Attitudes to War in Dulce et Decorum est and Drummer Hodge. Essay

Attitudes to War in Dulce et Decorum est and Drummer Hodge. Life wasn't easy for soldiers in the war as Wilfred Owen and Thomas Hardy express strongly in their legendary poems 'Dulce et Decorum est' and 'Drummer Hodge'. Peter Porter writes about the situation people may find themselves in when in, his poem 'Your Attention Please', he describes an announcement concerning a nuclear Rocket Strike. Wilfred Owen died at the age of 25 and was killed seven days before the end of World War 1. He is regarded as one of the most well-known war poets of the 20th Century, having written an astonishing 110 poems. Under the influence of Romantic, early 19th Century poets such as Wordsworth, Keats and Shelley, Owen produced 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' which revealed the truth behind war, the grief and suffering caused. Wilfred Owen wanted to dismiss the idea of romance as a motivation to fight in the war; young men believed that fighting in the war would make them heroes and that girls would be passionate about them. Of course many men didn't have an option in the matter: wives and girlfriends chose not to stay with their man if they didn't fight in the war, so men were forced to join up. The fact that their partner wouldn't stick by them was one reason but if they didn't join the whole society would look down on them with disgrace: they weren't men if they didn't fight for their country. "Dulce Et Decorum Est" 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... ...uses similes such as "like a man in fire or lime" where the man is in pain and is struggling to stay alive. Alliteration is used in both Owen and Hardy's poems. Most of Dulce et Decorum est is written in the 1st person perspective but many times it changes to 3rd person. When it's in 1st person it gives us the feeling of reality and truth behind the poem. In conclusion, war brings a great deal of pain and suffering so it shouldn't be under-estimated. Wilfred Owen, Thomas Hardy and Peter Porter all bring across the reality behind war and the torture it brings with it. Personally my favourite out of the three is "Dulce et Decorum est" as I know it's a true account of what happened in the war because Wilfred Owen was a soldier and died in action. I thought this poem contained a lot of discomfort and misery making it more out of the ordinary and authentic.