly realistic and shows the prolonged anguish of the poor soldier. Caesura has been used here to emphasise his distress and to make the reader feel furious.

        The fourth and final stanza of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is like a conclusion to the first three stanzas. Owen uses even more metaphors to describe and emphasise more of the horrendous conditions of the soldiers’ poor health.

“the blood  

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud.”

        The rest of this stanza allows the reader to form his own opinion on the poem, deciding on what they think is right and wrong. Owen does this by including the reader in his thoughts.

“If in some smothering dreams you too could pace”

Here Owen is trying to put you in his shoes to think about the war. He also relates to the reader again for the very same reason.

“My friend, you would not tell with such high zest”

        This poem is then ended with an effective style and is unforgettable, concluding the whole poem in two lines.

“The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori”

(It is proper and sweet to die for one’s country)

        The final phrase in French shows the stereotypical view of what war is about and how it is natural and acceptable for the soldiers to die. Owen has used this ironically by adding the words ‘the old lie’ in front to try and persuade the reader that people dying and suffering unnecessarily is not sweet and not needed. He is trying to give the genuine view of war. The use of irony makes it effective as it makes the reader reconsider their views on war and persuades them to think that it is bad, just what Owen was trying to do by writing this poem. French has also been used here to show how everyone thinks soldiers dying in war is acceptable but they do not really understand it.  By using French as a synecdoche to represent the nation of Britain, Owen is trying to illustrate how people believe things without knowing the reality.

        The fact that ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is written in a narrative form and is a real life encounter, makes the poem more convincing and persuasive.

        ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ also has the same effect as ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ in the way both poems start. They both start off by describing the soldiers’ conditions. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ does this by using simile and personification, comparing the dead soldiers to ‘cattle’.

"What passing bells for those who die as cattle?”

This gives the reader a disturbing thought because they are not getting proper burials but all of them being thrown in one large grave like ‘cattle’, causing them to feel sympathy for the soldiers and anger towards the war. Also the use of a rhetorical question at the beginning of the poem, asked by Owen to the reader, makes them think more about the poem. He goes on to answer them in meticulous detail in the rest of the poem, just to exemplify how dreadful the war actually was. This more subtly used technique does exactly the same job as in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, offering the reader to step into his, or any other soldier's shoes, just for a moment, in order to encounter the tragedy that he encountered.

        The next three lines of this poem continues to set the scene, using numerous adjectives such as ‘monstrous’, ‘anger’, ‘stuttering’ and ‘rapid’. This description gives the reader a vivid picture and a genuine atmosphere of what it was like to fight in the war and describes the constant sound of rifles the soldiers had to tolerate.

        The next two lines of the poem are trying to make the reader express their sympathy by using words such as ‘prayers’, ‘mourning’ and ‘save’ and these words also set the scene of a funeral. This again makes the reader feel infuriated as there were so many unnecessary deaths.

        ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ starts to show what the world would be like with peace in the last few lines of the poem. Owen does this by writing about innocent children who would live peacefully and enjoy their lives.

“…in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers…

…The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall,

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds”

This message at the end of the poem is like a wish, which Owen hopefully thought would cause the war to end. Like ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ this is another effective ending which will make the reader realise that war is wrong. Furthermore, the use of the word ‘holy’ suggests that there is some relationship to religion. There have also been more religious ideas brought up the poem using words such as ‘prayers’ and ‘choirs’. This has been used emphasise the fact that their has been no real funeral for the dead soldiers and despite that, they should still be remembered, like God does. He has also used religious aspects to give the soldiers who did not get a proper funeral their only real burial.

        The style in which the title ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ is similar to that of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ as they are both ironic. Anthems, which are usually associated with love and passion like some people would have for a country, is very deliberately used ironically. The fact that the ‘cattle’ Owen talks of, are not actually getting proper burials just outrageous mass burials shows how ludicrous he really thought the war really was.

