Dulce et Decorum Est - Language, Structure, Context

Question 1

Wilfred Owen

Answer 1

Soldier and war poet
Writing against propaganda
Greatly suffered from shell-shock and struggled with the devastation of war
In the first draft of this poem, it was addressed to Jessie Pope
Died on November 4th 1918, a week before armistice day and the end of the war

Question 2

1917

Answer 2

Towards the end of the war
The views about war are now a lot more pessimistic, contrasting to earlier periods, like 1914

Question 3

Weirdly placed stanza break

Question 4

Semantic field of pain/disability

Question 5

Many short clauses

Answer 5

Very unpoetic
Sanitised

Question 6

Rhyme

Answer 6

Alternating Rhyme
Iambic pentameter - more slowed pace and serious
Repetitive quality just like the war

Question 7

Meter

Answer 7

Iambic Pentameter - more slowed pace and serious

Question 8

Structure

Answer 8

4, unevenly sized, stanzas
S1 - 8 lines
S2 - 6 lines
S3 - 2 lines
S4 - 12 lines

Question 9

Stanza 1

Answer 9

Describes how war has transformed the soldiers into ‘ old beggars’ who physically cannot cope with the demands of war

Question 10

Stanza 2

Answer 10

Focuses of a gas attack, describing how the soldiers struggle

Question 11

Stanza 3

Answer 11

Is a short isolated 2 lines, which explores how what he has seen will forever stay with him long after in his ‘dreams’

Question 12

Stanza 4

Answer 12

Shifts to criticising the ‘old lie’ that dying for your country is somehow noble or desirable

Question 13

Sonnet

Answer 13

First half of the poem is a sonnet

Question 14

Context and meaning

Answer 14

Illustrates Owen’s fury at being misled by war propaganda.
Shows his frustration that their deaths and suffering is futile rather than glorious
Owen tries to undermine war propaganda that said that men should be patriotic

Question 15

Sluggish Language

Answer 15

Trudge
Limp
Lame
Deaf
Emphasises that war is anything but glamourous

Question 16

Second Stanza

Answer 16

The panic in the second stanza presents a contrast
Contrasting images between sluggish and panic supports the argument in the final stanza that war is pointless

Question 17

Alliteration

Answer 17

Repeated ‘b’ sound in the first 2 lines of the poem create a bitter and angry tone
The repeated sounds also create a sense of the monotony of war

Question 18

Direct address to the reader

Answer 18

Addresses the reader directly through ‘you’ and ‘my friend’
Creates a sense of discomfort as Owen seems to be accusing the reader of being complicit in this lie through their lack of awareness about the realities of war

Question 19

Change in pace/exclamation

Answer 19

Gas! Gas! Quick boys!
Signals a shift in tone from long winding sentences to shorter, more fragmented ones.
Mimics the sense of shock and upheaval in a sudden gas attack
Creates a sense of urgency and panic to emphasise how frightening war can be

Question 20

Form and Rhyme

Answer 20

Irregular form with 4 stanzas of varying length
Reflects the lack of order and control in war
Poem follows a regular ABAB rhyme scheme which creates momentum throughout the poem
Emphasises the poetic voice’s passion and anger over the suffering he has experienced and his desperation for the truth about war to be known