Rupert Giles

“Attack”, by Siegfried Sassoon, effectively represents a vivid and graphic view of the apathy of war by divulging into the minds of the soldiers, giving a more personal view to his poem. There are many such instances in which Sassoon’s clever diction. Instead of the norm of authors of his time, Sassoon did not emphasize the dramatics of war during the battle; he accentuated the pre-war stage. Firstly, Sassoon divulges into the fears of the soldiers. He does this by construing a grave scene.…

The Use of Literary Devices to Present Anti-War Sentiment in ‘I’m Explaining a Few Things’ by Pablo Neruda In ‘I’m Explaining a Few Things’, Pablo Neruda passionately expresses his anti-war attitude through a variety of literary techniques, such as his manipulation of structure and dramatic change of tone. The poem describes the atrocities committed in the Spanish town of Guernica during the early Spanish Civil War and details Neruda’s objection to the Nationalist faction of the war. ‘I’m…

The Savage Deterioration of Man Charles Yale Harrison’s remorseless novel Generals Die in Bed strips war of it’s heroic mirage and examines it, rather, as brutalizing. The myths about war’s glory are destroyed by showing the sheer agony of the soldiers’ experiences in the trenches through factors such as abusive officers, lice and starvation. The aftermath of such hardship results in the psychological and emotional ramifications of desperation, barbarism and insanity on the common soldiers. The…

Dulce et decorum est, Wilfred Owen Dulce et decorum est is a poem written by Wilfred Owen. This very famous poem is about the great war and describes this tragedy in great detail. This poem uses many poetic techniques to display the theme of the poem which is war and conflict. One of the main literary techniques that are evident in this poem are the use of similes. Similes are a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. An example of similes…

In his poems Dulce et Decorum est and Futility, Wilfred Owen uses a range of ideas, forms and language to influence responders and create meaning about war as an experience of human calamity, waste and idiocy. It is pointless and disgraceful and its influence on individuals is captured powerfully by Wilfred Owen. His personal participation and eventful death in WWI adds a stark truth to the tragedy and waste of potential of youth. Owen knew all too well that war defaces men physically and…

How does Wilfred Owen’s representation of the experiences of individuals contribute to his wider concerns about the “Pity of War”? In your response, make detailed reference to “Futility and one other of Wilfred Owen’s poems set for study. Wilfred Owen’s poetry set during World War 1 illiterates a wider concerns of the experiences of individuals contributing the the “Pity of War”. Wilfred Owen is critical of the unworthy treatment of soldiers and the ramifications of this behaviour along with…

Singapore: It’s high-time we brought NS pay above the poverty line When Wilfred Owen wrote the famous poem, “Dulce et Decorum est,” he was not just describing the horrors of World War I, he was also condemning his government’s propaganda machine for glorifying a gruesome war in order to discourage draft evasion. He famously wrote at the end of his poem: The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori. The old Lie; it is sweet and honourable to die for your country. For Owen, the lie was not…

War is a lose-lose situation because as described, men are dying on the battlefield which causes great grief and anger on the homefront. Besides the situational irony conveyed in the imagery, Crane uses verbal irony- when what is said is the opposite of the intended meaning, to convey his message about the futility of war. Verbal irony begins in the title, “War is Kind”. Although Crane says war is good and kind, the readers know or will find out by the images to come in the poem, war is not kind…

Blood is a sacrifice when it comes to fighting in war. "Inspection" written by Wilfred Owen explores the idea of a soldier who comes to uniform inspection with a blood stain and yet, these blood stains are from the hard battle he had fought in the war. The poem presents the idea of the way soldiers are treated, blood being treated as dirt, and the sacrifice soldiers have to make in war. Through the use of diction, allusion, metaphor and colloquialism, Owen has explained the blood which is shed…

Homecoming By Bruce Dawe Conflict, bloodshed, death and pain are some of the words that people associate to war. These words are commonly used by war poets, such as Bruce Dawe to express their passionate opinions about the war. In the poem Homecoming, Bruce Dawe is referring specifically to the Vietnam war and the young men and women who lost their lives. Dawe feels pity for these young soldiers as he believes that they were unappreciated for their bravery while facing the horrors of war. Dawe…