The poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est,” was written by Wilfred Owen in 1917, during World War I. He was killed on 4 November 1918 during the battle to cross the Sambre-Oise canal at Ors.
Several lines, if not the whole poem, can be paraphrased quite easily. In essence, the narrator is suggesting that had anyone experienced the same horrors as he had, they would not glorify war. Lines 1 and 2 can be paraphrased as, “We were doubled over from pain and the inability to move; we were sick, coughing continuously, and swore while trudging through mud and muck. (Owen 633). The persona is one who actually served in World War I. He may be American or British. It is of no matter. All who served faced the same dangers and horrors. The narrator, not without cause, is bitter. He is traumatized. He is “shell-shocked,” and broken. He is telling his story to educate those who may come to believe in the “glory” of war. The reader does not gain a sense of patriotism from the story teller.
The tone of the persona is one of bitterness, regret, anger and woe. He is angry and woeful regarding the treatment of soldiers, from both sides, especially when recalling the atrocities that befell his fellow soldiers. One example is Owen’s use of the word “flung.” (Owen 624, Line 18). To have “flung” a fellow human onto a wagon is inhumane, to say the least. This expresses the persona’s regret at how fallen soldiers were treated. The narrator is traumatized, too, by witnessing, “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning” (Owen 633, Line 16).
There are most definitely negative connotation employed by Owen within his poem. For instance the words, “obscene, cancer, bitter, vile, and incurable,” all possess a negative connotation. That being said, the entire poem exhibits negative connotation.
Owen’s imagery is evident throughout the poem. He speaks of ”fire or lime” (Line 12), “ and thick green light” (Line 13), and “As under a green sea” (Line 14)), and “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” (Line 20).
There are two obvious figures of speech that Owen employs. The first is Line 5, “Men marched asleep.” This is not literal. Obviously-men cannot march while asleep. Owen uses this line to describe the real exhaustion of the soldiers. The next figure of speech Owen employs is, “Drunk with fatigue;” (Line 7). Again, he is attempting to convey the possible disorientation and confusion associated with extreme weakness and fatigue. The soldiers are not “drunk” from alcohol, but are not able to function on a normal level (Owen 633).
Owen’s most evident use of symbolism is “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;” (Line 20). He speaks of “sick of sin,” as if the devil, himself, is disgusted with the atrocities that described. (634).
Owen’s theme, or statement, is that if those addressed might have witnessed the abominations and atrocities of that conflict, they might not be so eager to glorify war. The irony of the poem are in the last three lines. “To children ardent for some desperate glory, / The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori. (Line 26-28). Translated: “It is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country.” Owen, however, observed that there was nothing “sweet” or “honorable” about that war.
Works Cited
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce et Decorum Est.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 10th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2014. 693. Print.
Owen’s theme, or statement, is that if the person or persons he is addressing could have witnessed the abominations of the war he experienced, those persons would not glorify going to war. The irony of the poem are in the last three lines. “To children ardent for some desperate glory, /
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est /
Pro patria mori.
The words of “The old Lie” are worth researching. They bring the theme of the poem to a better understanding, “It is sweet an honorable to die for your country.”
