Key message

• The poem describes a gas attack on a trench in World War One. The poem reveals to the reader the terrible consequences of a gas attack. It also presents the unglamorous reality of trench life, with the soldiers described as being 'like old beggars'. 
• The Latin used at the end of the poem means 'It is sweet and honourable to die for your country', a concept Owen is strongly denying, saying it is an ‘old lie’. 
• War is portrayed to be something that it is not

  (propaganda etc)
• The experience of war can be horrific