soldier crawling on hands and knees through a trench under a cloud of poisonous gas with dead soldiers in the foreground and background

Dulce et Decorum Est

by Wilfred Owen

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Dulce et Decorum Est

Owen describes the "hanging" face of one soldier as "like a devil's sick of sin." He is implying that the soldier looks so horrified and mangled by what he has suffered that he appears devilish, as...

1 educator answer

Dulce et Decorum Est

In "Dulce et Decorum Est," the term "blood-shod" describes soldiers whose feet are so injured and bloody that it appears as if they are shod in blood. This vivid imagery emphasizes the horrific...

5 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

The phrase "haunting flares" in "Dulce et Decorum Est" contributes to the poem's vivid imagery and conveys the eerie, persistent presence of war. It highlights the soldiers' constant exposure to...

4 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" uses vivid metaphors and literary devices to convey the grim realities of war. Metaphors such as soldiers "drowning" in gas emphasize the suffocating horror...

2 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" employs irony to critique the notion that dying for one's country is noble. The title, derived from a Latin phrase meaning "it is sweet and proper to die...

14 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

The allusions in "Dulce et Decorum Est" are to Horace's poem "Ode: III.2," specifically the phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori," meaning "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country."...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

"Dulce et Decorum Est" is still relevant to society because it shows the horror of war and how, in war, boys are forced to kill other human beings even when they don't want to, which is something we...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

"Dulce et Decorum Est" features both external and internal conflicts. The external conflict arises from the brutal realities of war, vividly depicted through graphic imagery. The internal conflict is...

3 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

In "Dulce et Decorum Est," the term "hag" in line 2 describes the soldiers as decrepit and unattractive, akin to old women, undermining the expected image of brave, noble soldiers. This depiction...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

The soldier in the second stanza does not literally drown, but the speaker says that he seems to be drowning. He does not get his gas mask on quickly enough and inhales some kind of poison gas which...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

The title "Dulce et Decorum Est" is repeated in the last line to highlight the stark contrast between the romanticized notion of war and its grim reality. Wilfred Owen uses this repetition to...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

The speaker in "Dulce et Decorum Est" is likely Wilfred Owen himself, reflecting his personal experiences in World War I, particularly trench warfare and gas attacks. The poem's first-person...

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Dulce et Decorum Est

In "Dulce et Decorum Est," Owen's poetry conveys the brutal reality of war, challenging the glorified perception of dying for one's country. Through vivid and gruesome imagery, he exposes the horror...

2 educator answers

Dulce et Decorum Est

After the gas attack, the dying soldier is placed in a wagon, likely a medical one, to be taken from the front lines, highlighting the inglorious nature of his death. Owen's depiction emphasizes the...

1 educator answer