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LITERATURECLASS:DULCEetDECORUMEST
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LITERATURECLASS
Themajorityofthesepostingsarefromtheinternet.Someofthemareuneditedwhilesomeofthem
are.IjustscouredtheinternetformaterialthatIthoughtwouldbeofbenefittomystudentswhoare
sittingtheEnglishBCSECexam.Iapologisefornotcitingthesitesasreferences.Someofthe
materialcomesfromCliffordNarinesinghcoauthorofAComprehensiveEnglishCourse,Books13
andCXCEnglishA.

Friday,6January2012

DULCEetDECORUMEST
DULCEetDECORUMEST
NotesonDulceetDecorumEst
1.DULCEETDECORUMESTtherstwordsofaLatinsaying(taken
fromanodebyHorace).Thewordswerewidelyunderstoodandoften
quotedatthestartoftheFirstWorldWar.TheymeanItissweetandright.
Thefullsayingendsthepoem:Dulceetdecorumestpropatriamoriitis
sweetandrighttodieforyourcountry.Inotherwords,itisawonderful
andgreathonourtoghtanddieforyourcountry.
2.Flaresrocketswhichweresentuptoburnwithabrilliantglaretolight
upmenandothertargetsintheareabetweenthefrontlines(See
illustration,page118ofOutintheDark.)
3.Distantrestacampawayfromthefrontlinewhereexhaustedsoldiers
mightrestforafewdays,orlonger
4.Hootsthenoisemadebytheshellsrushingthroughtheair
5.Outstrippedoutpaced,thesoldiershavestruggledbeyondthereachof
theseshellswhicharenowfallingbehindthemastheystruggleawayfrom
thesceneofbale
6.FiveNines5.9calibreexplosiveshells
7.Gas!poisongas.Fromthesymptomsitwouldappeartobechlorineor
phosgenegas.Thellingofthelungswithuidhadthesameeectsas
whenapersondrowned
8.Helmetstheearlynameforgasmasks
9.Limeawhitechalkysubstancewhichcanburnlivetissue
10.Panestheglassintheeyepiecesofthegasmasks
11.GueringOwenprobablymeantickeringoutlikeacandleor
gurglinglikewaterdrainingdownaguer,referringtothesoundsinthe
throatofthechokingman,oritmightbeasoundpartlylikestueringand
partlylikegurgling
12.Cudnormallytheregurgitatedgrassthatcowschewusuallygreen
andbubbling.Hereasimilarlookingmaterialwasissuingfromthesoldiers
mouth
13.Highzestidealisticenthusiasm,keenlybelievingintherightnessofthe
idea
14.ardentkeen
15.Dulceetdecorumestpropatriamoriseenote1above.

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2012(19)
May(1)
February(2)
January(16)
SonnetComposedUpon
WestminsterBridge
WestIndies,U.S.A.
ToanAthleteDyingYoung
ItistheConstantImageofYour
Face
ForgivemyGuilt
OnceuponaTime

WilfredOwenwasaCaptainoftheBritishArmyandassuch,witnessedthe
atrocitiesofwarrsthand.Hewantedtodispelthenotionsassociatedwith

OlHigueandLeLoupgarou
TestMatchSabinaPark

patriotismandnationalismthatwerepropagatedbythemediaduringhislifetime;

EPITAPH,DREAMINGBLACK
BOY,THEMEforENGLISHB

thushispoetryportrayswarasadehumanisingandhorricevent.Hispoems

SOUTH

DulceetDecorumEst,AnthemforDoomedYouthandTheSendOare
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ORCHIDS

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LITERATURECLASS:DULCEetDECORUMEST

signicantinconveyinghisnegativeaitudestowardstheeectsofwaronthe

GODSGRANDEUR

soldiers.

TheWomanSpeakstotheMan
whohasemployedHerS...

WithinDulceetDecorumEstthepoetutilisesavarietyofpowerfulpoeticdevices
inordertodepictdeathinwarasabrutalandhorrifyingexperience.Alliteration

THISISTHEDARKTIME,MY
LOVE

servestodrawtheaentionofthereader,asexpressedin:Andwatchthewhite

DULCEetDECORUMEST

eyeswrithinginhisface,whichcreatesastarkandconfrontingimagewithinthe
readersmind.Further,inhishangingface,likeadevilssickofsinitisthrough

CONTEMPLATIONUPON
FLOWERS

theuseofsimilethatthepoetarousesthesympathyoftheresponderasthey
witnessthegrotesquenatureofsuchadeath.
Inaddition,AnthemforDoomedYouthrevealsthatideathatthesoldierswho
diedduringwardidnotreceiveaproperburial.Theopeningrhetoricalquestion,
Whatpassingbellsforthesewhodieascale,isshockingandforcestheaudience
toperceivetheirdeathsasbeinglikenedtotheslaughteroflivestock.Thesonnet

