"Dulce Et Decorum Est": The Old Lie
The poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfrid Owen is an argument wherein the
narrator strongly urges caution in repeating the "old lie: 'Dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori"' (27-8). The narrator, a soldier in WVWI, contrasts this
sentiment, meaning "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's native land", with the
horrifying reality of war and the effects of mustard gas. Using rhetorical
persuasion evident in the structure of the argument, the use of figurative
language, and appeals to emotion, the narrator engages in a battle of imagery
that opposes "zest" (25), "children ardent for... glory" (26), and sweet death
touted by patriotic sentiment with the reality of the clumsy fatigue, dulled senses,
and bitter death of war.
The narrator's primary rhetorical tactic involves the structure in which he
presents his argument. He presents his entire body of evidence and support first
and does not make the central point of his argument until the last four lines of
the poem. Only after relating his haunting experience in an emotionally charged
and effective manner does he make the contrast to "the old lie" (27) taught to
school children. This tactic is effective because, if the narrator had presented his
main point initially, the audience's biases, opinions, and counter-arguments may
have clouded his perception of the narrator's story. The audience, if having
listened to and accepted the premises, will be more inclined to accept the
conclusion.
The contrast created by the narrator in the large scale of the entire poem
occurs on a smaller scale as well. The last twelve line verse is composed as one
long sentence in the form of a conditional statement which presents an
argument. After a long, dramatic buildup describing the suffering and pain of a
comrade dying for his country, the idea that such an action is sweet and fitting
appears ludicrous. Similarly, the narrator presents the contrast on an even
smaller level when he juxtaposes contrary ideas in the phrase "ecstasy of
fumbling" (9). "Ecstasy" is defined as "rapturous delight; an overpowering
emotion or exaltation". This emotion is incongruent with "fumbling" from fear of
chemical nerve gas.
Aside from using contrasts to illustrate meaning, the narrator also employs
similarities. Close association between some of the rhyming pairs reinforces his
argument and mirrors the content of the poem, following the same progression
into deeper despair. In lines 1 and 3, "sacks" and "backs" are linked and
emphasize the soldier's burden. In lines 2 and 4, "sludge" meaning "mud, mire,
or ooze" is linked with "trudge" meaning "to walk, especially laboriously or
wearily" to emphasize the difficulty the soldiers faced. This difficulty is further
described in lines 9 and 11 with the association between "fumbling" meaning "to
feel or grope about clumsily" and "stumbling" meaning "to walk or go unsteadily".
The despair deepens in lines 13 and 15 with the "thick green light" and the
narrator's "helpless sight" and becomes complete in lines 14 and 16 with the
repetition of "drowning".
Another rhetorical strategy the narrator uses is figurative language. The
many similes help to create a vivid image of the difficulties and horror of the
narrator's experience. He describes being "bent double, like old beggars under
sacks" (1.1) and "coughing, like hags" (1,2). His sight was "dim ... as under a
green sea" (1.13-14), and his comrade's "hanging face [was] like a devil's sick of
sin" (1.20). The consecutive similes "obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud of vile,
incurable sores" (1.23-4) create an intense image that speaks to the audience
not through the mind but through the heart.
This appeal to emotion is another rhetorical device the narrator employs in
his persuasion. He does not simply use logic, facts, and generalities about the
danger and unpleasantness of war; he uses vivid, highly charged, emotional
language to describe an isolated incident while ignoring broader principles and
higher goals. However, this is a fair tactic considering the sentiment he is arguing
against is itself an appeal to emotion which speaks only of lofty principles and
ignores the harsh realities of individual circumstance.
The narrator's imagery points out this flaw and makes sharp contrasts to the
images evoked in the final four lines. In opposition to "zest" (25), meaning "keen
relish, hearty enjoyment, gusto", and "ardent" (26), meaning "fervent, zealous"
which describe teacher and pupil respectively, the narrator presents images of
clumsiness, fatigue, and dulled senses. The soldiers must "trudge" (4) through
mud. The narrator describes "fumbling (9) with "the clumsy helmets" (10). One
soldier, overcome by gas, was "stumbling and floundering" (11-12) and "plunges"
(16) at the narrator. The men "limped" (6), "marched asleep" (5), and were "all
blind; drunk with fatigue, [and) deaf' (6-7). The narrator's own sight is "dim... as
under a green sea" (13-14). From the narrator's perspective, relish, enjoyment,
gusto, and zealous are not appropriate words to define his experience.
The narrator's description of the soldier's sickness is consistent with the
effects of mustard gas first used on a large scale in WW1. It causes extreme
blistering and severe irritation of the eyes and lungs. The fallen soldier's "white
eyes writhing in his face" (19) and "blood.., gargling from [his] froth-corrupted
lungs" (21-22) transmit an image of dying that hardly appears "fitting". The
descriptive words: "obscene" (23) defined. as "offensive to morality or decency",
"bitter" (23) meaning "having a harsh, disagreeable, acid taste", and "vile" (24)
meaning "wretchedly bad" directly attack the idea that dying for your country can
be sweet and a means to attain glory.
A further contrast the narrator presents is between young and old, between
children who have energy and enthusiasm and soldiers who are "like old beggars"
(1) and "hags" (2) suggesting "ugly old women". In opposition to the ideal of
sweet sentiment uttered by the tongues of children, the narrator describes "vile,
incurable sores on innocent tongues" (24). In the poem, the narrator creates an
argument that strives to broaden the perspective and dampen the idealism of
those who educate schoolchildren. He takes the noble concept of duty and glory
and adds to it the ignoble concept of suffering, despair, and inglorious death. The
narrator tells his friend that if he could undergo the same experience, he would
certainly temper his enthusiasm for glory.