Rhetorical Analysis Of Wilfred Owen

Have you ever thought about what it was like to live during World War 1, or what it was like to fight at war? At first glance of any war piece, you might think the author would try to portray the soldiers as mentally tough and have a smashing conscience. Many would think that fighting in a war shows how devoted you are to your country.On the contrary, the men who were in this position did not feel that this was a supplementary way to show devotion and actually warned that it wasn’t something to be romanticized. This poem takes place in an actual war, in the point of view of an actual soldier who shows a perspective of war more violent and resentful than glorified and worthy. Wilfred Owen develops his claim that dying for one’s country is not …show more content…
One excerpt claims, “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory the old lie. Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.”As simplistic as it may seem the quote holds much weight. This compares a long established assumption with a negative connotation word, “lie.” “Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori” translates to, “sweet and honorable to die for one’s country.” As we learn from the entirety of the poem the many horrors of war the endured this quote significantly summarizes that the long standing assumption of how war brings “glory,” that it is not worth giving the lives of children. In addition the author also says, “Deaf even to the hoots of tired outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.” Ironically enough he isn’t referring to actually going deaf, although according to the Hearing and Health Foundation, over 30% of all VA claims regarded soldiers going deaf due to Five-Nine bombing. Owens is really just introducing a motif that the war has made normalcy completely different. The words, “Deaf to hoots,” really means that it has become such a recurrence that it is no longer a surprise or something requiring full attention that the soldiers have seemingly become acquired to the sound. In oversight we can see the foundation of this inductive claim forming. With logical explanation that war has destroyed much that it isn’t even …show more content…
First we look at the quote, “Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud. Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues” This has obvious imagery and an underlying sound device in the reoccuring hard ‘c’ sound. Typically this sound is used to show a harshness, which correlates well with the horrific images. Most predominantly is the word ‘Cancer,’ because a vast majority of readers can relate to cancer some how emotionally. Also, the metaphor “Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues” emphasizes how terrible it was to be soldier in the war, because they were practically children and still had to deal with the terror of war. The last quote is “Men marched asleep…. But limped on, blood-shod.” The poet uses the phrase “marched asleep” to demonstrate how the men’s mental state was. They marched on, with no emotions, and almost unaware of the dangers that face them at war. The words “limped on” and “blood-shod” cause the reader to visualize the physical state of the soldiers. By utilizing strong diction, the poet conveys the terrible condition of the soldiers in the war.In conclusion the word selection for pathos is strongly connotated to give to readers something to take away. This speaker to reader relationship is built in empathy that helps him explain the horrors in a way that is understandable even to us.
In conclusion Wilfred Owen develops his claim that dying for one’s country is not sweet and dutiful, in