The treatment of civilians and soldiers in time of war.

These two poems show the lives of both soldiers and civilians during war. The first poem, Refugee Blues, is mainly based on the civilians point of view in the war while the second poem, Dulce et Decorum Est., is mainly based on the soldiers point of view in the war. REFUGEE BLUES by W.H.Auden During the time of war, we learn that some civilians are treated as outcasts. Say this city has ten million soulsyet there is no place for us, my dear, yet there is no place for us. From this statement, we are led to believe that the two refugees in this poem had been rejected by all the people in that city and probably rejected by all the people in that country. The effect of the repetition of the words yet there is no place for us is that the statement is more emotive than it would have been without the repetition. We are filled with sympathy for the two refugees when the author uses the words my dear in the sentence as it is brought to our realization that the two have strong feelings for each other. This could, however, be a good thing since they could comfort each other. Jews were chased away from their homes and were not allowed to go back. We cannot go there now my dear. This shows that they had a place they used to stay once but are no longer accepted there. This is, however, greatly contradicted by the fact that the soldiers in the poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, actually had a place to go back to, as shown in the statement, and towards our distant rest began to trudge. Furthermore, they considered it a place of rest unlike the Jews who were not accepted anywhere. This does not necessarily mean that life for soldiers is better than life for some civilians in the time of war. We should keep in mind that it is the soldiers who actually fight the wars. Despite the multiple times the Jews were told that they were finished, they did not lose hope but continued to live on. If youve got no passport youre officially deadbut we are still alive. Despite the intimidating words from the consul, they still managed to beat the odds and survive. Survival is a common trait in both soldiers and civilians during war, for example, in Dulce et Decorum Est, although the soldiers were knock-kneed, bent double, and coughing like hags, they still marched on to safety. There is very little or no freedom for some civilians during war. Saw the fish swimming as if they were free, only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away. The distance between the swimming fish and the civilians has been used to show the great contrast between the fish and the Jews, in that, although they were just a few meters away from each other, the fish were free, yet the Jews were not. Soldiers too are not free since they have to obey the commands of their superior, lest they be punished. Although war is usually a fight for freedom, there must be, unfortunately, those who have to lose their freedom, in order to gain freedom for others .i.e. soldiers.

During war, civilians turn against each other for reasons such as, racial differences and differences in political views. The hatred between the opposing groups can go as far as other people valuing animals more than fellow human beings. Saw a door opened and a cat let inbut they werent German Jews. It is astonishing that a human being would be so cold hearted as to prefer welcoming home a stray cat, to a fellow human being. Although, it would not be fair to say that people were valuing animals over a human life because they hated Jews, it could be that they were looking after their own lives fearing that if they were found harboring a Jew by the authorities, they themselves would be killed. Soldiers, during a war, could be considered as the governments tool for enforcing its aims. In this case, the governments aim was getting rid of Jews. Ten thousand soldiers moved to and fro, looking for you and for me. Looking for you and me in this instance does not mean looking for just both of them, but all the Jews. The author uses you and me intentionally to show how much they had feelings for each other and that nothing else mattered but the safety of just the two of them. .

DULCE ET DECORUM EST by Wilfred Owen

Soldiers usually have to endure long distances in order to reach their destination. Bent double, like old beggars under sacksand toward our distant rest begun to trudge. The use of a long sentence brings about an elongating effect and the word distant, at the end of the sentence shows the long distance they had to travel. Despite the various obstacles the soldiers may have encountered on their way home, they did not stop or slow down, since all that mattered to them was safety. Men marched asleepMany had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod. Although the soldiers were exhausted and felt like sleeping, although they did not have shoes and were bleeding, they limped on, not looking back. It is not only soldiers who struggle for survival in the time of war, civilians too struggle to stay alive, as seen from the poem refugee blues, youre officially deadbut we are still alive. Soldiers experience intense moments during war. Gas! Gas! Quick boys. These are not complete sentences. They have deliberately been used to bring out the intensity of the situation and to show how quick things were going. There was no time for the group leader to make a complete full statement such as, Hurry up boys, there is gas everywhere, put on your gas masks. Had the person made such a statement, the author may have not lived to write this poem. The author vividly explains a scene from the war, which may mean that he has thought of it repeatedly. Floundering like a man in fire or limemisty panesthick green lightgreen seabefore my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. This moment must have constantly haunted the author for him to remember such crucial details. We are taken into the moment by the vivid explanation of the soldiers experience; we are made to believe that we are actually there, in the middle of the action. The author uses words in threes, guttering, choking drowning. This makes us feel emotion and tells us almost exactly what was happening. It makes me feel sorry for the author, having gone through such a situation and feeling helpless as he watched a man die. Civilians usually have the wrong perception of war. They think that war is just about glory and honour. It is only when they actually go to war that they realize what its all about. If in some smothering dreams, you too could paceif you could hearmy friend, you would not tell with such high zestthe old lie: Dulce et decorum est Propatria mori. The author uses a periodic sentence in the last stanza of the poem to create suspense. He makes us think about where he is heading at before finally revealing the answer. The answer then carries a much greater effect than it would have had he just told us what he wanted to say. In the end we finally get why the author has been so pessimistic about war all through from the beginning. He has been trying to prove his friend, which in this case actually means enemy, that it is not in the least sweet and honourable to die for ones country.