Thread:Shinato73/@comment-11254679-20130713060434/@comment-11247450-20130719030346

POETRY ANALYSIS By: Xuan-Jhe Low 7.6

Wilfred Owen's poem, Dolce et decorum depicts the tragedy and the suffering caused by war. He strongly disagrees with people who are deceived that war is fun and pleasant and that it is great to go out and die for your country. He uses a variety of techniques to convince the reader of his position, including metaphors, simile and powerful imagery. In combination, they allow him to describe the horrors of war and to persuade the reader that it is not an experience that is to regarded as an adventure. He completely disagrees with the phrase "Dolce et decorum"

Wilfred Owen uses imagery as a tool to convey the suffering caused by war. Dolce et decorum is filled with strong imagery. He describes the dying soldier in such a way that it is distinctly uncomfortable to think about it. "His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin," "And watch the white eyes writhing in his face," are some examples of these images. Another example is how he depicted the soldiers as "Bent double, like old beggar under sacks," and "Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge," It just shows how injured the soldiers are, they have to drag themselves as they walk.

Wilfred Owen uses many strong and convincing poetic devices to persuade the reader of the suffering and pain the soldiers felt in war.In the sixth line of the poem, Owen creates the metaphor "Drunk with fatigue". This causes the audience to imagine the soldiers complete disorientation, and their inability to walk and think properly. Metaphors like "His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin," and "Flound’ring like a man in fire or lime" emphasise the pain in the dying soldier and the effects of the lethal gas attack. Similes, like metaphors, gives readers certain objects or events to compare war with. He compares soldiers with beggars and the gas as a "Green Sea". He also uses inclusive language to show that he was part of the war and that he felt what the soldiers felt. It would be much more convincing to the audience when the poet has had actual experience of life in the trenches.

Owen's "sound" for the poem is very slow paced. This gives the poem a slow and somber feel when it is read. Many full stops and commas are used to keeps the pace sluggish. By breaking sentences into different lines Owen also helps recreate sorrow that is felt in the trenches of war. The harshness and the number of vowels in some words can also impact on how the reader would feel when the poem is read.

Owen uses his phrasing of stanzas and paragraphs to the full effect. He uses short sharp sentences to quickly yet firmly state his point of view. He uses a variety of sentence lengths to convey the mood of the paragraph/line. For example if a line is long, it stops the reader from reading it too fast. When the sentences are broken into lines they also help keep the poem feeling sorrowful. Breaks in paragraphs are essential to change the scene and setting of the poem, for example Wilfred Owen places a small paragraph between two paragraphs to show his feeling towards one of his comrades death, how he felt hopeless and could do nothing to help him. Many of these lengths change the flow and how the reader reads it, it is imperative to get the lengths right and this is exactly what Owen has done.

All if these techniques are well incorporated into the poem. Techniques such as sound and using poetic devices persuades the reader even more that Owen is right and that dying is war is not a noble act. Without poetic devices such as these, the poem would not be convincing and as vivid as it would be now.