Dulce et Decorum Est

Dulce et Decorum Est

Dulce et Decorum Est is one of the best known poems by Wilfred Owen about the first World War.
The title meaning "It is sweet and right" is ironic as it is referring to the horrors of war. The intention was not so much to induce pity as to shock, especially civilians at home who believed war was noble and glorious. It gives one view from one person who makes you feel guilty if you don’t believe him and take his side, or that this is how all soldiers feel. Owen gives the reality of war and all the suffering with it. It comprises four unequal stanzas, the first two in sonnet form, the last two, looser in structure. Stanza one sets the scene. The soldiers are limping back from the Front, an appalling picture expressed through simile and metaphor. Such is the men’s wretched condition that they can be compared to "old beggars" and "hags." Yet these were young men and barely able to keep awake from the lack of sleep. Their once smart uniforms, now resembling old...