Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

 Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

Introduction : 

War has always been one of the most powerful subjects in literature. Poetry, in particular, has served as a means of recording, reflecting upon, and criticizing war. The poem Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen is one of the most famous anti-war poems ever written. Unlike patriotic verses that glorify fighting for one’s country, Owen’s poem offers a shocking, realistic, and gruesome portrayal of life in the trenches during the First World War. Written in 1917 and published posthumously in 1920, it captures the pain, exhaustion, and meaningless death experienced by soldiers. The title comes from a Latin phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” meaning “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” While this phrase was once used to inspire soldiers, Owen uses it ironically, calling it “The old Lie.” His poem not only reflects the horrors of war but also changes the way war poetry is understood.

War Poetry and its Time Period : 

Before World War I, war poetry in English literature was often associated with patriotic and heroic ideals. Poets like Alfred Lord Tennyson in The Charge of the Light Brigade glorified bravery and sacrifice. War was seen as noble, and poetry celebrated national honor. However, with the outbreak of World War I (1914–1918), poetry changed dramatically. The modern form of “war poetry” emerged, focusing on disillusionment, trauma, and the futility of conflict. This new poetry rejected the old glorification and instead highlighted mud, gas attacks, and death in the trenches. The movement was largely carried forward by soldier-poets who experienced the war firsthand. Their writings marked a turning point in literary history by presenting truth rather than propaganda.

Historical Background: Causes of World War I : 

World War I began in 1914 and lasted until 1918. Its major causes included militarism, alliances, imperial competition, and nationalism. The immediate cause was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June 1914. This event triggered a chain reaction where alliances between nations pulled almost all of Europe into war. The Allied Powers included Britain, France, and later the United States, while the Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. The war introduced new destructive technologies like machine guns, chemical weapons, and tanks. The trench warfare on the Western Front created horrific conditions where soldiers lived in mud, faced constant shelling, and witnessed massive casualties. The First World War was called “the war to end all wars,” but it instead left behind death, destruction, and disillusionment.

Famous War Poets :

World War I produced a generation of soldier-poets whose works continue to shape our understanding of war. Alongside Wilfred Owen, figures like Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, and Isaac Rosenberg are significant. Brooke wrote idealistic sonnets that glorified sacrifice, such as The Soldier, but poets like Sassoon and Owen rejected this romanticism. Sassoon’s biting satire and Owen’s tragic realism depicted war’s harsh truth. Owen, in particular, stands out because his poems combine graphic realism with lyrical beauty, using powerful imagery and compassion to evoke the physical and psychological suffering of soldiers. His poetry is not just a document of history but also a moral statement against war.

Poem : 

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

In-depth Analysis of Dulce et Decorum Est : 

Owen’s poem begins with a shocking description of soldiers marching back from the battlefield. Instead of being heroic figures, they are “bent double, like old beggars under sacks,” “knock-kneed,” and coughing “like hags.” This opening destroys the image of glorious young men in uniform and presents them instead as broken, diseased, and prematurely aged. The tone is bleak and heavy, showing the physical toll of war.

The second part of the poem depicts a sudden gas attack. Owen writes with urgency and chaos as soldiers scramble to put on their gas masks. One soldier, however, fails to do so in time. What follows is a graphic description of his death: the man is drowning in poison gas, with “white eyes writhing” and “froth-corrupted lungs.” The imagery is grotesque, forcing readers to visualize the slow, suffocating death. Owen wants us to feel the horror, not look away.

The final section of the poem directly addresses the reader, particularly those who glorify war from a distance. Owen asks whether anyone, after witnessing such suffering, could still believe in the old saying, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” He calls it “The old Lie,” suggesting that the idea of noble death in war is false and dangerous. His bitter irony unmasks the truth: war does not make heroes, it makes corpses.

