Poetry: -Dulce et decorum est- by Wilfred Owen

Poetry - 1st ww.

Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest(3) began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots(4)
Of tired, outstripped(5) Five-Nines(6) that dropped behind.
Gas!(7) Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets(8) just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime(9) . . .
Dim, through the misty panes(10) and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,(11) choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud(12)
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest(13)
To children ardent(14) for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.(15)

1) What words are used to create a certain tone or atmosphere?

Old beggars - Very bad looking, old

Blood shot - Mentally and physically affected.

Drunk with fatigue - Very, very, very tired..

Shocking, drowning - It sounds like someone fighting for his life, terrible

Devil sick of sin - This sounds horrible!

The blood come gargling - Gruesome tone!

Obscene as cancer - Horrible tone.

Innocent tongues - It makes you feel even more sorry for all this innocent people.

Desperate glory - Perfect discription, of the whole poem actually

2) Stylistic devices used

Alliteration:

Knock-kneed

Men marched

Incurable sores on innocent tongues

Dulce et Decorum

Comparisons:

Bent double like old baggars under sacks

Knock -kneed, coughing like hags

His hanging face like a devil's sick of sin

The following rhyme schedule is used:

ABAB

CDCD

EFEF

GHGH

IJIJ

KLKL

MNMN

This means its a crossed rhyme schedule

Onomatopoeia is used because it's often difficult to describe sounds. Furthermore, a story becomes more lively and interesting by the use of onomatopoeia

Examples:

Coughing like hags

The blood come gargling

3) What do I think of the poem?

I think its a rather impressive poem. After I did the exercises, I started to understand the meaning of the poem better. It's discribed very real, and at the same time it's terrible to read, you nearly see the person having this much pain. I think it's a very impressive poem made by a great poet!