Poetry Analysis - Dulce Et Decorum Est

            
             The poem Dulce Et Decorum Est was first written in early October 1917, during the time Owen was receiving treatment at Craiglockhart Hospital. The draft was then revised later on at Scarborough or Ripon in 1918. The central part of the poem vividly describes the death of an anonymous soldier from the poisonous gas. The poem starts with a description of the horrifying image of the war and conclude with the bitter attack on those who see glory in the death of others, specifically the patriotic propagandist called Jessie Pope. In todays individual oral commentary, I will be focusing on two main thesis statement. My first thesis statement will explore how Wilfred Owen uses wide range of literary devices with a tone of irony to scatter the false perception of war and to expose the true side of it:.
             Owens use of irony can be first depicted from the title of the poem, Dulce Et Decorum Est, which stems from the line Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori. Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori means It is sweet and right to die for your country. Just from the title, the audience is left in a suspense with a skeptical thought whether Owen really meant this line or not. The purpose of this striking title is slowly revealed as the poem is developed. .
             Owen first uses simile to depict the image of the soldiers in stark contrast to what public believed under the impact of propaganda. like old beggars under sacks While the propaganda deceived the public by creating images of a soldier as heroic, masculine and noblemen, Owen instead described the soldiers in a crippling state, providing sympathetic image of physically and mentally tortured men. The word beggar links to an idea of people who are homeless, lost, and those who lack control over their life and this further reinforces the miserably looking reflection of the soldiers, who are in the battlefield out there. Owen continues to describe the soldiers and lay them in a stark contrast in the next lines.