Intermediate 1/2 English
Literature:
Poetry Unit
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The First World War lasted from
1914-1918. At first people were
enthusiastic about it, thinking that
it would not last very long. But as
the war raged on, many people
became quite disillusioned by it.
The writer of this poem, although
brave and patriotic, disapproved
of the way the government was
sending out young men to almost
certain death – a bloody and
horrible death as you will see in
the poem. Don’t be put off by the
Latin title. It means something
like ‘It is sweet and fitting to die
for your country.’ Later in the
poem, the writer says this is a
‘Lie.’
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Listen to the poem
For many people, Wilfred
Owen – born 1893 - is the
greatest poet of WW1. Owen
joined the army in 1915 and
served as an Officer in the
War. He was awarded the
military cross for bravery in
1918 and was killed on
November 4th, one week
before the armistice. Most of
his poems were written in a
short space of time in 1917
and 1918 and were published
after Owen’s death. Almost all
of Owen’s surviving poetry
describes life as a soldier in
the trenches.
His poems
show the harsh realities of
war.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through
sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
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Vocabulary:
• Flares
• Fatigue
• Five-Nines
Some of the techniques used here:
• Simile
• Alliteration and onomatopoeia
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!” – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick, green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
Vocabulary:
• Ecstasy
• Floundering
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Some of the techniques used here:
• Punctuation and sentence structure
• Capital letters
• Repetition
• Word choice and comparisons
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
Vocabulary:
• Guttering
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Some of the techniques used here:
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face;
His hanging face like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
That old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
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Vocabulary:
• Writhing
• Corrupted
• Obscene
• Cud
• Zest
• Ardent
Some of the techniques used here:
• Word choice, tone and sound
• Simile
• Sentence structure
• Capital letter
• Directly addressing the reader
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through
sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
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Vocabulary:
• Flares
• Fatigue
• Five-Nines
Some of the techniques used here:
• Simile
• Alliteration and onomatopoeia
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
Verse 1
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1. What is being described in this verse (use your
own words)?
2. Quote the similes from lines 1-2. Say how
each is effective.
3. Quote examples of alliteration from lines 2
and 5. Are the sounds hard or soft, and how
effective are they?
4. Comment on the phrase ‘distant rest.’
5. Quote 3 examples of metaphors used in the
closing lines of this verse.
Verse 1
1.
2.
3.
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4.
5.
What is being described in this verse (use your own
words)? The men coming back from front line
Quote the similes from lines 1-2. Say how each is
effective. “…like old beggars” – shows they are in a bad
state and are old beyond their years. “coughing like
hags” – again shows they have been aged.
Quote examples of alliteration from lines 2 and 5. Are the
sounds hard or soft, and how effective are they? “knock
kneed” – hard sounds, shows how they walk in fear and
coldness. “coughing… cursed” – sound effect. “men
marched” – imitates sound of boots.
Comment on the phrase ‘distant rest.’ Base seems really
far away. They are exhausted and weary.
Quote 3 examples of metaphors used in the closing lines
of this verse, “drunk with fatigue”, “deaf”, “blood-shod”,
“lame”, “blind”
Verse 1: Tops and Tails
This verse describes
how the men feel…
Sound effects are used
in this verse…
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Words and images like
‘blood shod’ and ‘blind’
are used…
Similes are used in this
verse…
Extension: ANNOTATE stanza 1
To recreate the
unpleasant noises in the
trenches.
To reinforce the
soldiers’ poor physical
condition.
To make the soldiers
sound old beyond their
years.
After a long spell at the
front line.
Verse 1: Tops and Tails
This verse describes
how the men feel…
Sound effects are used
in this verse…
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Words and images like
‘blood shod’ and ‘blind’
are used…
Similes are used in this
verse…
Extension: ANNOTATE stanza 1
To recreate the
unpleasant noises in the
trenches.
To reinforce the
soldiers’ poor physical
condition.
To make the soldiers
sound old beyond their
years.
After a long spell at the
front line.
“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!” – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick, green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
Vocabulary:
• Ecstasy
• Floundering
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Some of the techniques used here:
• Punctuation and sentence structure
• Capital letters
• Repetition
• Word choice and comparisons
Verse 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
What takes the men by surprise (use your own words)?
Comment on the effect of the repetition, capital letters
and exclamation marks.
What are the ‘clumsy helmets’, do you think?
There are a lot of ‘ing’ words (present participles) in
this verse. What is their effect?
Comment on the phrase ‘just in time.’
What effect does the word ‘But’ have?
What is the gas compared to in this verse?
Quote an expression which reminds us that this was a
real-life, personal experience of Owen’s.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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6.
7.
8.
What takes the men by surprise (use your own words)?
A gas shell falling into the trench.
Comment on the effect of the repetition, capital letters
and exclamation marks. It shows that they are
shouting in panic. It creates a sense of seriousness,
of urgency and fear.
What are the ‘clumsy helmets’, do you think? The gas
masks.
There are a lot of ‘ing’ words (present participles) in
this verse. What is their effect? The effect is it feels
like it’s happening before your eyes – right now.
Comment on the phrase ‘just in time.’ They had to be
very quick. It was a matter of life and death. It
creates urgency and suspense.
What effect does the word ‘But’ have? Fear – someone
has not been successful.
What is the gas compared to in this verse? “green sea”
Quote an expression which reminds us that this was a
real-life, personal experience of Owen’s. “I saw him…”
Verse 2: Cloze Summary
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• The second section _____ describes a _____ attack,
giving an eyewitness account of a soldier’s death. The
section starts with a _____ of warning – ‘Gas! GAS!