        The way rhyming is used in both poems adds to the brilliance of it causing the poems to be even more effective. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ uses sonnet form in the first two stanzas, with caesurae.

“Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through

sludge,”

This makes the beginning sound slow and extremely painstaking for the soldiers and coincides with the text, as soldiers are suffering and distress. The same method is used in the second stanza, but in this case, to describe the death of one innocent soldier.

        The final stanza of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ flows much quicker by using enjambment on a couple of lines and a lot less punctuation (commas, full-stops etc). This use of poetry makes the final statement even more effective due to the sudden change in pace of the poem.  

        ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ is a sonnet and unlike ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ starts off with a quicker pace. Like all sonnets, this one has fourteen lines, divided up into two movements. It then draws to a slow sombre close, an effective way to accentuate Owen's point to the poem in the final few lines. This is shown in the poem by the use of enjambment in the opening lines. It then slows down by including punctuation on the end of each line and gradually adding caesuras, which in effect slows the poem down even more. This use of slowing down, again by using caesurae, makes the message behind the poem become clear, making it easier for the reader to understand. This makes it all the more effective because anyone can understand what the poem is about. The fact that this poem is a sonnet is ironic as sonnets are usually written when expressing feelings of love. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ is not about love or anything similar. It is about war, the complete opposite.

In conclusion, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ both portray the horrors of the war, but by using different styles making one more effective than the other. I believe that ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is more effective and dramatic because it shows the death of an innocent soldier, who was suffering to save others, making the poem more touching and understanding to the reader. The personal feel that Owen creates with 'Dulce et Decorum Est' by writing it in the narrative form and using a real-life encounter makes the reader empathise with the soldiers involved making it effective and also easily persuades the reader to believe that war is horrific. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ on the other hand concentrates more on the consequences of war and how the soldiers are neglected when they are dead. Even though the poem is not set in a scene from the war and not much description of killings and violence is present, it is effective due to the use of real, physical objects such as ‘rifles’ and the heavily descriptive words used to describe the action in the poem. These create a real atmosphere in the poems whilst giving a dramatic account.

Another reason why I feel ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is more effective than ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ is because the text mixed with the structure and rhyming scheme, makes the atmosphere seem authentic causing the reader to feel more emotions such as sympathy and empathy, making the poem more persuasive. This also gives the reader a vivid view of what being in the war was like and how soldiers were pointlessly dying. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ does this well with the heavily used adjectives giving a vivid view and helping to set a scene, but no way as clearly as ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ does. Also the fact that ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is in the narrative form allows the reader to visualise exactly what the conditions of the soldiers were like. In 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' Owen has deliberately distanced himself from the poem, giving a descriptive account, not a narrative, but more of an idealistic viewpoint.  

        Both poems try to give the reader an insight to war, trying to convince at every chance given to prove war is hideous but ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ doing this in a more effective way.

Document Details

• Word Count 2284
• Page Count 4
• Subject English

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Anthem for Doomed Youth

By Wilfred Owen

‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen presents an alternate view of the lost lives during World War I against nationalist propaganda.

Wilfred Owen

Nationality: English

He has been immortalized in several books and movies.

Key Poem Information

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Central Message: Glorification of soldier deaths is senseless eulogization of the atrocious war

Themes: War

Speaker: Likely Wilfred Owen himself

Emotions Evoked: Anger , Grief , Guilt , Sadness

Poetic Form: Sonnet

Time Period: 20th Century

'Anthem for Doomed Youth' by Wilfred Owen is a stirring anti-war poem that not only highlights the dehumanizing atrocities of the war but questions its senseless glorification by blind nationalists.

Poem Analyzed by Elise Dalli

B.A. Honors Degree in English and Communications

It marked a turning point in his career. Working with Siegfried Sassoon (read Sassoon’s poetry here ), Wilfred Owen produced the majority of his writing while convalescing at Craiglockhart, and the poems that he wrote there remain among the most poignant of his pieces. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ was written from September to October 1917.

