dulce et decorum est

• context: Owen died one week before WW1 ended, his mother received the telegram on Armistice day when the church bells were ringing
• structure: first stanza, slow and turgid pace, reflects soldiers' feeling that the march will never end. last stanza, pace is slow again to reflect the feeling that war is never ending. owen uses second person to address the reader personally, creating an uncomfortable tone
• "bent double like old beggars" - shows the soldier's are so exhausted they cant even stand up. 'like old beggars' suggests men are prematurely old and weakened
• "the old lie: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" - latin used at the end saying "its sweet and honourable to die for your country", owen rejects this as an 'old lie' and highlights that war is cruel