The line is; Bent double, like old beggars under sacks which is already a rather miserable tone. ... He describes the soldiers" crooked stance and compares them to old beggars, uncomfortable and undesirable. ... This situation is linked to the earlier use of the word floundering, and carries on the sea theme in a more definite way. The man is giving up the fight, onomatopoeic of the desperate fight for air under a sea. ... The next stanza is mostly on the same theme. ...

• Word Count: 2354
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

In the first stanza, Owen opens up by giving phrases such as "like old beggars under sacks", "men marched asleep", and "drunk with fatigue", which strongly provides the readers with vivid pictures of soldiers pushing forward in slow and controlled pace despite of deplorable conditions they are in. ... "As under a green sea I saw him drowning. ... In the end of the four lines, usage of the words such as "with such high zest" implies that "once the sentiment of dulce et decorum was once held by either the speaker or the dead man who he now sees on the wagon." ... At last, Owen's "Dulce...

• Word Count: 708
• Approx Pages: 3

The composer's use of similes illustrates to us the unimaginable, horrific scenes of war in a way we might be able to fathom "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks". ... For example, it is displayed when Owen says, "Under a green sea, I saw him drowning" and "Blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs". ... Owen refers to the Latin phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" meaning it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country, as "the old lie" suggesting that Horace, the man who composed the saying over 2000 years a...

• Word Count: 1027
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"If anything will rouse him now, The kind old sun will know," The second stanza goes much deeper into the Generals emotions he is saying why did the sun break the earth to create us, if we are going to slaughter each other. ... "And floundering like a man in fire or lime" This line is saying the soldier was panicking too much that he was making mistakes and because of these mistakes the soldier doesn't get his helmet on in time and now he is surrounded by green gas. The last two lines of this stanza describes the soldier dying, "Dim through the misty panes and thick green l...

• Word Count: 983
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School