AboutMe

Mrs.Dunkley
Viewmycomplete
profile

structureissuccessfulinestablishingachangeoftonebetweentheoctaveandthe
sestet.Therststanzapresentstheactionofthebaleeld,throughtheevocative
utilisationofalliterationandassonanceinonlytheriesrapidralecanpaerout
theirhastyorisons.Thisdemonstratesthatratherthanreceivingthetraditional
burial,thesemendietothedeafeningsoundsofthebaleeld.Thisconceptisboth
alarmingandevocativeasitencouragesustoempathisewiththosethatlosttheir
lives.
Incontrast,thesorrowfultoneofthesecondstanzaisindicativeofOwenspurpose,
ashemournsthesoldierswhohavedied.Here,therhetoricalquestionisusedto
drawthesympathyofthereaderin,Whatcandlesmaybeheldtospeedthemall?
Thenallineofthepoem,Andeachslowduskadrawingdownofblinds,reveals
thenotionthatalthoughthesemendonotreceiveaformalburial,theywillbe
rememberedbytheirlovedoneswhomustdealwiththepainandgriefoftheirloss
onadailybasis.Inthis,itisclearthatOwenaemptstopresentamorerealistic
portrayalofwar,fromtheperspectiveofasoldier.

FURTHERREADING
Theme:
Thethemeofthepoemisthesubjectwithwhichthepoetdeals.Itisthecentral
ideaaroundwhichtheeventorexperiencesrevolve.Inthispoem,thecentral
ideaisthehorrorsofwar.Theghastlyimageofwar,thetorturetowhich
soldiersaresubjected,reectthetheme
thehauntingares,gasshellsdropping
frothcorruptedlungsareevidenceoftheatrocitiesofwar.
INTENTIONOFTHEPOET
Whatdoesthepoethopetoachieve?
Thepoethere,wishestoconveyauniversalmessagetothereader,thatone
shouldnotbelievethatitisnobletodieforonescountry,becauseoftheuntold
miserieswhichsoldiersexperience.
Tothepoet,neitherfamenorglorycancompensatefortheimmensesuering
thatwarinictsonhumanity.
MOOD
Themoodconveyedinthepoemisoneofanger,revulsionanddisgust.
Theimpactoftheincidentinwhichthesoldieriscaughtinanexplosionandthe
agonyhesuersisoneofloathingandrevulsion.
Isawhimdrowning
guering,choking,drowningshowstheimmensesueringofadyingsoldier.
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THEMAININCIDENT
Thetraumaticexperienceofasoldierwhoiscaughtinasuddenexplosionwhile
returningtohiscamp.
IMAGERY
Thepoetachieveshispurposeorintentionthroughhisuseofintenselanguage
andvividimagery.
Thesearethesimilesusedbythepoettomaketheimagesinterestingand
meaningful.
1.Bentdouble,likeoldbeggarsundersacks.
Herethesoldiersreturningfromthebaleeldlooklikeoldbeggars,bentwith
ageandexhaustion,carryingtheirsacksontheirbacks.Thecomparisonis
appropriateasitappealstothevisualsenseandbringsthereadersfacetoface
withtheexhaustedsoldiers.
2.knockkneed,coughinglikehags
Theimageoftheknockkneedsoldierscoughinglikehags,showstheterrible
eectofthesmellofgunpowder,andgunshots.Itappealstotheauditorysense
andremindsthereaderofthesoundsofoldpeoplecoughing.
3.Andounderinglikeamaninreorlime
Theimagepresentsthesoldierinastateofpanic,unabletomoveinanyxed
directionasheistrappedinthere.
Thereadercanseethemovementsofthesoldier,likeablindmanoundering
andfumblingtondhisway.
4.Hishangingface,likeadevilssickofsin
Thecomparisonvividlydescribesthelookofthesoldierinagonyandpain
during
thenalmomentsofhisdeath.
LANGUAGEOFTHEPOEM
Thesearesomeexamplesofthepoetsuseofemotiveandintenselanguage
Wecursedthroughsludge
limpedonbloodshod
Drunkwithfatigue
Heplungesatme,guering,choking,drowning
Whiteeyeswrithinginhisface
Frothcorruptedlungs
Thelanguageusedisbothappropriateandeectiveandevokesthesympathy
ofthereader.
PostedbyMrs.Dunkleyat13:13
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1comment:
LeeannRobinson 13March2016at16:47
veryhelpful
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