dulce et decorum est

• Dulce et Decorum Est


  A poem by Wilfred Owen that explores the harsh realities of war and the effects of gas attacks on soldiers
• Significance of "Dulce et Decorum Est"

  A powerful anti-war poem that challenges romantic notions of war, highlights the psychological impact on soldiers, and has become a classic of WWI literature
• what does dulce et decorum est mean

  it translates too 'it is honourable to de for ones country'
• why is the title dulce et decorum est ironic

  it is ironic as the poem was written to ultimately criticise the meaning behind dying for ones country
• In dulce et decorum est what does the quote 'old beggas' critique

  It critiques the way propaganda only betrays soldiers as young and fit
• In the opening line 'like old beggars under sacks' how does it present the soldiers

  it shows how war doesn't discriminate no matter the age and as left most of the soldiers begging for survival
• What does the collective first person in 'dulce et decorum est' symbolise

  it symbolises the collective suffering
• what does the quote 'men marched asleep' symbolise 


  There so desensitised to war that they are almost sleep walking and unobservant of there surroundings
• what does the quote 'drunk with fatigue' in dulce et decorum est suggest

  They are dizzy and lack coordination show through the metaphor of being drunk
• how does dulce et decorum est change between the 1st and 2nd stanza


  It goes from talking about the mundane typical tragic life of a solider to it being in media res as they are attacked by gas
• dulce et decorum est - 'As under a green sea, I saw them drowning'


  This creates a sense of harsh vivid imagery and creates a tragic feeling
• dulce et decorum est - 'In all my dreams, before my helpful sight'


  It shows the solider reflecting on his mind after seeing the dead person haunting him
• dulce et decorum est - 'white eye writhing in his in his face'


  It creates a stark and confronting image through alliteration
• dulce et decorum est - 'His hanging face, like a devil sick of sin'


  The simile makes more grotesque images of death designed to unsettle the reader further by using religious imagery
• dulce et decorum est - 'To children ardent for some desperate glory'


  It's a message/warning to children who are lured into wanting to join by propaganda
• What year was Dulce et Decorum Est written?


  1918
• Who wrote Dulce et Decorum Est?

  Wilfred Owen
• What is the main theme of the poem?

  Critique of war and its devastating effects on soldiers
• Why was the poem written?

  As a response to Owen's own experiences in the trenches