‘Dulce et Decorum est’
Wilfred Owen
Note – You may need to be selective about the quotes you use for each paragraph. You will not have to cover each
quote in order to reach the word limit! Choose the quotes you feel confident in explaining. My notes = 944 words!
Task: In the poem ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, how does Wilfred Owen reveal the horror and futility of war?
Introduction: Remember that you should always mention the title, poet and task in your introduction. It will also be
worthwhile to mention that this poem was written in response to poetry produced by writers like Jesse Pope, who
promoted signing up for war and presented a heroic picture of soldiers.
Topic 1: The images Owen creates in verse one reveal how physically draining war was for the soldiers.
Points to mention – young, healthy and fit men are compared to old, poor and disabled people. War has taken their
lives away from them.
‘old beggars under sacks’ – word ‘beggars’ we associate with poor, lowly people desperate for help and in an
unhealthy state.
‘coughing like hags’ – ‘hags’ is used to describe old, evil women. It suggests the cruel, punishing nature of their
illness.
The image created makes us realise that war wasted lives and caused many young men to suffer.
Topic 2: Not only does Owen suggest war wastes the soldiers’ lives, but also that the fighting seems a waste of time.
Points to mention – The soldiers seem drained and inactive. They are not described as locked in battle, but instead
the focus of verse one is on how tired and worn down they are. When Owen describes fighting going on, it seems to
be achieving nothing.
‘Drunk with fatigue’ – the use of ‘drunk’ suggests soldiers no longer have control, they are exhausted. They would
be useless in battle as they are so worn out.
‘tired, outstripped Five-Nines that fall behind’ – ‘tired’ suggests the weapons themselves are old and ineffective. It
seems as though they are also off target which makes their use seem even more pointless.
Owen’s description of the fighting seems futile as there is little happening which would bring the war to an end.
Both soldiers and weapons have been run down to the point they are almost useless.
Topic 3: In the second verse, Owen describes the horror soldiers faced when attacked.
Points to make – Owen is trying to suggest how sudden and shocking attacks could be. He shows us how helpless
the soldiers became when under a surprise attack and helps us to imagine how terrifying it would be.
‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!’ – opening line introduced with short, minor sentences suggesting the surprise felt by
soldiers and the urgency of the command. We are in the action – share panic.
Several verbs are using such as ‘yelling’, ‘stumbling’, ‘flound’ring’ which suggest the soldiers are panicking and out
of control.
Image of gas compared to the sea as like water the gas would fill their lungs. ‘I saw him drowning’ – suggests Owen
was helpless and could only watch the slow death as he chokes and sinks to the ground.
The horror of war is highlighted here as we see how frightening it was to be attacked. Soldiers became confused and
scared and could not protect themselves – already so worn down.
Topic 4: Owen goes on to show that these terrifying attacks still horrified the soldiers long after the battle had
finished.
Points to make – Owen himself suffered from shell-shock. He shows us that the soldiers were filled with guilt and
haunted by nightmares.
‘before my helpless sight’ – ‘helpless’ shows that Owen feels unable to do anything and can only witness. This is a
dream – but also it shows he reliving the experience of failing to save the lives of others.
‘He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.’ - ‘plunges’ suggests he feels attacked, like he is being punished
for not helping. Repetition of ‘drowning’ highlights idea that he felt unable to respond.
‘smothering dreams’ – suggests the dreams take over him and are killing him. He seems overwhelmed with guilt
and pressured by his regret that he could not help.
Not only was the war horrific at the time, it left a lasting impression. Guilt would have driven those soldiers who
survived mad. Witnessing these events would not be easily forgotten.
Topic 5: Towards the end of the poem, Owen suggests that the harm inflicted on soldiers through war was pointless
and un-deserved.
Points to make – Owen compares war to disease and describes the suffering that it inflicts upon soldiers.
‘obscene as cancer’- cancer is known as a disease that can strike any person and destroys them rapidly. Like cancer,
the harm war causes has spread and killed many.
‘incurable sores on innocent tongues’ – suggests that there is little that can be done to help the soldiers. The word
‘innocent’ highlights that the soldiers did not deserve this suffering.
Owen uses the comparison of war to an illness/disease to convey the sense that it is spreading rapidly and is
destroying lives. Diseases can also strike anyone at anytime and so Owen is reinforcing the idea that they were
helpless against the effects of war. We associate disease with pain and suffering and so this comparison highlights the
pain that these soldiers would experience.
Conclusion:
Reinforce the idea that Owen spoke out at a time when many still believed that the sons, brothers and fathers they
sent out to war were fighting for something glorious and noble. When Owen repeats the ‘old lie’ he is sharing his
frustration with those who would unknowingly send these men out to suffer and die simply because they believe it is
the ‘noble’ thing to do. His poem highlights that the experience the soldiers faced was in no way noble or grand;
instead they were stripped of their humanity and faced immense pain. In no way is this a dignified way to die.