Wilfred Owen wrote this poem in 1917 while recovering from shell shock or psychological trauma in Craiglockhart War Hospital after serving in the First World War as a British Soldier. After a firsthand experience of the war, Owen could see through the blind nationalism and expressed his concern over the promotion and glorification of the war.   In the Craiglockhart War Hospital, he met fellow poet Siegfried Sasson, known for his unflinching realistic portrayal of the war. Sasson influenced Owen's romantic writing style , molding it into the strong criticism found in this poem. Sasson also had a hand in naming this poem.

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Explore Anthem for Doomed Youth

• 2 Structure and Form
• 3 Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
• 4 Historical Background

Written in sonnet form, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ serves as a dual rejection: both of the brutality of war, and of religion. The first part of the poem takes place during a pitched battle, whereas the second part of the poem is far more abstract and happens outside the war, calling back to the idea of the people waiting at home to hear about their loved ones. It was Siegfried Sassoon who gave the poem the title ‘Anthem’. This poem also draws quite heavily on Wilfred Owen’s love of poetry.

The Poem Analysis Take

Expert Insights by Jyoti Chopra

B.A. (Honors) and M.A. in English Literature

In ' Anthem for Doomed Youth ' Wilfred Owen transcends the nationalistic propaganda of his times and presents the adverse impact of the war on humanity and civilization. The poem questions the glorification of the war and martyrdom; however, it doesn't devalue the soldier's sacrifices. The poem suggests personal forms of remembrance for the lost soldiers instead of appropriating their deaths for the promotion of war and nationalistic propaganda. Furthermore, it humanizes and descends the soldiers from the hero-worship to accentuate the dehumanization of the war. Remarkably, it poignantly presents the profound physical and psychological pain the soldiers and their loved ones suffer, highlighting the immense cost of the war.

Structure and Form

‘ Anthem for Doomed Youth ‘ is a sonnet, characterized by its fourteen-line structure divided into an octave (the first eight lines) and a sestet (the final six lines). This format blends elements of both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets , reflecting both the poem’s European war context and its British origins.

The poem is written in iambic pentameter , which means each line typically has five iambs (an unstressed- stressed syllable pattern). This meter gives the poem a measured, somber tone suitable for its theme of mourning and loss. There are variations, such as the hypercatalexis in the first line, which adds an extra syllable at the end of the line and conveys a sense of disruption and irregularity, mirroring the chaos of war.

Analysis, Stanza by Stanza

First stanza.

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ opens, as do many of Owen’s poems , with a note of righteous anger: what passing-bells for those who die as cattle? The use of the word ‘cattle’ in the opening line sets the tone and the mood for the rest of it – it dehumanizes the soldiers much in the same way that Owen sees the war dehumanizing the soldiers, bringing up imagery of violence and unnecessary slaughter.  Owen made no secret that he was a great critic of the war; his criticism of pro-war poets has been immortalized in poems such as Dulce et Decorum Est , and in letters where Wilfred Owen wrote home. In ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth ,’ Owen makes no secret of the fact that he believes the war is a horrific waste of human life.

The first stanza of ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ continues in the pattern of a pitched battle, as though it were being written during the Pushover the trenches. Owen notes the ‘monstrous anger’ of the guns, the ‘stuttering rifles’, and the ‘shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells’. It’s a horrible world that Owen creates in those few lines, bringing forward the idea of complete chaos and madness, of an almost animalistic loss of control – but in the same paragraph, he also points out the near-reluctance of the soldiers fighting. At this point, a great deal of the British Army had lost faith in the war as a noble cause and was only fighting out of fear of court-martial, therefore the rifles stutter their ‘hasty orisons’. Orisons are a type of prayer, which further points out Owen’s lack of faith – he believes that war has overshadowed faith, that it has taken the place of belief. As he says in another poem, ‘we only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy’.

