Read the poem below by Wilfred Owen. Respond to it in some way and then make a connection between this poem and All Quiet. DULCE ET DECORUM EST by Wilfred Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori. 8 October 1917 - March, 1918 If you liked this poem, search out other WWI poetry. Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brook are all good places to start. Poetry from this era is very interesting and realistic.
Lit Terms 2
5 years ago
8 comments:
This is a depressing poem, and the worst part is all of it was true. I think a connection is that both All Quiet and this poem tell about how terrible war really is. Both authors have a pessimistic view on war. Also, in the poem it talks about "the old Lie" which is like the lies Paul's teacher, Kantorek, told the class about the honor of serving in the army when he didn't know what really happened on the front lines.
I agree with Aimee. This poem is very depressing. It talks about events and happenings the soldiers have to go through during the war. I've said this many times throughout the discussion of All Quiet, but to be in the war takes lots of sacrifice and hard work. You can't just go into war thinking all you have to do is shoot at someone. You've got to go into the war knowing you'll win and knowing that what you're doing is the right thing. You've also got to understand that during this war you're fighting for the right of your country. This poem describes a little of what can happen to you during war. You have to accept that those events could happen to you. I believe Paul accepted that.
This poem describes a specific scene, and describes really well what is happening. They have bad health, not properly treated and fed, but it is war. Just like in "Quiet on the Western Front" there were gas bombs, they were dying, and they had to stay and fight. War doesn't have mercy. You have to know what you are fighting for, is it worth it? Can there be a diplomatic solution?
I agree with Darby and Aimee in the fact that it is very depressing. It illustrates with words the horrors of the war and the terrible conditions. I don't think I could of mentally or physically survived anything that the soldiers went through. In my mind, this poem parallels with All Quiet. I think both authors had a negative attitude towards the war. Also, some of the context in this poem was very similar to stuff that happened in the book such as the gas.
I have to say this poem was really good. The author used many descriptive adjectives that help me visualize it as clear as daylight. You can tell that the author of All Quiet and the author of this poem feel the same way about the war.In both the poem and the book, the authors definitely show what the soldiers went through. It amazes me that many people actually forgot about this war!
This poem and "All Quiet on the Western Front" are excellent depictions of war and the harsh realities the men had to face. The men in both the book and the poem had to fight in the war on little sleep and they had to deal with the enemy constantly opening fire on them and dropping gas into their trenches. If the men got shot, they would have to get up and try to escape death if death didn't capture them first.
I think this poem is very good. It's sad, but true. This poem and All Quiet both describe how much they went through and all the sacrifices they had to make during the war. And they both have negative outputs on the war.
This is a really depressing poem. I think that the author of this poem and the author of "All Quiet on the Western Front" have the same views on the war because they both show how the soldiers had to sacrifice just for the gas which was pretty crucial. I think that they both demonstrate their opinions very well because they dont change their views during the point they are trying to make,they pick a side and stick to it. It blows my mind that we only take one day a year to really think and show our appreciation to the veterans.I think that we as a country should try and do better with this.
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