Structure of the Poem

Dulce et Decorum Est consists of four unequal stanzas. The poem does not follow a strict form, which mirrors the chaotic reality of war. The rhyme scheme is largely alternating (ABAB), but with variations that keep the rhythm unsettled. The uneven structure adds to the sense of disorder. The meter is mainly iambic pentameter but is frequently broken with shorter lines, especially during the gas attack, to create urgency and shock. The structure itself becomes part of the meaning, reinforcing the physical exhaustion and chaotic experiences of the soldiers.

Figures of Speech in the Poem

• Simile – “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” → shows exhaustion and dehumanization.

• Metaphor – Gas victim’s death compared to drowning → highlights suffocation and horror.

• Alliteration – “Knock-kneed,” “Watch the white eyes writhing” → adds rhythm and emphasis on suffering.

• Onomatopoeia – “Gargling from froth-corrupted lungs” → mimics the dying sound.

• Imagery – “Blood-shod,” “froth-corrupted lungs” → creates grotesque mental pictures.

• Irony – Title phrase “Dulce et decorum est” is called “The old Lie” → exposes false glorification of war.

• Personification – “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags” → compares soldiers to weak old women.

• Enjambment – Broken lines during gas attack → mirrors chaos and urgency of battle.

Themes : 

Horrors of War
Wilfred Owen presents the harsh and brutal realities of war in vivid detail. The soldiers are described as “bent double, like old beggars under sacks,” showing how their bodies are broken and exhausted. The poem does not glorify war but instead shows the physical pain, mud, blood, and exhaustion that soldiers suffered. Through such disturbing images, Owen makes the reader feel the horror of being on the battlefield.

Reality vs. Propaganda
During World War I, governments and poets often praised war as noble and heroic. Young men were encouraged to join the army with the promise of honor. Owen directly challenges this propaganda. He contrasts the harsh truth of gas attacks, death, and suffering with the patriotic lie that war is glorious. His poem exposes how the reality of the trenches was far from the idealized picture spread back home.

Death and Suffering
The poem gives a shocking description of a soldier dying in a gas attack. Owen describes the victim’s body as “guttering, choking, drowning.” This image captures the slow and painful death caused by chemical weapons. The suffering does not end there; it stays in the memories of the soldiers who witnessed it. Owen highlights that death in war is not heroic but miserable and full of agony.

Loss of Youth and Innocence
Most soldiers in World War I were very young, often teenagers. Owen shows how war robbed them of their youth. Instead of being strong and full of life, they looked like “old beggars” and “hags.” Their innocence was destroyed by the harsh conditions of war. The soldiers who should have been enjoying life were instead trapped in misery, disease, and exhaustion.

Psychological Trauma
Beyond the physical suffering, Owen also shows the mental impact of war. He writes of the haunting memories of the gas attack, saying he sees the dying soldier in his dreams, “plunging at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” This shows how trauma followed soldiers long after the battle. The nightmares, guilt, and horror stayed with them, a reminder that the war damaged minds as much as bodies.

Patriotism and “The Old Lie”
The title and closing lines of the poem attack the phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country). Owen calls this “The Old Lie.” Through his personal experience, he proves that war is not glorious but filled with suffering and death. By rejecting this idea, Owen criticizes blind patriotism and warns readers against believing false promises about honor in war.

Conclusion :

Dulce et Decorum Est remains one of the most powerful anti-war poems in English literature. Wilfred Owen, himself a soldier who died just days before the war ended, used his poetry to expose the harsh realities of combat. His vivid imagery, broken structure, and bitter irony strip away illusions of glory and reveal the human cost of war. 

By calling the patriotic slogan “The old Lie,” Owen challenges readers to question not only the justification of war but also the cultural narratives that glorify sacrifice. In doing so, he gives voice to the countless soldiers whose lives were wasted in the trenches. His poem continues to speak to modern readers as a reminder of the destructive futility of war and the need for truth in times of conflict.

Workscited : 

Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est." Poetry Foundation, 2017, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed., Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.