Ironically, the use of onomatopoeia for the guns and the shells humanizes war far more than its counterparts. War seems a living being when reading this poem; much more so than the soldiers, or the mourners in the second stanza, and the words used – ‘monstrous anger’, ‘stuttering’, ‘shrill demented choirs’ – bring forward the image of war as not only human, but alive, a great monster chewing up everything in its path, including the soldiers that poured out their blood into shell holes. The quiet nature of the second stanza, and the use of softened imagery, brings out, in sharp relief, the differences between war and normal life, which has ceased to be normal at all.

Second Stanza

What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

In the second stanza, Owen moves away from the war to speak about the people who have been affected by it: the civilians who mourn their lost brothers, fathers, grandfathers, and uncles, the ones who wait for them to come home and wind up disappointed and miserable when they don’t. The acute loss of life that Owen witnessed in the war is made all the more poignant and heartbreaking in the second stanza, which, compared to the first, seems almost unnaturally still. He speaks about the futility of mourning the dead who have been lost so carelessly, and by making the mourners youthful, he draws further attention to the youthfulness of the soldiers themselves. Note the clever use of words like pallor most often associated with death or dying.

Owen also frames this second stanza in the dusk. This is to signify the end, which of course for many of the soldiers it was their end. The second stanza is also considerably shorter than the first. It contains only six lines compared to the first which contains nine. The meter is far more even in the second stanza as well. This is only subtly different but the net effect is while the first stanza creates a frenetic, disjointed feel the second is more reflective of a solemnity.

The final line – ‘ And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds ‘ – highlights the inevitability and the quiet of the second stanza, the almost pattern-like manner of mourning that has now become a way of life. It normalizes the funeral and hints at the idea that this is not the first, second, nor last time that such mourning will be carried out.

Throughout ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ there are heavy allusions to a great variety of writers.

• Lines 6 to 7 reference the poem ‘ To Autumn ‘, by John Keats (read more of Keats’ poems )
• Lines 10-11 reference ‘ The Wanderings of Oisin ‘, a poem by William Butler Yeats (read more Yeats’ poetry )
• Lines 10-13 also references ‘ A New Heaven ‘, a poem by Wilfred Owen himself.

Historical Background

Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was born at Plas Wilmont on the 18 th of March, 1893. He remains one of the leading poets of the First World War, despite most of his works being published posthumously. He was a second lieutenant in the Manchester regiment, though shortly after, he fell into a shell hole and was blown sky-high by a trench mortar, spending several days next to the remains of a fellow officer. Soon afterward, he was diagnosed as suffering from neurasthenia and was sent to Craiglockhart, where he met Siegfried Sassoon. This was the point where Owen began to work on his poetry .

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20th century, world war one (wwi).

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The only way I could’ve passed my exams were using this website, Thank you!! Btw my friend recommended it to me!!

That’s excellent. I’m glad you have found the site useful. How did you get on in your exams? Is there anything we can do to make the site even better?

I tried finding an analysis in various websites when my brother told me about this. This website is truly wonderful and thank you for your help Elise.

Your brother is a man of taste! Glad you found us useful – tell your friends!

good analysis.

Thanks, Bob.

I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis, it gives great insight into Wilfred Owen and his works as well as common poetry of the time.

Great work !

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Dalli, Elise. "Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/wilfred-owen/anthem-for-doomed-youth/ . Accessed 19 August 2024.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Dulce Et Decorum Est — Dulce et Decorum Est and Anthem For Doomed Youth: Youth and War

Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth: Youth and War

• Categories: Dulce Et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen

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Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 890 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

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Dulce et Decorum Est Summary & Analysis by Wilfred Owen

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

"Dulce et Decorum Est" is a poem by the English poet Wilfred Owen. Like most of Owen's work, it was written between August 1917 and September 1918, while he was fighting in World War 1. Owen is known for his wrenching descriptions of suffering in war. In "Dulce et Decorum Est," he illustrates the brutal everyday struggle of a company of soldiers, focuses on the story of one soldier's agonizing death, and discusses the trauma that this event left behind. He uses a quotation from the Roman poet Horace to highlight the difference between the glorious image of war (spread by those not actually fighting in it) and war's horrifying reality.

