Horror of War in Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay

Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

This poem deals with an experience of a soldier during an attack in World War One.

The theme of the poem is the horror of war. This runs predominantly through the poem and is one of the main contributing aspects to the feeling given to the reader. Lines such as "Gas! Gas! Quick boys" shows the horror of World War One. Another line such as "Behind the wagon that we flung him in" portrays the horrible treatment to the dead during the climax of war. All these factors and similar ones contribute to the theme The Horror of War. The poet really captures the reader with his brilliant theme when he writes, "Under a sea of green, I saw him drowning". This is yet another horrific thought, although a captivating one.

The poem is in four stanzas and four corresponding sections. The first deals with the extreme conditions of the exhausted soldiers and is couched in exaggerated terms. "All went lame: all blind" indicating the strength of Owens feelings rather than the misery of the men. These horrific images really take away from the glory of war. The second stanza deals with a gas attack and the cruel death of a soldier, literally drowning in his own blood, unable to get his gas mask on in time. The third stanza, consisting of only two lines, emphasises the personal reaction of the poet to these circumstances-it indicates a nightmare from his experiences. His nightmare shows his guilt due to his inability to help his comrade, "before my helpless sight". In the fourth stanza the poet is asking the poetess to consider the futility of war by writing "The Old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori ".

The mood of the poem is sadness. Sadness is too weak a word to describe the poem but is still the general emotion that comes to heart. The thoughts of WW1 and the horrors of trench warfare come into mind when reading "Dulce et Decorum Est" . The fact that this poet has experienced the war at first hand really makes you think how real this poem is. The reality comes to mind of a lifeless body being flung in a wagon; the fact that this man has nightmares about a death he witnessed contributes to the theme and mood alike. Flashbacks were a huge problem for ex-service men and really shows that the poet is dealing with the sad aspects of war, before and after.

The horrible descriptions of post-war effects are disturbing. Take these few lines and realise the non-glorious side to war: "And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin: 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".

These lines are like having your heart ripped out of you as punishment for all the things you take for granted. This poem really shows what men in history have sacrificed to enable us to live the way we do. Phrases such as "the froth corrupted lungs" really makes you think youre lucky youre able to breathe, let alone do anything else.

This poem to me represents the fragility of life, basically how feeble we are. Every single word written on these pages and in Dulce Est Decorum Est shows how war is a horrific thing.