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(i)How do sound devices and imagery in the poem contribute to the mood and increasing tension in the poem?
Owens use of exact diction and vivid figurative language emphasizes his point, showing that war is terrible and devastating. Furthermore, the utilization of extremely graphic imagery adds even more to his argument. Through compelling imagery, sound devices like alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia, the mood and increasing tension of the poem is mightily expressed. He uses vivid and graphic imagery to give the reader the exact feeling that he wanted. In the first stanza the pace is very slow and a painstaking rhythm is established through Owen's use of heavy, long words. This illustrates how painstaking and slow the war was.
The first clause 'Bent double,' is a hyperbole which creates the impression of extreme exhaustion and the image that is conveyed is that the soldiers are in excruciating agony. It underlines the fact that they are physically fatigued.'Like beggars under sacks' is a simile that illustrates that the men have no dignity left. It conjures the image of very dirty, disgustingly vile tramps, who have a nauseating stench. The way that Owen captures the appearance of the soldiers as cripples makes them seem distant to us, and the disjointed, monotonous way they are seen echoes this group of men, their disorderly fashion and their dull, repetitive journey. The mood of the poem is thus effectively and wittingly portrayed.
The appalling physical conditions that face these men are illustrated with the line 'Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge.' The alliterative 'Knock-kneed' slows and dulls down the tempo greatly. The simile compares the soldiers' physical condition to that of witches. By using 'cursed', the image created is that the soldiers were struggling and exhausted. The word 'trudge' is an onomatopoeia used to underline the fact that the pace is tremendously slow, creating the impression that the men have little strength or stamina left. Again, the solemn mood of the poem is mightily portrayed.
'Men marched asleep, many had lost their boots,' uses both alliteration and a hyperbole to illustrate how immensely exhausted they. Furthermore, it suggests that they are in a horrific condition and are facing extreme and excruciating pain. 'Drunk with fatigue,' is an expression that uses a metaphor to suggest that the men are mentally vacant and are staggering along. A personification is used to describe the shells as 'tired,' which gives the impression that the author thinks that the war is pointless and has been occurring for so long that even the shells have become wary of this futile catastrophe.
In the second stanza there is suddenly a massive contrast and the mood instantly changes. The pace rapidly speeds up and the difference between the somber, slow mood that had been previously displayed to a much faster, more frantic mood is obvious. 'Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!' highlights the speed of this section and that there is urgency in what is happening. The graphic images displayed here are profoundly affecting. Tension is amounted with the graphic imagery.
Alliteration is then used to emphasise that there is just one person left, making hysterical movements. The line
'Someone still was yelling out and stumbling.',
creates the impression that the soldier is in a severe state of panic and knows how crucial it is to fit his helmet. The writer then uses the simile 'As under a green sea I saw him drowning.' This portrays the image that the soldier is struggling to a horrendous death. It also helps to create a surreal feel to the poem. This surreal feel is particularly established by Owen's continued use of metaphors when describing the atrocious scene. This feel also helps define the mood of the poem.
In the penultimate stanza, Owen then uses the word 'plunges,' to illustrate the image that the suffering soldier tries to make one final attempt to be saved. The sounds 'guttering, choking, drowning' are then used to highlight the point that the soldier truly is experiencing a ghastly death and he is in tremendous pain. These examples of onomatopoeia are used to really emphasize the crucial pain that he is suffering and that he was making these revolting sounds. They show the repetitive, prolonged anguish of the soldier as he 'plunges' towards his death. The tension has almost reached a lofty climax with the aid of the imagery and sound devices.
In the final stanza the tempo quickly accelerates. This is achieved by the use of lines with fewer syllables. A personification is used to describe his dreams as 'smothering.' This portrays the image that the writer is unable to escape the frightening nightmares that occur so often. Additionally, it emphasizes the fact that it was a devastating and unforgettable experience that was so tragic that he will never be able to forget or overcome. The writer then describes in graphic detail how the physical look of the soldier had changed, obviously trying to shock the reader and get through to them how war is such a devastating business. The line
'Watch the white eyes writhing in his face,'
uses alliteration to emphasize how grotesque the scenario was. Following this, the image that is portrayed is that the soldier's face had dropped and was now exceedingly unsightly. 'His face hanging like a devil's sick of sin,' is a simile that highlights this point. This comparison implies that his face was corrupted and baneful. The image created in the reader's mind is that the face of the soldier turning into that of a devil, corrupt and baneful.
The rest of the description is just as graphic and frightening to the reader. The blood is described to have 'come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs.' This can be disturbing to think about. It shows troops being slaughtered very vividly, evoking images in the reader's mind. A very effective metaphor compares '…vile, incurable sores…' with the memories of the troops. It not only tells the reader how the troops will never forget the experience, but also how they are frightening tales, ones that the troops will never be able to tell without remembering the extremely painful experience. This comparison illustrates the point so vividly that it increases the effectiveness of this poem and the mood of the poem turns disturbing but thought inspiring.