• Read the full text of “Dulce et Decorum Est”

The Full Text of “Dulce et Decorum Est”

1 Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

2 Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

3 Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

4 And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

5 Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

6 But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

7 Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

8 Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

9 Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling

10 Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

11 But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

12 And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—

13 Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

14 As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

15 In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

16 He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

17 If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

18 Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

19 And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

20 His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

21 If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

22 Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

23 Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

24 Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—

25 My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

26 To children ardent for some desperate glory,

27 The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

28 Pro patria mori .

“Dulce et Decorum Est” Summary

“dulce et decorum est” themes.

The Horror and Trauma of War

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

The Enduring Myth that War is Glorious

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “dulce et decorum est”.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

Lines 11-14

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

Lines 15-16

In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

Lines 17-20

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

Lines 21-24

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—

Lines 25-28

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori .

“Dulce et Decorum Est” Symbols

The Dying Soldier

• See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“Dulce et Decorum Est” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“Dulce et Decorum Est” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Knock-kneed
• Haunting flares
• Flound'ring
• Froth-corrupted
• See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Rhyme scheme, “dulce et decorum est” speaker, “dulce et decorum est” setting, literary and historical context of “dulce et decorum est”, more “dulce et decorum est” resources, external resources.

Biography of Wilfred Owen — A detailed biographical sketch of Wilfred Owen's life, including analysis of his work.

An Overview of Chemical Warfare — A concise historical account of the development of chemical weapons, with detailed descriptions of the poison gases used in WWI.

Listen to "Dulce et Decorum Est" — A recording of "Dulce et Decorum Est," provided by the Poetry Foundation.

Representing the Great War — The Norton Anthology's overview of literary representation of World War I, with accompanying texts. This includes two of Jessie Pope's patriotic poems, as well as poems by Siegfried Sassoon and others and various contemporary illustrations. It also suggests many additional resources for exploration.

Horace, Ode 3.2 — One translation of the Horace ode that the lines "Dulce et Decorum Est" originally appear in. 

Digital Archive of Owen's Life and Work — An archive of scanned documents from Owen's life and work, including his letters, as well as several handwritten drafts of "Dulce et Decorum Est" and other poems.

The White Feather — A brief personal essay about the treatment of conscientious objectors in WWI-era Britain.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Wilfred Owen

Anthem for Doomed Youth

Mental Cases

Spring Offensive

Strange Meeting

The Next War

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Wilfred Owen: Poems

Youth and war in dulce et decorum est and anthem for doomed youth anonymous 11th grade.

Wilfred Owen incorporates many techniques in his poems to present his didactic views to the reader. In this case Owen attempts to teach the reader about the struggles of the youth affected by World War One allowing his concern for the youth to be developed in conjunction. By the manipulation of language techniques in 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Anthem For Doomed Youth' Owen allows his concern for the youth to be developed.

In 'Dulce et Decorum Est' Owen shows the social impact of the World War on the young men. Owen establishes this idea by describing the 'innocent tongues' of the war. By introducing this idea an atmosphere of global inclusion is established. This is achieved by the use of the plural noun 'tongues' which as a pun establishes the language variety in the war and by this referring to how the war is of global impact, affecting many nations. This is key as it represents the position of the youth. Also, the youth is established as the 'innocent' creating an idea of purity, relating to the idea that these young men have never experienced war and its consequences. Using this language describing the inclusion and innocence of the men Owen's concern for all youths serving in World War One can be established.

Furthermore,...

