Research Paper On Dulce Et Decorum Est

War is a subject that is deeply imbedded in the culture of the United States; this country was founded because of it. The Americans that fight in war are often referred to as heroes and held at a higher social standard than regular civilians. But Chris Hedges has a bleaker view of war and veterans. In his article “War Is Betrayal,” he explains how war is just another way for the elite to prey on the poor and gullible. He argues that rich and powerful do not go into combat, but instead they create an enticing narrative, of honor, experience, and status, that lures weak onto the battlefield. These same people after return from war with mental health problems. While Hedges includes some appeal to credibility in his article, he mainly employs emotional appeals to make his claim.

Americans every year celebrate holidays, such as the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Memorial Day, dedicated to America and every day raise the country’s flag outside. Although patriotism can be very simple, there are many deeper and life sacrificing ways Americans show their love. According to “American War Deaths Through History”, there has been around 650,000 people in American history who have died in battle and about 1.2 million people have died during service in war time- which includes medics, civilians, and workers contributing to the war efforts. All of these people have completely different backgrounds, but they all share one thing in common: their love for their country and what they would do to better it in any way. A prime example of how strong patriotism can be is from The Speech to the Virginia Convention.

Pope regarded war as an enjoyable and exciting experience, and implied that “com[ing] back with a crutch” was more desirable than returning unscathed and “be[ing] out of the fun”. Pope encourages injury as evidence of soldiers’ bravery- as some sort of souvenir. Danger is described as a “game”- boldly comparing the terrors of war to a “show”, and encouraging the reader not to “take a seat in the stand”. On the contrary, Wilfred Owen, who served in the war and suffered from PTSD, wrote ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ in anguish and agony.

Prior to the Civil War, combat on the battlefield was portrayed as glorious and as something that molded heroic figures for the future to praise and behold. Back then, some Americans believed that going into war would instantly make them into heroes and was the best way to pay tribute to your country. However, after the Civil War, the perspective of war was redefined among many Americans. Many stories of warfare show the way some Americans viewed the idea of war. In the following texts: The Red Badge of Courage, Across Five Aprils, Civil War Journal, and the Sullivan Ballou Letter, many Americans had to deal with the pain of war and were faced with the cold reality that changed America forever.

I am currently writing this paper after a five-hour-long trip down to Myrtle Beach, currently sitting on a pillow because the stool is small and uncomfortable, and currently leaning forward over my laptop pressing against the sharpest edge of a counter I have ever seen. This is not the most optimal place or position to be writing a discussion post, but it’s Thanksgiving at the beach, and it’s not as bad as what America was going through before and during World War II, so it’s forgiven. The war was a horrible one, many were killed, many were murdered, but the American home front was an unwavering force of courage, respect and discipline.

“ Gas! Gas! Quick boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;” - Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum est”

World War One World War I began in 1914 and lasted until 1918, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Wilfred Owen was one of the young men who decided to enlist, choosing to fight the fight for England. Through his experience on the battlefield he wrote the poem Dulce et Decorum Est, as a piece to show people that there is no glory in war; only destruction, decay, and death. Despite the poem appearing to have a simple structure, it is revealed to be much more complex. Dulce et Decorum Est appears to follow the iambic pentameter poem construction style, but that is ultimately not the case. An iambic pentameter style poem should have the set up where there are ten syllables or five feet in each line, with a stressed and then relaxed word interplay. This poem does not strictly follow this template. It appears Owen is pretending to follow a normal poem style, only to become erratic, displaying the destruction of war. The careful construction of the poem through perspective changes, random

Poetry composers evoke ideas of truth to help individuals and readers understand their ideas that have been portrayed through their work. Wilfred Owen was a war poet who served in world war one. In Owens poems of “Dulce Et Decourm Est” and “Anthem for Doomed youth”. Both poems explore the ideas of meaningless sacrifice and suffering as wells as the horrors of war. Owen used many poetic techniques to help him convey his ideas of war.

‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Soldier’ are two poems that talk about war, specifically World War One. Although both poems have the same topic, the message given are vastly different from each other. Whilst Wilfred Owen emphasises the horrors of war and the severe conditions soldiers were in, in Dulce et Decorum Est, Rupert Brooke glorifies the war and expresses that it is honourable to die for your country. Brooke’s poem is designed to reassure young men that it is noble to die for one’s country whereas Owen’s poem asserts the unpleasant realities of the war.

“Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poetic piece of art, written by Wilfred Owen. This poem utilizes imagery to capture war horrors seen through the soldier’s eyes. Owen ushers the reader into the poem with a title “Dulce et Decorum Est” whose translation is “it’s sweet and proper”. The author uses this title to communicate to the reader of the joy of serving ones country.

Are soldiers being honored enough for voluntarily risking their lives for this country? Most engagements of war that soldiers go through in combat go unnoticed. For example, Wilfred Owen’s poetry includes numerous examples about the extreme terrors of war. The distress of warfare during World War I is a central theme that is included in much of Wilfred Owen’s poetry. Owen enlisted in the Artists’ Rifle Group during World War I and was unfortunately wounded in 1917. Due to his injury, Owen was diagnosed with shell shock, which explains his abrupt thoughts of war during this time. Sadly, Owen was gunned down in 1918 while attempting to lead his men in combat like the true hero he was (“Wilfred”). In the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the speaker

Poetry as expressed by the Encyclopaedia Britannica is “literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm.” Poetry has a large impact on modern society as it can relate to current issues in the world and expose the truth of these problems, by conveying messages that no other form of literature can. Wilfred Owen uses this in his poem Dulce Et Decorum Est, through the use of different values, ideas, attitudes and various poetic techniques to protest against the mentality that perpetuates war.

Today, Americans still have great difficulty viewing their actions being wrong. They do not want to see their nation as vulnerable to the same moral failings as others, so they reject it (Alperovitz, 8). War also creates the mindset where unacceptable actions are viewed as the right thing to do. It is very possible that the American’s truly believed their actions were the proper way of handling the situation.

During World War I, people were told that going to war and dying for your country is something you should be proud of. However, is it really something that makes a person proud? In the poems “Base Details” and “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen have written what war is like from their experiences in World War I, something completely different from what a person would find proud.

In Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” the speaker’s argument against whether there is true honor in dieing for ones country in World War I contradicts the old Latin saying, Dulce et Decorum Est, which translated means, “it is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland”; which is exemplified through Owen’s use of title, diction, metaphor and simile, imagery, and structure throughout the entirety of the poem.