Comparing the Attitudes Demonstrated between Pre-War and...

Comparing the Attitudes Demonstrated between Pre-War and at War with Brookes Poem The Soldier and Owens Poem Dulce et Decorum est Dulce et Decorum Est was written at war in 1917 by an English poet and World War I soldier Wilfred Owen. Dulce et decorum est is written in a very bitter manner, by a man who had very strong anti-war sentiments. The 27-line poem, written loosely in iambic pentameter is told from the eyes of Wilfred Owen. The opening line of this poem contains two similes which compares the soldiers to beggars and hags ‘bent double, like old beggars under sacks’, ‘coughing like hags.’ This is not how we would portray young, fit, soldiers, but the fact of the matter is that they are no†¦show more content†¦Owen uses the word boys which reminds us of their youth, but having already described them as aged and disabled we come to the fact that their youth was stolen, and we are also confronted with the concept that they are innocent victims within the war. â€Å"But someone still was yelling out and stumbling† this is the line where Owen begins his vivid description of a gas attack death. It is introducing us to the situation this soldier is in from a third person view. The next line; â€Å"And flound’ring like a man in fire of lime† describes the helplessness of this poor soldier who is about to die. The image of the man guttering, choking, drown ing permeates Owen’s thoughts and dreams, forcing him to live this grotesque nightmare over and over again. The word ‘Dim’ in the next line has a lot of significance and meaning. Firstly it describes the scene, the light, giving it an eerie and gloomy feel, one with little hope. Secondly, it describes the chances this soldier has, having shown us that war can be left up to chance, Owen is describing the chances this boy now has for survival. ‘I saw him drowning’, shows that Owen directly refers to himself. This is to personify the entire poem, to make it much more real to the reader. It is showing us that all the horrors Owen has described are