Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est from 1917 paints a gruesome picture of a gas attack during World War I. He begins with “bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge.” Owen is referring to the misery of trench warfare. He compares the soldiers to hags pointing out that there is nothing fabulous about being in the war. Soldiers in the Great War were constantly wet, filthy, and getting sick. He continues with “till on the haunting flares we turned our backs and towards our distant rest began to trudge.” By this, I believe that Owen is trying to express both their physical and emotional transition from fighting to (hopefully) peace. I thought it was interesting that at this point …show more content…
This also makes the poem personal and relatable. Owen’s use of the word “zest” is curious. It could refer to propaganda and public figures making being a soldier seem glorious or pleasurable. I believe that “children ardent for some desperate glory” may be one of the most powerful and profound lines in the poem next to the famous ending. First, he points out the these are children. Boys as young as sixteen are experiencing these traumas. They are also seldom mature enough to make these kind of choices (joining the military). Next the phrase “desperate glory” appears to call out young men who have alternative motives to becoming a soldier. Many men probably joined for the recognition or to make their families proud, and not because of what they were actually fighting for. Lastly he refers to the translation of “sweet and fitting it is to die for one’s country” as a Lie. Even just the use of a capital ‘L’ makes it appear as a renowned and important