In this essay, I intend to discuss the ways in which the poems Dulce :: English Literature

In this essay, I intend to discuss the ways in which the poems Dulce Et Decorum Est and Charge Of The Light Brigade represent war. I will discuss the themes of death, emotions, conditions and opinion. In Dulce Et, death is shown as horrific and that of terrible suffering. "His hanging face like a devil's sick of sin." This simile describes the way in which the poet Wilfred Owen saw the men suffering. He uses an effective method of a metaphor, 'Devil's sick of sin', and this metaphor shows just how horrible death is. When a devil is sick of sin, it is no longer a devil, this means that the man described is no longer a human. However, in the Charge, death is shown as quick and clean. This is shown in the quote "While horse and hero fell." Death is not described in the detail of Dulce Et, because the poet wants to show war as glorious and honourable, this could not be achieved if the poet talked about the horrible way in which the men die. The poet uses the word heroes because it shows the men as honourable and glorious, which is the intended message of the poem. In Dulce Et, death has no glory and the men have no sense of dignity. "The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." This quote shows that the statement 'that dying for ones own country' is a complete lie. Wilfred Owen does this to emphasise how horrible and undignified death really is. Owen wants to show that death has no glory and is undignified. The poet also uses Latin, because the reader will recognise the language used is old fashioned, this will then make the reader feel as though war is now old fashioned and pointless. He uses the contrast of two languages to show the difference of views in the two different time periods. In comparison, in the Charge, death is shown as honourable and glorious. "When can their glory fade?" This poem presents death as quick and without suffering, the poet says that the men who died for their country are glorious and should always be remembered. However, when both poems have been read, the reader sees war as even more futile because the men know that it is almost impossible to achieve victory against so many enemies, so they are in effect going in to the battle to die for no reason. However, the Charge's poet shows the men as honourable because they did not question the orders. Both poems show that death is not important. In Dulce Et, death is a