Imagery in Dulce ET Decorum EST: a Comparative Analysis of War Poetry

Introduction

“Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen, is a poem that expounds on his experiences of being a soldier in the trenches during WW1. The poet describes the terrors and the horrible conditions he experienced and conveys to the readers the realities of war. Jessie Pope’s poem “Who’s for the Game?” is based on a comparison of war with a sporting game, and since the game is fun and exciting, everyone should participate. In fact, this poem is a persuasive propaganda written to encourage young men to be part of the war.

Body

The Structural Impact on Themes

Although the two poems are both about WW1, “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Who’s for the Game?” are two different war poems. This was indicated by the poets’ different uses of structure, figurative language, and tones. The structure of the two poems suggests the poets’ different interpretations of war. “Dulce et Decorum Est” is a combination of two sonnets, which are structured in three stanzas and one couplet. The first stanza is an octave that sets in the scene of the battlefield; the second stanza is a sestet describing the gas attack, followed by a couplet that transits into Owen’s dream. The last stanza has twelve lines depicting an image of his comrades dying slowly in extreme pain.

Rhyme Scheme and Tone

Furthermore, the enjambments used throughout the poem provide a clear idea of war being quick and rapid. On the other hand, in “Who’s for the Game?” the poem is short and structured with one stanza only. The enjambments used also create a different effect from “Dulce et Decorum Est”; instead of quick and rapid, it emphasizes the excitement of war. The structure differs from the poem’s theme and the purpose of the poem. Furthermore, in “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the poet uses alternate rhymes of type ABABCDCD. This rhyme scheme consists of 10 masculine rhymes and four feminine rhymes. The mixture of rhythms reveals the dramatic difference in the rhyme scheme and enhances the melancholy tone of the poem. In comparison to “Who’s for the Game?” Wilfred Owen’s poem has a slightly more complex rhyme pattern at the end of each stanza. While in “Who’s for the Game?” the poem has the same rhyme scheme as “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Its rhythm is very similar to children’s poems; most of the rhyming words are one syllable, like “hand” and “stand.” This makes the poem sound more cheerful, and it becomes easier to understand. Moreover, the use of language between the two poems expresses the different meanings of each poem.

For “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the poet uses formal, metaphorical, and complex language to show the vivid and horrific images of war to society, and phrases like “drunk with fatigue” and “an ecstasy of fumbling” were used. Owen demonstrates his emotional expressions through his choice of words and language, and this arouses the inner feelings of the readers. Whereas, in “Who’s for the Game?”, the poet writes in a conversational manner to spread her jingoistic attitude to everyone. Her use of simple, colloquial language makes this poem easy for everyone to read, as the use of slang influences many people. Therefore, this poem appeals to all the different social classes at that period of time. Also, the use of universal and familiar language in this poem was essential for this propaganda to be successful. Also, In “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Wilfred Owen used figurative language to reveal the horror of war. He used similes in an effective way, which described the physical appearance of the soldiers as “bent double, like old beggars” and “coughing like hags.” The soldiers are compared to old beggars, indicating that they are exhausted, struggling to stand upright with their aching backs. They are also referred to as hags who suffer from illnesses, which contradicts the general images of how soldiers should look. This suggested Owen’s idea of a war being horrible and painful instead of a fun and exciting game. Differently, in “Who’s for the Game?” Pope uses an extended metaphor throughout the whole poem to compare wars with a game that brings glory and happiness to the soldiers. As Pope’s purpose was to persuade young men to enlist, she describes war as a game, “Who’s for the game, the Biggest that’s played, the red crashing game of a fight.” This shows that Pope was trying to convince the young man to join in the war, and a war filled with red blood was sugar-coated and represented by the phrase “the red crashing game.”

Evoking Imagery

Additionally, in “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the poet used imagery to paint a picture of the reality of war. During the wars, soldiers died from gas attacks painfully, and to make clear to the readers the tough condition of wars, “someone still yelling out and stumbling/ and floundering like a man in fire or lime.” This line emphasizes how inconceivable such terrors were; people struggled when the gas bombs were dropped in the trench. Also, Owen uses multi gerunds, such as “yelling,” “stumbling,” and “floundering,” to add to the sense of urgency in war. Another imagery that depicts the miserable situation is, “If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood/ Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.”

These compelling lines indicate the soldiers were helpless during the war, and the only thing they could do was watch how their comrades and friends died in agony. These graphic images play a very effective role in the development of the poem. Nevertheless, “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Who’s for the Game?” are both war poems, but the two poets have a totally opposite attitude towards them. In “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the use of phrases “coughing like hags,” “ecstasy of fumbling,” and words like “coughing,” “drowning,” and “choking” give a clue to the readers that the tone of the poet as being the front line of this horrific war is full of grief and sorrowful. The tone of the poem shows the true side of war; it shows that fighting in the war is not what you think; it’s painful and depressing. In comparison, throughout the poem “Who’s for the Game?”, the poet convinces the soldiers to go to war by asking questions in every stanza.’ Who’s for the game, the biggest thetas played, the red crashing game of a fight?’ She asked the reader in an excited tone, allowing the soldiers to have a positive view of war. Also, the use of phrases “it won’t be a picnic-not much” and “come along, lads” conveys a friendly and light-hearted tone towards the readers; it also tells us the poet is unaware of the conditions of war.

Conclusion

To conclude, “Dulce et Decorum Est” is written from a personal experience of war, while “Who’s for the Game?” is persuasive propaganda written to encourage men to be part of the war. The poets of both poems used different aspects to convey their idea of war, especially their use of figurative language effortlessly fed the readers vivid images. By comparing and contrasting, both poems have benefits for society today as we can learn the lessons of war from two completely different perspectives. In my opinion, as a woman, Jessie Pope had no right to comment about the war because she would never have to put herself in that position. Generally, these two poems have not much in common.

References

1. Owen, W. (1920). Dulce et Decorum Est. In Poems. Chatto & Windus. Citation in text: (“Dulce et Decorum Est,” Owen, 1920)

2. Pope, J. (1915). Who’s for the Game? In Jessie Pope’s War Poems. J. W. Catts & Co. Citation in text: (“Who’s for the Game?”, Pope, 1915)

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