Dulce Et Decorum Est Poem Analysis

“Dulce et Decorum Est” is an anti-war poem illustrating the horrors of war. The author of the poem, Wilfred Owen, is a renowned poet, who is known for his criticism on the violence of war, but he was ironically a soldier who lost his life in battle. In this poem, Owen gives the reader a passionate and delightful vibe with the title of the work, but is ironically reflecting the haunting tragedy of warfare. The use of figurative language throughout the poem such as: simile, metaphor, imagery, etc. help to expound the horror of World War I and truly show the terrifying reality of bloodshed in it. Many literary devices are used throughout this poem, but the ones that stick out more than others are simile, metaphor and imagery. These devices provide a thorough and very descriptive explanation to the poem. Simile is used in the …show more content…
The author brilliantly uses extensive imagery throughout this poem to explain the terrible reality of war, especially trench warfare (Mazzeno). The number of deaths and injuries from trench warfare is immeasurable. Owen has been there and puts very descriptive imagery into the poem to show the reader what happens during war and make it have a powerful meaning. It is used through the entire poem starting with the first line; he describes the soldiers as “bent double like old beggars;”(Owen) they are crippled and warped by the war. Another is when the man is “drowning” in the gas. The reader gets an appalling illustration of a poor soldier not putting on his gas mask in time and dying from the poisonous gas. It also says “flound 'ring like a man in fire or lime,” (Owen) which means the man is being burned on his insides, dying very slowly and very painfully. Mustard gas is a horrid chemical that reacts with water in the lungs forming a burning chemical which destroys the lungs and is now banned from warfare (Mazzeno). This is a death in which no man wishes to