Imagining the horrific events that so many experience everyday simply to ensure the safety of citizens they have never even met is unfathomable. The mental hardships the select few face are overwhelming to the human mind and sometimes even lead to extreme mental turmoil such as post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. There are so many risks for those that have stepped forward to fight for their country, yet so many continue to do so. In "Dulce et Decorum Est," Wilfred Owen utilizes gory and haunting imagery, reminiscent figurative language, and gruesome diction to unveil the unfortunate truth that mainstream propaganda wrongly glorifies the life of a soldier in combat.
Owen employs the use of startling and memorable imagery to depict the unforgettable account of a faction of soldiers searching for a place to rest after combat to demonstrate how the media and other forms of propaganda falsely represent combatants. The soldiers are "bent double, like old beggars" which is contrary to the popular image of soldiers being strong and able. Owen is portraying these heroes in a more realistic light in that actual soldiers experience extreme fatigue and weakness due to the traumatic events experienced while deployed. As gas shells explode around them while they have their guard down, an "ecstasy of fumbling" erupts among them to fit their gas masks in time. The unpreparedness of the soldiers is a stark contrast to the popular opinion that the military always has a plan for every course of action. On the combat field, there is little time to stay prepared for every possible scenario. Combatants are risking their lives when they step on the battle field which is not displayed in the mainstream propaganda. This leads the public to a state of naivety of the soldiers actual combat circumstances. Probably the most disturbing use of horrific imagery is a scene where a wounded fighter is "flung" into a wagon to be carried away.