# Study Notes: *Dulce et Decorum Est* by Wilfred Owen ## Overview Wilfred Owen's *Dulce et Decorum Est* is a powerful anti-war poem that vividly depicts the horrors of World War I. Through graphic imagery, poignant language, and a direct challenge to the glorification of war, Owen dismantles the "old Lie" that it is noble to die for one's country. The poem explores themes of **war's brutality**, **trauma**, and the **myth of war's glory**, while employing poetic devices like similes, metaphors, and allusions to intensify its impact. --- ## Key Themes ### 1. **The Horror and Trauma of War** - Owen portrays war as a relentless, dehumanizing experience that affects soldiers physically, emotionally, and mentally. - **Key Aspects:** - **Physical Suffering:** Soldiers are described as "bent double, like old beggars," with bloody, bare feet and exhaustion so deep they seem "drunk with fatigue." - **Death's Agony:** The gas attack scene highlights the barbarity of war, with a soldier "guttering, choking, drowning" in poison gas. - **Endless Trauma:** Even survivors are haunted by the horrors they witnessed, as seen in the speaker's recurring nightmares of the dying soldier. **Example:** The speaker describes the dying soldier's face as "like a devil’s sick of sin," emphasizing the grotesque and unnatural suffering caused by war. ### 2. **The Enduring Myth That War Is Glorious** - The poem critiques the belief that dying for one's country is honorable, calling it "the old Lie." - **Key Aspects:** - Owen juxtaposes the brutal reality of war with the romanticized notion of patriotic sacrifice. - The Latin phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" (It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country) is revealed as a falsehood perpetuated to inspire young men to enlist. The poem's title and final lines directly reference this "old Lie," showing how deeply ingrained the myth of war's glory is in society. --- ## Poem Structure and Analysis ### **Stanza 1: The Soldiers' Exhaustion** - **Lines 1-4:** Soldiers are described as physically and mentally broken, trudging through mud like "old beggars" and "hags." - **Imagery:** The comparison to beggars and hags strips the soldiers of any heroic image, emphasizing their suffering. - **Sound Devices:** Harsh consonants ("bent," "beggars," "cursed") mirror the harshness of their reality. - **Meter:** The iambic pentameter is disrupted by extra stresses, reflecting the instability of the soldiers' march. Pay attention to how Owen uses sound and rhythm to mirror the soldiers' physical and emotional state. - **Lines 5-8:** The soldiers are so fatigued they seem "asleep," "lame," and "blind." Even the danger of gas-shells dropping behind them barely registers. - **Hyperbole:** Descriptions like "all blind" and "drunk with fatigue" emphasize the extreme toll of war. - **Imagery:** "Blood-shod" vividly conveys the pain of marching with bleeding feet. Many readers assume the soldiers are literally blind or deaf. These are metaphors for their extreme exhaustion and numbness. --- ### **Stanza 2: The Gas Attack** - **Lines 9-10:** The sudden cry of "Gas! GAS!" jolts the soldiers into frantic action as they fumble to put on their masks. - **Contrast:** The urgency of this moment contrasts sharply with the lethargy of the first stanza. - **Word Choice:** "Ecstasy of fumbling" conveys the chaotic mix of terror and adrenaline. - **Lines 11-14:** One soldier fails to get his mask on in time and succumbs to the gas. - **Similes:** The soldier is compared to a man "in fire or lime," evoking intense pain and suffering. - **Metaphor:** The speaker sees the soldier "drowning" in the green gas, emphasizing the suffocating nature of his death. **Example:** The gas-filled air is described as "thick green light," likening the scene to being underwater, which intensifies the sense of helplessness. --- ### **Stanza 3: The Speaker's Trauma** - **Lines 15-16:** The speaker reveals that he is haunted by recurring dreams of the dying soldier. - **Imagery:** The soldier "plunges" at the speaker, "guttering, choking, drowning," creating a vivid and inescapable nightmare. - **Repetition:** The word "drowning" is repeated, emphasizing the speaker's inability to escape this memory. The shift to the present tense in this stanza highlights the lasting impact of war on the speaker's psyche. --- ### **Stanza 4: Addressing the Reader** - **Lines 17-24:** The speaker describes the soldier's gruesome death in detail, urging the reader to imagine witnessing such horror. - **Similes:** The soldier's blood is compared to "cancer" and "incurable sores," emphasizing the grotesque and meaningless nature of his death. - **Tone:** The tone becomes accusatory as the speaker challenges the reader to confront the reality of war. - **Lines 25-28:** The speaker condemns the "old Lie" that it is noble to die for one's country. - **Direct Address:** The speaker calls the reader "my friend," either sincerely or sarcastically, depending on interpretation. - **Allusion:** The Latin phrase from Horace underscores the long history of glorifying war, which Owen seeks to dismantle. Consider how the poem's structure mirrors its themes: the shift from "we" (the soldiers) to "he" (the dying man) to "I" (the speaker) to "you" (the reader) draws the audience into the narrative. --- ## Poetic Devices ### 1. **Imagery** - Owen uses vivid, often grotesque imagery to immerse the reader in the horrors of war. - **Example:** "White eyes writhing in his face" conveys the unnatural suffering of the dying soldier. ### 2. **Similes and Metaphors** - Similes make the soldiers' experiences relatable by comparing them to familiar sensations. - **Example:** "Like a man in fire or lime" helps the reader imagine the pain of gas poisoning. - Metaphors intensify the emotional impact. - **Example:** The soldier "drowning" in gas conveys both physical and emotional suffocation. ### 3. **Allusion** - The title and final lines reference Horace's ode, contrasting its glorification of war with Owen's brutal depiction. ### 4. **Sound Devices** - **Consonance:** Harsh sounds like "bent," "cursed," and "blood-shod" reflect the harshness of war. - **Sibilance:** Whispering "s" sounds in "softly" and "gas-shells" mimic the quiet danger of the gas attack. Look for how Owen manipulates sound and rhythm to mirror the poem's emotional shifts. --- ## Key Takeaways - War is not glorious; it is brutal, dehumanizing, and traumatic. - The "old Lie" of patriotic sacrifice has been perpetuated for centuries to justify sending young men to die. - Owen's vivid imagery and poetic techniques immerse the reader in the soldiers' suffering, challenging them to confront the reality of war. --- ## Practice Questions 1. How does Owen use imagery to convey the physical and emotional toll of war? 2. What is the significance of the Latin phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" in the context of the poem? 3. How does the poem's structure (shifting from "we" to "he" to "I" to "you") enhance its message? 4. Identify and analyze one simile or metaphor in the poem. How does it contribute to the overall theme? When answering, focus on how Owen's language choices reinforce his anti-war message.