Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" serves as a stark critique of the romanticized notion of warfare prevalent during World War I, poignantly illustrating the horrific reality of soldiers' experiences, particularly the brutal effects of chemical warfare. Written against the backdrop of a devastating conflict that shattered ideals of honor and glory, Owen’s vivid imagery and unflinching portrayal of suffering reveal the bitter truth behind the ancient motto, challenging the glorification of sacrifice for one's country.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
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.
Question
Use “Dulce et Decorum est” by Wilfred Owen to answer the question.
Wilfred Owen, a second lieutenant who was killed on the battlefield in 1918, wrote this poem in a hospital after being wounded in combat during World War I. The first large-scale use of chemical weapons, mainly in the form of poisonous gasses, occurred during the war. The last line of the poem is a Latin quotation from Horace that means, “It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country.” In 1–2 sentences, evaluate the poem within its historical context.
1 answer