Quick, boys!’ This starts to build _____ as the _____
marks, repetition and _____ speech add a sense of
panic and foreboding. Upon this warning, the soldiers
‘fumble’ to ‘fit the clumsy helmets just in time.’ Such is
their _____ that they can’t even work their fingers _____.
‘Just in time’ makes us think that it was a close thing.
However, the first word - ‘but’ - in the next line dashes
these hopes. The expression ‘as under a green sea I
saw him drowning’ is the first time in the poem Owen has
referred to _____ as ‘I’. By using ‘I’ rather than ‘we’ it’s
almost as if Owen takes the full _____ upon himself,
even though there was nothing he or the others could
do.
gas
direct
responsibility tension
vividly himself
cry
exhaustion
properly
exclamation
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
Vocabulary:
• Guttering
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Some of the techniques used here:
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
Verse 3
1. Has Owen recovered from his
experience of watching the man die?
Justify you answer, using quotations
and commenting on any techniques
used. (You should at least refer to word
choice and the use of a list.)
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Verse 3
Owen probably felt a mixture of
emotions during this experience. Look
at the list of feelings below, justifying
how each one could be true. The first
one has been done for you.
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Feeling
Why he might feel this way
Guilt
The man was under his command
Anger
Sympathy
Relief
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face;
His hanging face like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
That old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
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Vocabulary:
• Writhing
• Corrupted
• Obscene
• Cud
• Zest
• Ardent
Some of the techniques used here:
• Word choice, tone and sound
• Simile
• Sentence structure
• Capital letter
• Directly addressing the reader
Verse 4
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1. Quote some words or phrases where Owen
refers to the reader directly.
2. Comment on the word ‘flung’ as used in the
second line of this stanza.
3. Quote any expressions from this stanza which
could be described as horrific. Note down any
techniques used in these quotes. (Look for
strong sounds or word pictures, such as
similes.)
4. What is Owen’s main point in this poem, and
what is his attitude to war? You should refer to
the closing lines in your answer.
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THEMES:
The issues dealt with in the text;
the message being communicated by the poet
CRITICIAL ESSAY PREPARATION
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You are required to write a Critical Essay, of at least
600 words, on Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Dulce et
Decorum est.’ This task will test:
Your understanding of the text and its themes;
Your analysis of the poet’s techniques;
Your evaluation of the text;
Your ability to express yourself accurately and
relevantly.
Task: Choose a poem about an important
incident or an event. Say what happens in the
poem and show how the poet has used poetic
techniques to portray the reality of what
happened.
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PARAGRAPH 1 - INTRODUCTION
• This paragraph should be short and
general in its approach. You should
include:
• Title, poet, genre
• Words from the task
• Positive phrases
• Techniques to which you’ll refer.
PARAGRAPH 1 - EXAMPLE
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The haunting but brilliant poem ‘Dulce et
Decorum est’ by war poet Wilfred Owen
gives a very realistic portrayal of an
important incident which Owen witnessed
while serving as an Officer in the First
World War. The excellent description is
due to Owen’s use of techniques, such as
word choice, comparisons and sentence
structure.
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PARAGRAPH 2 - SUMMARY
• This paragraph should include a short
summary of the text. Briefly:
• Mention that the poem is written in free
verse
• Summarise the content
• List the themes or issues raised by the
text
PARAGRAPH 2 - EXAMPLE
The poem is written in free verse. It gives a
vivid account of the death of a young soldier,
as witnessed by Owen, and raises themes such
as the harsh realities of war.
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PARAGRAPHS 3-6 – MAIN SECTIONS
These paragraphs are your main sections. You may use
the topic sentences below, and the ‘PEE’ chain, to help
you write these paragraphs. Don’t forget to use words
from the task often.
In the first verse, Owen vividly sets the scene
for the main incident described in the poem. He
shows us how the men are feeling after a long
time on the front line…
The second verse of the poem gives a clear
description of how the men are taken by surprise.
Verse 3 shows us Owen’s reaction to the incident.
In the last verse, Owen uses more horrible
details of the incident to put across his anger
about war.
PARAGRAPHS 3-6 - EXAMPLE
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In the first verse, Owen vividly sets the scene
for the main incident described in the poem. He
shows us how the men are feeling after a long
time on the front line. His use of imagery is
particularly noticeable:
‘Bent double like old beggars under sacks.’
This clever simile is very powerful. ‘Beggars’ have
connotations of old, decrepit men, not young men
in their prime. The soldiers sound almost disabled
by the hardships they face and they are clearly in
a state of exhaustion.
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PARAGRAPH 7 - CONCLUSION
• This paragraph is your conclusion. It should
include the same elements as paragraph 1,
expressed differently. It should also be final,
pulling together the main threads of your
essay. And be sure to end on a very personal
note, stating clearly a positive response to
the text and what you have gained from
studying this poem closely.
PARAGRAPH 7 - EXAMPLE
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In conclusion, the striking poem ‘Dulce et
Decorum est’ is a powerful description of a
war-time event. Owen’s use of various
techniques helps to create a clear image of
what actually happened, and this conveys a
powerful anti-war message. This poem has
made me more aware of the horrific
experiences of many young soldiers in the
Great War.
Before you hand in your work for grading, ask yourself the following questions:
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Have I gone into enough detail?
Can the marker understand the text from what I have written
about it?
Have I used a clear topic (introductory) sentence in each
paragraph?
Is each paragraph relevant to the task I was set?
Have I supported my points with evidence from the text?
Have I set out quotes properly?
Have I included personal responses to the text throughout?
Does my essay have a clear introduction and conclusion?
Have I used sentences and paragraphs appropriately?
Have I checked my spelling carefully?
Have I used punctuation properly at all times?
Is this my best work?