Wilfred Owen 1893 – 1918

On March 18, 1893, Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was born in Shropshire,
England. After the death of his grandfather in 1897, the Owen family moved to
Birkenhead, where Owen was educated at the Birkenhead Institute. After another
move in 1906, he continued his studies at the technical school in Shrewsbury, and
began writing poetry as a teenager. In 1913, he went on to teach in France at the
Berlitz School of English, where he met the poet Laurent Tailhade. He returned
from France in 1915 and enlisted in the Artists Rifles. Owen was wounded in
combat in 1917 and, diagnosed with shell shock (post-traumatic stress disorder),
was evacuated to Craiglockhart War Hospital. It was at this time when Owen wrote
many of his most important poems, including “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and
“Dulce et Decorum Est.” His poetry often graphically illustrated the horrors of
warfare, the physical landscapes that surrounded him, and the human body in
relation to those landscapes. In that hospital, Owen met a fellow poet named
Siegfried Sasson who first wrote intense and realistic war poetry. Sasson’s use of
satiric realism was a useful tone of voice with Owen often imitated in his poetry.
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ show direct results of Sassoon’s influence. Owen was
injured in March 1917 and sent home; he was fit for duty in August 1918, and
returned to the front. Just seven days before the Armistice, he was caught in a
German machine gun attack and killed. He was twenty-five when he died. The
bells were ringing on November 11, 1918, in Shrewsbury to celebrate the
Armistice when the doorbell rang at his parent’s home, bringing them the telegram
telling them their son was dead.
Dulce et Decorum Est

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,
Obscene as cancer, 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.
Hags = old people / Hoots = screams or cries
Fumbling = doing or handling something clumsily.
Lame = unable to walk / Jolt = the act of shaking violently
Writhing = making twisting movements / Vile = evil

Summary of the Poem

Stanza one
The poem's first stanza consists of eight lines and describes the soldiers
as they 'trudge' forward, some 'asleep' as they walk. This stanza
describes the soldiers as a unit, highlighting how they are all suffering,
as indicated by the repetition of 'all' in the line 'All went lame; all
blind'.The danger the soldiers will soon face is foreshadowed in the
stanza's final two lines, as Owen states that the soldiers are 'deaf' to the
'gas-shells' behind them, informing the reader that the soldiers cannot
hear the danger heading toward them. Further, the verb 'deaf' and noun
'death' are homographs, each sounding like the other but with different
spellings and meanings. The use of the verb 'deaf' therefore underpins
the danger of 'death' ever-present in the soldiers' lives.
Stanza two
The second stanza contains six lines. While the second stanza focuses on
the soldiers as a unit, the action of the poem shifts as the soldiers react to
the 'gas'. A sense of urgency is created in the stanza by the exclamatory
sentences in the first line and the use of active verbs such as 'yelling',
'stumbling', and 'flound'ring', adding to the sense of panic.
Stanza three
The poem's third stanza is considerably shorter than the first two,
consisting of only two lines. The shortness of this stanza emphasizes the
shift in the narrative (or volta) as the narrator focuses on the actions and
suffering of a single soldier who is 'guttering, choking, drowning' from
the mustard gas.
Stanza four
The poem's final stanza consists of twelve lines. Most of the stanza
describes the soldier's death and how the soldiers 'flung him' in the
wagon as they continued on their march after the gas attack.

The final four lines of the poem refer back to the poem's title. Wilfred
Owen directly addresses the reader, 'my friend', warning them that the
phrase 'Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori' is an 'old lie'. The final
line of the poem creates a break in the iambic pentameter, foregrounding
it. Moreover, these final lines create an almost cyclical narrative, as the
poem concludes as it began. This structure emphasizes the meaning of
the poem that it is not 'sweet and fitting' to die for one's country, and the
fact that soldiers are being led to believe so is as cruel as war itself.

Themes

The Horror and Brutality of War: The poem starkly contrasts the
romanticized notions of war with its ugly reality. Owen illustrates the
physical and psychological toll of battle on soldiers, emphasizing their
exhaustion and suffering. The dominant theme throughout the poem is
the horrors of war. This theme is evident in the literary context of
Owen's writing, as he was an anti-war poet who produced much of his
work while 'recovering' from shell shock. The idea that the scenes the
narrator has faced still haunt him in 'smothering dreams' indicates that
the horror of war never truly leaves soldiers. While they experience
warfare through the images of 'froth-corrupted lungs' and a 'green sea' of
gas present in the poem, Owen experienced such occurrences, as did
many other soldiers. Thus, the theme of the horror and brutality of war is
present in both the content and context of the poem.
Violence: closely related to the theme of brutality, the theme of violence
is pervasive throughout the poem; 'blood-shod', 'yelling', 'drowning',
'writhing'. This technique, combined with a semantic field of warfare
('flares', 'gas!', 'helmets'), underpins the brutality of war. The imagery is
carried throughout the poem, leaving the reader no choice but to be
confronted with the horrifying images of fighting. The use of such brutal
and violent imagery contributes to the meaning of the poem by opposing
the positive ideals of fighting for your country. Owen's use of violent
imagery makes it undeniable that there is no real glory in dying for your
country when you recognize the suffering that soldiers face.
The Illusion of Glory: The title, which translates to "It is sweet and
honorable," critiques the notion that dying for one's country is glorious.
Owen reveals the absurdity of this sentiment through graphic imagery of
death and injury.
Trauma and Memory: The poem highlights the lasting impact of war
trauma on soldiers. The vivid descriptions of gas attacks and the
haunting memories that follow illustrate the psychological scars left by
combat.

