Explication of Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est”
...4). Owen also gives life to the gas shells, which “tiredly hoot” when they are dropped behind the men (7). Personifying the gas shells adds a sense of realism to the scene but despite how “real” the shells are, the soldiers are no longer intimidated or scared, because gas attacks have become commonplace and non-threatening. Many themes appear within the first stanza and carry over into subsequent stanzas. An apparent theme is the “sleep” theme, which involves the words “rest,” “fatigue” and “tired” (4-8). This theme helps emphasize Owen’s exhausted and frustrated tone towards the nature of war and towards his ignorant listener. Another theme focuses on the “loss of the senses”, which uses words like “blind” and “deaf” to help augment the realistic imagery (6-7). The last theme introduced in the first stanza is the “lack of coordination” theme, which contains words and phrases like, “bent double,” “knock-kneed” and “drunk with fatigue.” These phrases help to illustrate Owen’s situation and give more meaning to the reader (1-7). All of these themes continue throughout the next few stanzas. The second stanza begins with the use of exclamation marks and capital letters to convey a sense of urgency. The “lack of coordination” theme is also very apparent in this section, since the soldiers are desperately attempting to assemble the gas masks on their head. Owen uses the simile, “…flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…” to show the helplessness of one of Owen’s fellow comrades. This simile emphasizes the point that war is chaotic and that the soldier’s lives are left up to chance (12). This stanza introduces the “water” theme, which includes the words “sea” and “drowning” (14). The use of these metaphorical words help to create a sense of what it was like to perish in gas. The third stanza consists of only two lines, but it makes a very bold statement about war in such a short amount of time. Owen uses several cacophonous words in rapid succession, “guttering, choking, [and] drowning” (16). By using such precise diction, Owen is able to convey a sharp sense of realism because the “sounds” of these words are familiar to the readers, but they carry such negative connotations that it creates very vivid imagery. The fourth and final stanza is where Owen makes his strongest statement. By using similes such as “…his hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” and “obscene as cancer,” Owen describes the more morbid effects of the gas on the dying soldier (20-23). Owen also compares the soldier’s reaction to the gas to diseases or sicknesses. The lines, “Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud / Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues…” are used to give that fina...