Dulce Et Decorum

"Dulce et decorum est" translates to "sweet and proper". Ironically, nothing is charming and suitable about war, especially from Owen, the beholding veterans lens. Lacking merit, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" invoke sympathy through the usage of pathos, by illustrating the post-war effects and fate of the unfortunate. How "sweet and proper" can it possibly be for men fighting in our honor to be "marched asleep?" (Owen, pg 35) How considerate is it for soldiers to march so long and fight so hard to where they're deemed disabled? "Beggars" and "hags" doesn't appear as people you honor on Memorial Day right? "Dulce et decorum est" imply that dying in battle is a courageous and chivalrous thing to do. However, the wars appalling aftermath presents how shallow and empty wartime can be. We should not allow our troops to be tortured like so.

Logistically, Owen places us directly in the middle of action. "Gas! GAS!" (Owen, 3) indicated how gruesome war actually was. "Misty panes and thick green lights" (Owen, 3) supports this assertion because it clarifies the setting of this horrid war. Creditable, Owen observed his fellow soldiers stumbling through toxins and gore, half of which was already tore down. The poet can only imagine the trauma these soldiers suffered after the war because a soldiers mind focuses primarily on the battlefield.

Towards the end, Owen departed the battlefield and directed his attention on his nightmares. "In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning," as an audience we can not differentiate whether he is still partaking in war or winding back to horrid experiences of war. This exemplifies how soldiers can not rid their previous experiences of war. "Dulce et decorum est" is faulty because honor can not cure injury and inability.

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