Dulce et Decorum Est

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Dulce et Decorum Est

When this assignment was given I was not sure which piece of literature was my favorite. I looked at the titles on the syllabus and I remembered how much I enjoyed “Dulce et Decorum Est” written by Wilfred Owen. After reading “Dulce et Decorum Est” the first time I found it immediately appealing. This poem grabbed my attention more than any of the other selections we have read thus far, making it my favorite. This is unusual to me because ordinarily I don’t like poetry or so I thought. There are a few characteristics of this poem that make it appealing to me. First and for-most is the graphic imagery that Owen brings to life. I haven’t before read such amazing descriptions as the ones found in this poem. Next, the topic of war caught my attention. Finally the message he relays in his poem. His message is that it is a lie to think that dieing for ones country is “sweet and fitting.”
This entire piece is full of vivid descriptions of war, specifically World War I. This first line paints a stunning picture of the soldier, “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.” After reading that line I can clearly see what the soldiers looked like marching with the great weight of their packs forcing them to hunch over. Owen further describes the men by saying that they “All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue.” This again lets me visualize the movements and appearance of the troops. Next he brilliantly describes a scene where gas has just exploded near his group. He says that there was an “ecstasy of fumbling” to get the masks on in time. However, there was someone who didn’t get his mask on soon enough and he was “flound’ring like a man in fire.” I can’t imagine that scene being described any better. Then Owen describes himself looking through “misty panes” and “think green light”. Here he is giving a description of what it was like to look through the ...