“Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen: Study Questions
Notes for Introduction
1. Summarise what the poem is about in no more than 4
sentences.
Notes for Paragraph One
2. Explain the meaning of the title of the poem. What, at
first, does it suggest about the mood and subject of the
poem?
3. How does the poet make an impact on the reader in the first
two lines of the text? Identify the 2 similes used and
explain what they tell us about the soldiers.
4. Having read these lines what does the reader now
understand the real tone of the title of the poem to be?
Notes for Paragraph Two
5. How does the poet develop the description of the soldiers in
lines 3 to 7? Refer to at least one example of metaphor,
and the use of either repetition or word choice in your
answer.
6. What does the poet describe in the closing lines of Stanza
One?
Notes for Paragraph Three
7. Explain how the pace of the poem changes at the start of
Stanza Two. How and why does the poet change the pace?
(Consider the use of sentence structure and what he is
trying to imitate)
8. What adjective does the poet use in Line 10? Why is it
effective?
Notes for Paragraph Four
9. Explain what is being described in lines 10 to 14. How does
the poet use language in lines 11 and 12 to convey the way in
which soldier is moving? Find a quote to back up your answer.
10. Look at lines 13 to 14. How does Owen help us imagine his
view of the event he is describing?
11. Why is the metaphor, ”I saw him drowning” an effective
description?
Notes on Stanza 3
12. What is the poet describing in Stanza Three?
13. What does this tell us about Owen’s feelings about the
event he witnessed, and the effect of war on people’s lives?
14. Identify the language technique used in Line 16. How does
it make the description of the dying man more realistic?
Notes on Stanza 4
15. Who is the poet addressing in Stanza Four? Why does he
do this?
16. Comment on the use of the word, “flung” in Line 18. What
does it suggest about the soldiers and the way the dying man is
treated?
17. Choose a phrase from lines 17 to 23 that describes the
dying soldier in a particularly shocking or realistic way.
Quote the phrase and explain why you feel it is effective.
18. What is the poet’s message in the poem and how is it
emphasised in the closing lines (25 to 29) of the poem?
Notes for the Conclusion
19. Consider the poem as a whole. Explain how well you feel
Owen has described the reality of war.
20. Choose a phrase you think is particularly shocking or
effective in describing the experience of war. Quote the
phrase you have chosen and explain why you feel it is so
powerful.
“Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen: Essay Plan
Task: Explain how the author creates a shocking and
realistic account of the experience of war.
Introduction
 State the name of the text and the author
 Summarize what the text is about
 Explain what you will discuss in your essay
Paragraph One
 Explain the meaning of the title of the poem and what, at
first, it suggests about the subject of the poem
 Explain how the first two lines of the poem makes an
impact on the reader in. Quote the 2 similes used and
explain what they tell us about the soldiers.
 Discuss what the reader now understands the real tone
of the title of the poem to be.
Paragraph Two
 Discuss how the poet develops the description of the
soldiers in lines 3 to 7. Provide a quote to back up your
answer. Identify and comment on the techniques used.
 Explain what the poet describes in the closing lines of
Stanza One and how this emphasises our understanding
of the soldier’s condition.
Paragraph Three
 Explain how the pace of the poem changes at the start of
Stanza Two. Use a quote to back up your point. Explain
how and why does the poet change the pace (Consider the
use of sentence structure and what it is imitating)
 Identify the adjective used in Line 10 and explain why it
is effective.
Paragraph Four
 Explain what is being described in lines 10 to 14. Provide
a quote to back up your answer. Identify and comment
on the techniques used.
 Look at lines 13 to 14. How does Owen help us imagine his
view of the event that is described here.
 Discuss how is the metaphor, ”I saw him drowning” an
effective description.
Paragraph Five
 Explain what the poet is describing in Stanza Three.
 Discuss what this tell us about Owen’s feelings about the
event he witnessed, and the effect of war on people’s
lives?
 Quote the language technique used in Line 16. Explain
how it makes the description of the dying man more
realistic.
Paragraph Six
 Explain who is the poet addressing in Stanza Four and
why he does this?
 Comment on the use of the word, “flung” in Line 18 and
what it suggests about the soldiers and the way the
dying man is treated.
 Quote a phrase from lines 17 to 23 that describes the
dying soldier in a particularly shocking or realistic way
and explain why you feel it is effective.
 Explain the poet’s message in the poem and how it is
emphasised in the closing lines (25 to 29) of the poem.
Conclusion
 Explain how well you feel Owen has described the reality
of war. Choose a phrase you think is particularly realistic
or shocking in describing the experience of war. Explain
why you feel it is so powerful.