Structure and Form

Irregular Meter: The poem features a mix of iambic pentameter and

tetrameter, reflecting the chaotic nature of battle. This irregularity
mirrors the soldiers' disorientation and fatigue.
Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme is often sporadic, adding to the sense of
urgency and confusion, particularly during the description of the gas
attack.

Imagery and Language

Juxtaposition: the poem's title is juxtaposed with its content. The final
two lines ('The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori')
underline the meaning of Dulce et Decorum Est. The argument at the
heart of the poem is that it is not 'sweet and fitting to die for one's
country'. There is no glory in war for the soldiers; it is an awful and
horrifying thing to experience.
Simile and Metaphor: The poem employs similes, such as comparing
soldiers to "old beggars," to convey their degradation and loss of dignity.
Both similes compare the soldiers to elderly figures, 'hags' and 'old
beggars'. The comparative language here underscores the exhaustion
faced by the soldiers. Most soldiers would have been young boys,
around the ages of 18-21, making this comparison unexpected, further
highlighting how exhausted the soldiers are. Additionally, the image of
these young men as 'hags' and 'old beggars' demonstrates how they have
lost their youth and innocence since joining the war effort. The reality of
war has aged them far beyond the age they actually are, and their
innocent perception of the world has been shattered by the reality of war.
Gas Symbolism: The gas attack serves as a powerful symbol of the
unexpected and indiscriminate nature of modern warfare, highlighting
the vulnerability of soldiers.
Enjambment is used throughout 'Dulce et decorum est' to allow the
poem to flow from line to line.:

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—

Here, the continuation of one sentence from one line to the next
underpins the continuation of the soldier's movements, emphasizing the
desperate state the soldier finds himself in.

Caesura is used to create effect in the poem to fragment the poem's

rhythm. For instance, in the first stanza the poet says:

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

Here, the use of caesura creates the short sentence 'men marched asleep'.
By breaking up the line a matter-of-fact tone is created: the men are
marching half-asleep, and many have lost their boots. The tone has a
military style to it, with short abrupt sentences. Although the sentences
aren't commands, they hold a similar authority due to their simplistic
nature.
Alliteration and Onomatopoeia: they join with powerful figurative and
literal images of war to produce a pitiful sense of despair. "Bent
beggars", "knock-kneed", cough and "curse" like "hags" through
"sludge." "Men marched asleep" sentence, the three beats imitate the
falling rhythm of these exhausted men. The pun "blood-shod" makes its
grim effect on the reader. Alaso, "blind" and "lame" suggest several
levels of exhaustion.
Imagery: the poem is infused with different types of images, including
visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile images. Owen uses all types of
imagery to portray the horrors of war. Phrases like "bent double,"
"knock-kneed," and "coughing like hags" can only evoke the profound
sense of victimization and suffering.

Tone and Mood

Somber and Accusatory: The tone is mournful and accusatory,
particularly in the final lines, where Owen directly addresses those who
glorify war, calling their sentiment "the old Lie."
Shock and Horror: The mood shifts dramatically during the depiction of
the gas attack, creating a sense of urgency and horror that immerses the
reader in the soldiers’ experience.
Overall, the poem has an angry and bitter tone, as the speaker clearly
disagrees with the idea promoted by many during World War One that is
is 'sweet and fitting' to die for one's country while fighting in a war. This
bitter tone is particularly notable in the imagery of violence and
suffering present throughout the poem. The poet doesn't shy away from
the horrors of war: Owen makes them blatantly clear, and in doing so
demonstrates his bitterness towards the reality of war and the false
perception of 'dulce et decorum est'.

"Dulce et Decorum Est" serves as a stark condemnation of the romantic

ideals associated with war. Through vivid imagery, varied structure, and
an emotional tone, Owen captures the grim reality of combat,
challenging the notion that it is noble to die for one's country. The poem
remains a powerful reminder of the true cost of war and the deep scars it
leaves on individuals and society.