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Dulce Et Decorum Est, By Wilfred Owen

Decent Essays

Owen's war poetry is a passionate expression of outrage at the horrors of war and of pity for the young soldiers sacrificed in it. It is dramatic and memorable, whether describing physical horror, such as in‘ Dulce et Decorum Est’ or the unseen, mental torment such as in‘ Disabled’. His diverse use of instantly understandable imagery and technique is what makes him the most memorable of the war poets. His poetry evokes more from us than simple disgust and sympathy; issues previously unconsidered are brought to our attention. One of Owen’s talents is to convey his complex messages very proficiently. In‘ Dulce et Decorum Est’–‘ If in some smothering dreams you too could pace / Behind the wagon that we flung him in’ the horror of witnessing …show more content…

The moment when‘ the women’s eyes / Passed from him to the strong men’ is wonderfully picked out by Owen, the women’s embarrassment at staring, and the man’s misery at no longer being seen as a valid person. Though sleep is relief from his tortuous life in‘ Disabled’, sleep becomes a hell for many of the poems. In‘ Dulce et Decorum Est’–‘ In all my dreams . . . He plunges at me’ and in‘ The Sentry’ the persistent memories–‘ I try not to remember these things now’.

The detail in Owen’s poetry puts forward his scenes horrifically and memorably. His poems are suffused with the horror of battle, yet finely structured and innovative.‘ His bleeding cough’– a scene unimaginable by us, something only a true witness would see and‘ puckering foreheads crisp’– more than frozen to death, Owen acutely describes the impact on the skin and face. The scene witnessed by Owen is so detailed we feel familiar to it ourselves. As with the unseen scars, Owen delves beneath the surface of cover ups and expectations. As in‘ Disabled’ and‘ S.I.W.’, the full horror behind these unemotional terms is described.

The particular techniques adopted by Owen in his poetry underline his messages. His use of speech and present tense give his poems urgency and directness. All the senses are utilised by Owen, a constant input of sound, smell, touch as well as sight increase the dimensions of his images and overwhelm us as he must have been. Owen's

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