Dulce Et Decorum Est
The poem is one of the most powerful ways to convey an idea or opinion.
Through
vivid imagery and compelling metaphors, the poem gives the reader the
exact
feeling the author wanted. The poem "Dulce et Decorum Est,"
an
anti-war poem by Wilfred Owen, makes great use of these devices. This poem
is
very effective because of its excellent manipulation of the mechanical
and
emotional parts of poetry. Owen's use of exact diction and vivid
figurative
language emphasizes his point, showing that war is terrible and
devastating.
Furthermore, the utilization of extremely graphic imagery
adds even more to his
argument. Through the effective use of all three of
these tools, this poem
conveys a strong meaning and persuasive argument. The
poem's use of excellent
diction helps to more clearly define what the author
is saying. Words like
"guttering", "choking", and "drowning" not only
show
how the man is suffering, but that he is in terrible pain that no human
being
should endure. Other words like writhing and froth-corrupted say
precisely
how the man is being tormented. Moreover, the phrase "blood
shod"
shows how the troops have been on their feet for days, never resting.
Also, the
fact that the gassed man was "flung" into the wagon reveals
the
urgency and occupation with fighting. The only thing they can do is toss
him
into a wagon. The fact one word can add to the meaning so much shows how
the
diction of this poem adds greatly to its effectiveness. Likewise, the use
of
figurative language in this poem also helps to emphasize the points that
are
being made. As Perrine says, people use metaphors because they say
"...what
we want to say more vividly and forcefully..." Owen capitalizes
greatly on
this by using strong metaphors and similes. Right off in the first
line, he
describes the troops as being "like old beggars under sacks." This
not
only says that they are tired, but that they are so tired they have been
brought
down to the level of beggars who have not slept in a bed for weeks on
end. Owen
also compares the victim's face to the devil, seeming corrupted and
baneful. A
metaphor even more effective is one that compares "...vile,
incurable
sores..." with the memories of the troops. It not only tells the
reader how
the troops will never forget the experience, but also how they are
frightening
tales, ones that will the troops will never be able to tell
without remembering
the extremely painful experience. These comparisons
illustrate the point so
vividly that they increase the effectiveness of the
poem. The most important
means of developing the effectiveness of the poem is
the graphic imagery. They
evoke such emotions so as to cause people to become
sick. The images can draw
such pictures that no other poetic means can, such
as in line twenty-two:
"Come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs." This
can be disturbing
to think about. It shows troops being brutally slaughtered
very vividly, evoking
images in the reader's mind. In the beginning of the
poem the troops were
portrayed as "drunk with fatigue." With this you can
almost imagine
large numbers of people dragging their boots through the mud,
tripping over
their own shadow. Later in the poem when the gas was dropped,
it painted a
psychological image that would disturb the mind. The troops were
torn out of
their nightmarish walk and surrounded by gas bombs. How everyone,
in "an
ecstasy of fumbling" was forced to run out into the mist, unaware of
their
fate. Anyone wanting to fight in a war would become nervous at the
image of
himself running out into a blood bath. The graphic images displayed
here are
profoundly affecting and can never be forgotten. The poem ties it
all together
in the last few lines. In Latin, the phrase "Dulce et decorum
est pro
partria mori" means: "It is sweet and becoming to die for
one's
country." Owen calls this a lie by using good diction, vivid
comparisons,
and graphic images to have the reader feel disgusted at what war
is capable of.
This poem is extremely effective as an anti-war poem,
making war seem absolutely
horrid and revolting, just as the author wanted it
to.