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Old 01-27-2002, 10:40 AM   #2
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The fourth stanza bears an important change in perspective, from first person to third person (from ‘I’ to ‘you’), and is relating the memory of the ‘man’ in ever more detail back to the reader. The last verse is significantly more graphic, almost certainly to shock the reader into a sense of truth. It is rather like a derogatory commentary. By means of vivid imagery and metaphors “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin… Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud” Owen expresses his anger at this waste of life shown in his description of the man’s suffering, it all seems unfair, ‘obscene’ as it were. The poem explicitly portrays the dilapidation of soldiers on the front and a dramatic example is given of the gross death caused by the gas, alliteration is used to emphasise the unsightly state of an individual and the overall dilemma of certain pro war society “Of vile incurable sores on innocent tongues,-”. Ironically Owen calls the pro-war poet ‘My friend”, this implies his fellow poet, Jessie Pope, rather than a tangible friend. “My friend, would you not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory,” Owen aims this comment towards pro-war poets alike, to show that it is their responsibility to speak the truth, but also suggests that pro-war poets are most influential over the youth, and it is they who may be adversely effected. “Children” suggests the young blooded soldiers enrolling to fight who crave for success, and their duty to the writings of poets, but previous passages show in explicit detail the truth about “glory” and the bitterness faced by the youth. These two lines alone show that suffering could have been avoided if the ignorance of pro-war poets was less tyrannical but more concentrated on bitter emotions directed towards the war. Almost with a sigh he breathes; if you knew the true nature and bitter reality of war, you would not mollify “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”. Which means, “it is sweet and seemly to die for one’s country” Owen chose to say this phrase in Latin, a dead language used in public school in his day, to convey how out of touch, how ‘dead’ the old system was, predominantly when it spread the “old Lie”, and now that we live in a new age, this political fervour must be disposed of if there is to be any hope for the future.


There are various differences between ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Soldier’. While ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ conveys the ruthless reality of war and mocks the very act of patriotic death, Brooke uses ‘The Soldier’ to stress it is undeniably a honour to die for ones country, in this case ‘England’, and that it is ever more sweeter IF during war. To build on tone, Owen uses harsher, more repulsive onomatopoeic words that give off ‘g’, ‘c’ (k) and a lot of hissing ‘s’ sounds, which provide a cutting edge “knock-kneed… sludge… trudge… guttering… choking… gargling”. But Brooke uses softer words, such that give off ‘f’ sounds, adding to the sense of euphony “foreign-field”. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ has a bitter and cynical tone helped by changes in rhythm which travel back and forth to make Owen’s doubly atmospheric. Both poets’ use ‘death’ to their advantage, but this example serves different purposes in the two poems. Owen uses a graphic example where he remorsefully describes the death caused by a gas attack, exposing to his readers and pro-war poets that war is an ugly, brutal and detestable business. Yet Brooke uses a different approach, and expresses that not only is it every man’s duty to fight and die for his country to preserve perfection, but once dead, the ashes shall physically enrich the already ‘rich’ soil “In that rich earth, a richer dust concealed”. And all ‘English’ values that the motherland bore will live on in one form or another. This way Brooke tries to convince that there is a deeper meaning to what lies on the surface of war. Religious undertones also lie beneath each poem. Owen uses ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ to portray and war as the epitome of hell, juxtaposing the devil over the gassed man. In contrast, uses ‘The Soldier’ to convey ‘England’ rather like ‘heaven’, and that it is righteous to defend such land in war.

The Soldier is one of many poems written at the beginning of war (before ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’) to attract young men who saw enrolment as an exciting venture enabling them to travel the world. Many were enlisted as poems such as ‘The Soldier’ captured their optimistic, naïve and chauvinistic attitude. Brooke welcomes patriotic death in this sonnet, and shows he feels privileged to have been bought up in and ‘by’ England, believing it was a blessing. He invokes the ideas such as sacred memories of the dead spiritual cleansing, and a hero’s immortal legacy. Though this poem is a sonnet, it is not addressed to a loved one but to his country.
In the first stanza, Brooke gives the impression of England being a timeless, idyllic and tranquil country “If I should die, think only this of me…Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home”, where England is personified as being a mother to him and others “A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware”, presenting motherly images of nourishment “Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam”, indicating in one way or another that he owes England his life, his soul, and that by fighting for his country, he is simply paying ‘her’ back. The poem uses alliteration to establish the lilting rhythm “foreign-field”. This light and flowing rhythm, deeply rooted with a feeling of love is conveyed by the repetitive use of ‘England’ “That is forever England…A dust whom England bore… A body of England’s, breathing English air”, is representing himself as highly patriotic, showing a love for ones country. Brooke also conveys his love for England by stressing the word ‘rich’ “That there’s some corner in a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed”. It seems that he has carved up his own England in the ‘foreign field’ where he may “die”, but his spirit of England will live on in the form of ‘richer dust’, which refers to his body. Brooke intends to say that England will live on in the shape of his ‘body’, the same England that bore his body into the fine man. Brooke’s message in this poem is that if he should die in that ‘foreign-field’ it shall gain these English blessing, passing them onto the ground on which his ashes lie, making the earth around him richer. Transience is conveyed through his mortal body. The feel of the poem is continually lilting up and up.

In the second stanza, Brooke brings a finality to his belief that even though he is now at ‘rest’ in the ‘foreign field’, his love for England has “shed away all evil”, and is now “A pulse in the eternal mind”. In the last four lines of the first stanza, he has described that his thoughts of England shall live on ‘forever’ in his body, that in a “corner of a foreign field” these thoughts ‘gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given”. If he should die, his spirit should live on in the shape of England. It feels as though that no matter what, a conquest for England has been achieved. The tone is rather imperialistic. Brooke has relatively sanctified war in the case of protecting his motherland, his ‘heaven’, and the soldiers patriotically immolate themselves for England in war. Towards the end, nostalgia is given by the lilting rhythm, the eternal happiness. The last three lines serve as a comment, but serve the purpose to reinforce this nostalgia and fervour of England. Permanence is signified through the eternal love and memories of England, his lifelong English values.

I think ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ served its purpose more successfully than ‘The Soldier’. ‘The Soldier’ uses simple language to create a serene poem, so it can be read by the masses, resulting in a prevalent effect on people. But the complexity in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ asks more from the reader, however the message is clear. There are hidden meanings in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ that make it far superior to that of the oblivious pro-war poets, in turn greatly increasing the message’s effect. ‘The Soldier’ has undemanding content, as there is no need to catch the interest of fellow poets, hence, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ appeals to a wider audience.
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