SEMESTER 2 First Post
In the first 2 weeks of this semester, I would have to say that Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est, was the poem that resonated most with me.
Owen’s poetic description of world war one, was, I feel a very powerful artistic technique. His first stanza brings about the atmosphere of the war. The simile, of coughing like hags, and the emotive use of the term bent-double, shows us the horrific conditions in which these soldiers were living. These conditions in which these patriotic soldiers lived, seems to be lessened, by their patriotism. Owen shows this love of their nation within the second half of the stanza by use of the word trudge. Owen displays that the soldiers are willing to die for their country, their freedom. The line concerning the men walking asleep demonstrates the drive and determination of these men to meet some kind of an end, and no matter what the outcome it will be sweet.
The second stanza and the aside, bring about the new hectic mania of the war effort. The rhyme scheme of stanza two, aids Owen’s display of frenzy. Fumbling, stumbling, time and lime. The horrible image of bodies having to be put under lime, to rapidly decompose, for sanitary reasons, is linked to the melting of lungs due to a gassing. The horrible image of drowning in one’s own melting body fluids stuck in my mind, with further contribution from my tutorial class, we were able to fully appreciate the dying wishes of these soldiers on the First World War.
The final stanza of the poem fulfils the Latin title. Dulce et decorum est. meaning it is sweet to die for ones country. The imagery used in this final stanza is gory, and lends itself to the vibrantly colourful descriptions of death. Perhaps these glorified images of death are used to persuade young men to join the army of the allied forces.
In all, this poem stirs a kind of patriotism, and led me to contemplate the patriotism we have today. I feel we are often quick to judge our politics… though I often see that our government is not our country, our government may seem ruthless, power and money hungry, but our country, is we, an openhearted community, sans judgement. I would fight for that. I would not like to contemplate taking another’s life, but if it were my freedom, my quality of life… those things I feel that identify within myself as an Australian, one would have to fight. Or at least I would, in our lives, so many decades apart from a war, I think we take for granted that others will fight for us, I’m not advocating violence, yet if we were under attack, not going to another country, but our own land, my own home being treated, I would not be one to run.