Analysis of Dulce et Decorum Est
Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem written by Wilfred Owen. The poem principally talks about the sufferings that soldiers have to go through. Throughout the poem, Owen uses many different techniques to give a strange and intriguing image to those soldiers. These techniques and images can be particularly found in stanza one and shall be analysed throughout the essay.
The poem starts off vividly, with the use of alliteration with the b sound; “Bent double,”. The purpose of inserting this technique is to portray the soldiers as being weak and tired, portrayed by the ‘bent’. This technique has been used at this stage of the poem to hint to the readers what the poem is mostly going to revolve around. This idea of tired soldiers is sustained through the second part of the opening line, with this time the technique of simile used to achieve the required outcome; “, like old beggars under sacks.”. The soldiers are compared to beggars, which gives the idea of tiredness, weakness but also of sufferings. It must be noted that between the two techniques lays a coma. This may have been purposefully, inserted by Owen to emphasis on the second technique, and therefore for the reader to capture a clear picture of the imagery comparison employed. The second line, similarly to the first, starts with alliteration; “Knock-kneed”. The purpose is the same; to give a tired and exhausted image to those soldiers. This is quite enthralling since the readers have a stereotypical cliché of soldiers as strong, brave and proud. Moreover Owen continues to break this cliché with a simile; “coughing like hags,”. As it can be seen, the poet continues to compare the soldiers to elderlies, and thus depicting their fatigue. Their sufferings described from the first line can be seen from the second line as well; “we cursed through sludge.”. This is equally a form of onomatopoeia, and the sound produced gives the reader a very vivid image of the...