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Dulce Et Decorum Est And Anthem For Doomed Youth Analysis Essay Example

• Pages: 4 (844 words)
• Published: January 20, 2017
• Type: Literature Analysis

For EACH of your texts, analyse techniques that made you feel strongly about a main theme or issue. The two poems, Dulce et Decorum Est, and Anthem for Doomed Youth are both written by Wilfred Owen. Owen’s main idea was to expose the true horrors of war and to challenge the romanticised view of war that poets such as Rupert Brooke held. To achieve this, Owen used familiar imagery techniques of similes and assonance, and sound devices such as onomatopoeia and alliteration. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ aims to give a clear reference to the audience, a glimpse of the awful realities of life and death in the trenches.

Wilfred Owen helps us visualise the terrible conditions the soldiers are living in. While Owen creates a terrible, visual image of trench warfare in the reader’s mind,

he also makes us feel pity for these soldiers. This in turn encourages us to feel strongly against war when Owen says, “Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle. ” The onomatopoeia of the clattering guns, the alliteration of ‘r’ and assonance of “rapid rattle” all help create an aural image in the reader’s mind of the constant gunfire.

The short, sharp words selected also indicate the huge danger these soldiers are faced with in the trenches, as these words almost sound like a gun being fired. These vivid descriptions make you view that war is immoral and wasteful. No one should have to live in such appalling and treacherous conditions. The soldiers featured in ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ are never properly honoured or buried even if they die in battle. The rhetorical question “What candles made

be held to speed them all? ” asks us to consider the manner of the soldiers deaths and the farewell they receive.

Owen goes on to write “…in their eyes / Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. ”, answering the previous question and showing that there are no candles on the battlefields, only the tears in the living soldiers’ eyes. The sad eyes are lit by the gunfire that caused their comrade’s death. The alliteration and assonance really makes the line more memorable. They also encourage us to think more deeply about the realities of death in a war, and sympathise with those fallen men (and/or their families? ) whose lives have been wasted.

It also conveys the universality of death, just as night follows day, so too do everyone’s lives end. However, Owen highlights the early nature of these deaths and how wasteful war is. He successfully persuades the reader that there are no positive aspects to war. Another of Owen’s war poems, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, has a similar message to ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’. Not only does Owen aim to convince the reader that war is wrong, but also to discourage future generations from going to war. Owen effectively changes the position of the reader to achieve his purpose.

The simile, “like old beggars” and “coughing like hags” help us imagine the physical effect war has on the soldiers. These proud, young men are reduced to insignificant, desperate old men, unrecognisable from who they once were. The simile makes the reader believe that war is immoral and devastating and the quality words used to describe war to those

who want to join the war are good reasons to why you should not join war. Owen also uses an extended metaphor in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ of a candle flame dying.

It effectively compares the death of a soldier to a candle flame going out when Owen says that, “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. ” Owen uses very vivid diction to describe the end of their life. It is very personal as Owen describes the dying soldier falling towards him. This line coupled with “Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light as under a green sea, I saw him drowning”, could also be viewed as an extended metaphor of a diving expedition that has gone wrong.

The soldier’s panic at being unable to breathe is clearly conveyed and it also appeals to our emotions. This is because breathing is an automatic reaction that we take for granted. All people can understand the soldier’s terror and sympathise the dreadful situation he is exposed to. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is a particularly successful poem at conveying Owen’s message that war is wasteful and wrong through appealing to both the readers thoughts and emotions.

In the two poems, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and Dulce Decorum Est, the poet Wilfred Owen’s main purpose was to expose the truth about war. Owen did this by using familiar imagery such as; similes, assonance and sound devices: onomatopoeia, alliteration. He also shows how badly the soldiers were treated on the battlefield and makes us express our grief at how lonely their senseless deaths were. These two ideas of the two poems, linked into his

main purpose of showing us that war was not a great, heroic thing, rather something that was immoral and devastating for many innocent lives.

