How can i start my essay on the poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen.?

Question

How can i start my essay on the poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen.?

Answer 1

Start with an explanation of the meaning of the title & it's relevance to the subject of the poem.

Answer 2

you should start it off saying, "Dulce Et Decorum Est, who the **** cares?" I would give that an a+.

Answer 3

To begin with, explain that 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' is a Latin phrase meaning 'it is sweet and right'. The phrase is completed at the end of the poem: 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' which means 'it is sweet and right to die for your country'.

The poem deals with the irony of this phrase- as there is nothing 'sweet' about dying. Owen seems to have a bitter tone when he says 'The Old Lie', which suggests that men are tricked into believing that fighting in the war was a glorious thing. You could look at the language that Owen uses- for example: 'ecstasy of fumbling', 'guttering, choking, drowning' , 'the white eyes writhing in his face', 'froth-corrupted lungs'. The word 'corrupted' can be seen to be useful here, as it can be argue dthat the young men were corrupted into fighting in the war and killing others, for a cause that Owen believes is an 'Old Lie'.

This negative view of how it is right to fight for one's country, can be understood more, when you consder Wilfred Owen's life. Owen had originally enjoyed being involved in the war, as he believed he was defending the Englishman and even the right of English literature. However, after he had spent time in the trenches, he saw the horrors of War, and witnessed many men around him get killed and injured. There was an incident in which he was trapped under a sheet of iron for a few days next a dead soldier.

Eventually Owen developed shell shock, and was killed when he was sent back to the trenches to 'recover' by facing the causes of his shell shock.

Hope this is useful- I did a presentation on Owen and his poetry at Uni this year.