The reader's attention doe not wander throughout the poem because of Owen's consistent imagery. It is this attention to form and imagery that make this poem thoroughly effective with the mood and tension.
(ii)What do you think is the poet's message? Do you agree with his views?
In the poem, the social climate of the World War I era is reflected through the poets use of vivid imagery and poetic techniques. The poem addresses the falsehood, that war is glorious, that it is noble, it describes the true horror and waste that is war, with the aim of changing the way in which society thinks about conflict. The glamorous image was created by the media in order to get people to join up for the war, as a result of the propaganda people believed that it was honourable to go to war and you would be regarded as a hero. Owen writes truthfully and openly to crush any remaining propaganda that may still say that it is sweet and fitting to die for your country.
Wilfred Owen wanted to dismiss the idea of romance as a motivation to fight in the war. The poem speaks about the severe drowsiness of the soldiers on their way back from the front line and the sudden panic caused when the soldiers are hit unexpectedly with a gas attack. The poem begins with a simile, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks". This indicates the extent of the load the men had to carry with them and the weariness of the men. "…under sacks" gives us a vivid picture of the heaviness and feeling of the soldiers' uniforms. The second line brings in the aural aspects of suffering by using words like "coughing" and "cursed". "We cursed through sludge" shows the intense deepness of the mud, which weakens the men and causes them to swear. This whole stanza crushes the propaganda. There is also an eerie atmosphere which helped by aural imagery, "gas-shells dropping softly behind' the 's' is repeated, it mimics the sound of the gas-shells dropping, sibilance. This stanza is the complete antithesis of all the propaganda.
Owen tries to evoke feelings of pity for the men and does this extremely well by saying "All went lame, all blind". This gives us the image that men couldn't see or hear correctly. He uses the metaphor "Drunk with fatigue" to illustrate the tiredness of the men. Stanza one ends on a note of warning; the danger of which the soldiers are unaware, as they can't hear properly
The first and second verses are all to do with the visual and oral images of the soldiers and the ironic sense that the men are on their way back from the front line so they should be in less threat, yet this is where one man is killed.
The next verse begins with a shout of danger "Gas! Gas! Quick boys." "Ecstasy" is used paradoxically; it shows the speed and panic of the men as they know how important it is to get their helmets on and yet their fingers fail them. The next few lines talk about the terror and pain the man goes through as the gas enters his body. The simile "…floundering like a man in fire" was used to demonstrate the panic created by the man as he knew he was going to die and this is made more poignant by the fact that no-one can do anything to help
The first 4 lines in verse show the actions of the man, while the last two lines tell us how the narrator feels.
Owen makes stanza short so it stands out from the rest as being different. The verse shows that Owen still has nightmares about the event, he cannot escape the torture and suffering the man went through, so he too is a victim of the gas attack. He uses the word "my" to illustrate this. In his dreams the man pleads with Owen to help him yet he cannot do anything. The last three words end in "ing", "guttering, choking, drowning." This is used to close down the man's life. In the last verse Owen uses "You" frequently as he is now talking to us. This makes the last verse unique as throughout the poem Wilfred had written in rd person.
The message lies at the end of the poem .Owen directly addresses the reader angrily in the end of this stanza using a definite tone. In this stanza he describes in graphic detail the sights and sounds and tells you not to tell the 'old lie' to young innocent children who are too naive to know the truth, "The old Lie Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori" which translates as "it is a sweet and fitting thing to die for your country". Owen unmistakably does not agree with this and thinks that there is little magnificence and dignity in the lives of soldiers who were not told the truth about war. This is an anti-War poem, packed with distasteful thoughts and terms putting horrific images into the heads of the readers and, possibly, as Wilfred Owen hoped, changing their views on war.
Reflecting on the poem, I cannot help but eulogize the artful Owen. This poem is extremely effective as an anti-war poem, making war seem absolutely horrid and revolting, just as the author wanted it to. The aim of this poem was to shock the reader, to let them feel the sense of disgust and frustration felt by all the soldiers as they witness the soldier's struggle to breathe. At no point in this poem does Owen make use of euphemisms. Owen is very clear about the horror of war. Owen revolutionalized my perception of war. My judgment of honour and dignity of war has been rendered ostentatious. Now I share the same sentiments as Owen. With Owen, I ridicule the preterit statement," Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori".Without doubt, my view fully coincides with Owen. I do not perceive it mortifying to avoid the wicked draw of war. Neither do I perceive the relevance of feeble from inanition, inert from weariness, for war. Even at the behest of country, I would still serious doubts about war. The poem describing war at its gangrenous details, although horrifying, is thought inspiring. From my point of view, participating in a war is not an act of valour, but an act of cowardice for being unable to pursue peace. By the end of the poem, I cannot help but fully appreciate the irony of the hiatus between the truth in the trenches and the Lie being told.
Quoting Milton, "On their embattled ranks may the waves return, And overwhelm their lust for war".
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