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Wilfred Owens Poems “Dulce ET Decorum EST” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth”

Wilfred Owens  poetry was different to that of some other types of war poets of his time because he was courageous enough to make his attacks on the government and the significant loss of life. His Ideas and techniques are presented throughout the two poems “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth”.

Owen explores the truths of war in these poems through themes such as; war as the horrific and savage scene it is, the disparity between reality of the battlefield and the perception of what war is at home.

Owen shows the devastation of war on the human being and soul, not only the physical but the mental effects of war. The soldiers are influenced by government propaganda, they are told’ to die for their country the betrayal, conspiracy and devastating loss of innocent youth. Owen is able to portray these truths through his powerful poetry. Throughout his poems he uses allusions, guttural consonants, onomatopoeia and other techniques to create powerful messages that war is, to quote Owen himself, “to hell and back”.

Dulce et Decorum Est brings the realisation that war is not as it is portrayed to the public, but the allusion that the government gives to the country. This is shown through the title “Dulce et Decorum Est”. This title means that it is ‘sweet and honorable to die for ones country this allusion throughout the poem shows through irony and sarcasm that it is the ‘The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.

Proficient in: Dulce Et Decorum Est

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

This shows how war is everything but sweet and honorable it is about the death and horror brought into people’s lives. War equals death. The description of the soldier drowning in the blood of his froth corrupted lungs certainly negates this.

Owen shows the unknown fact that men are dying for their country in a horrible way. Owen is hiding it in another language, just as the government was hiding the truth from their country, letting people kill themselves. This is very different to the poets during Owens time, as he was not glorifying war, but exposing the devastating affect war had on humankind. This is used in conjunction with the disparity between war on the battlefront and the corruption of the perception of a courageous and glorious place to be.

In the poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, Owen illustrates his theme of the devastating loss of youth. The title to brings to mind the hope of a song of praise, but Owen uses this to his advantage. He emphasises his theme through the words “Anthem”, “Doomed” & “Youth” in the title of the poem are juxtaposed to highlight the brutality & reality of war. The word “Youth” normally brings to mind happiness and joy.

Owen places “Youth” next to the word “Doomed” which illustrates to the audience the stress and hopelessness of the youth during war. The word “Anthem” usually associates with a patriotic song or song of praise, Owen draws to mind the fact that these boys have nothing to sing about during the chaos of war. Owen effects the thoughts and feelings of people that have not experienced war for what it is, the major loss of innocent lives. Owen shows the significance of his poetry through the title, giving the audience a sense of feeling for the poem.

Owen uses visual representations in Dulce to show the mental and physical effects on the soldiers going through the punishment of war and how this changes the young soldiers. The harshness of the simile “bent double like old beggars” illustrates how the soldiers look, showing them as crestfallen and disheartened, “bent”. This is not how soldiers are normally depicted they should have their heads held high and marching tall.

Owen shows how the young men of war have now become old beggars they have aged and are begging for their lives; lives that may be taken away from them at any time. This along with “an ecstasy of fumbling” shows the urgent need for the salvation of one’s life. The ecstasy of fumbling to put on their gas masks shows the audience how the soldiers have been forced into the bent and begging state to save their lives. The soldiers are beyond exhaustion, they have to find the energy to put on their gas mask or they will face death. The innocence of youth has been lost. Some have lost their lives; others have lost their mental state.

Owen also shows the mental effects on the young soldiers as they are killed and thrown away to die through the poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth”. Owens main theme is the fact that the young soldiers do not get the proper funeral they deserve. The opening line “What passing bells for those who die as cattle?” the use of this rhetorical question illustrates numbers of soldiers massacred as if they were cattle, shredding the blood of youth, their pain, and death in large numbers. Owen uses onomatopoeia and personification in the bombs to represent the harshness of the battlefield, as the soldiers had to endure the sounds of “wailing shells” as they brutally diminish the soldiers mind.

Owen compares the funeral at home compared to the funeral on the battlefield. The “holy glimmers” interpreted as tears, in the eyes of the soldiers, and funeral bells are replaced with the sounds of weapons firing. Owen shows that during war soldiers deaths are seen to be insignificant. Owen shows the insignificance of human life and the mental horrors as young men are brought to tears, the devastation of war and the savage mean to kill people.

The use of Guttural consonants throughout Owens poem Dulce et Decorum Est are shown through words such as “guttering, choking, drowning” the use of “t” “k” and “d” emphasise the harshness of war. These words describe how a young soldier is dies in war; there is nothing smooth and flowing about the death of a soldier. It tells of the death of a young soldier just because he wasn’t quick enough to put on his gas mask. The harsh sound when these words are spoken help set the theme of a pointless death in war.

This coupled with the present participle, “…ing” make the poem powerful to the reader showing that the scene is not in the past, it’s happening now, putting the reader at the scene of the horror and illustrates the urgency and death of the battlefield. Owen used this to convey his message to the home front, to show the effects of war through the harshness of his language, depicted with the loss of innocent life within our society.

Owen uses onomatopoeia in Anthem through “stuttering rifles rapid rattle” this line demonstrates the continuing slaughter of men. The use of the word ‘rapid’ infers not only the speed of the guns but the speed of which lives are being taken away. The use of onomatopoeia is also used in conjunction with alliteration in the “rifles rapid rattle”. This line depicts the sound of the guns. Also how the line not easily orated, and this implies that it is a hard time, a time of disparity.

The sounds of guns fire also replaces the grieving people you would normally find when a death occurs. Owen significantly changes the audience’s opinion of the war showing that there is no time to grieve when people are dying quicker than a gun can fire. Through the use of harsh consonants in his language, Owen conveys his message of hardship for soldiers during war, the loss of innocent lives, the reality of the battlefield and the horror and savagery of war.

In conclusion Wilfred Owen uses many complex themes that show the world the significant horrors of war, major losses of war and the disparity of the battlefield and the effects of war at home. Throughout “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth” Owen has shown several techniques to justify his arguments to the audience and what has just been illustrated to you. Based on the crux of the arguments presented, I trust that Wilfred Owen will be included into the War Poet’s Hall of Fame.

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Comparing the poems Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth

A poem versus Doomed Youth A comparison of Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem comments on the use of poet language and poetry techniques and shows his success in communicating information. "Comparative Poem" Estimated that Duru's "etiquette" and "national anthem has been used for young people", the use of the poet's words and poetry techniques suggests how he succeeded in his message doing. Plug etiquette predicts "The national anthem is for young people" and the use of the poet's word and poetry technique indicates that he is commenting on how successful the message was There.

Dulce et Decorum Est and Anthem compare young people who are destined to fail When I was looking to compare two poems, I looked at these two poems, and how Wifred Owen used the language I understood. Warn of future generations' fear. War Wilfred Owen took part in the First World War. To protect the UK, most young people are recruiting him. But in the trenches, he understood how bad the war was and started to record the situation.

In this article I decided to analyze the two writings of his writings in World War I and the poem Wilfred Owen, a war poet taken from a poem by Jesse Pope. Wilfred Owen's poems ("Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Doom for Doomed Youth") both depict the painful feelings of Owen's war, but the way they are different. On the other hand, the Pope's poem ("Who is the game?") Stood up supporting the war. Poetry is fundamentally different in terms of themes, so it is natural that rhymes and languages ​​used are completely different.

Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" analysis is based on Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" poem. Owens' war poetry is passionate about the resentment of fear of war and the regret of the dead young soldiers. It is "Dulce et Decorum Est", which provides a very dramatic and memorable account of the psychological and physical fear brought about by war. From the first quarter, Owen uses strong metaphor and similarity to convey a strong warning. The first line explains the army as "an old beggar".