Max Vooro
Mr. Cohen
ENG2D
12/3/20
How is World War One represented in two poems of your choice?
War is a gruesome, and strenuous place to be. During the time period of World War One, propaganda was heavily spread that altered people’s perception of war with a focus of it being cowardly for men not to fight. Two authors, Wilfred Owen, and Siegfried Sassoon, attempt to give a message of clairvoyance to people unaware of the situation, and conditions of the war. Both authors utilize a variety of language and structural features to aid in conveying their vision successfully. Within both ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and ‘Suicide in the Trenches’ by Owen, and Sassoon respectively, war impugns the propaganda’s ideals at the time, and represents it as the true horror that in reality, it was.
On the topic of the true horror of war, in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Wilfred Owen represents World War One with wrenching descriptions of terrifying trauma for its participants, to present to non-participants what war is actually like. An immaculate specimen of Owen’s work is when he mentions that “In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” (Owen, 2008, 2) This extremely descriptive excerpt of the man’s death in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is used to send a message of brutality, violence, and contradict the common message spread by propaganda, the antithetical perception of the war at the time. To enforce the savagery to the man’s death, Owen uses words like “guttering” (Owen, 2008, 2) which is used to describe a candle with a lack of oxygen. The desired outcome of this vivid description is to display to readers of the poem, the true barbarity of war. In addition to his colourful imagery, Owen also wields potent language features such as the simile and metaphor in “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,” (Owen, 2008, 2) and the metaphor of a “green sea” (Owen, 2008, 2) to shed light on the harsh, and overwhelming circumstances war has on its participants to the audience of the poem. The young soldier that was killed by the “green sea” (Owen, 2008, 2) also can be interpreted as symbolic to some readers as a representation of the generation that was facing such tragic events. An end stopped line and caesura are powerful poetic tools that Owen used masterfully. The caesura used in lines such as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,” (Owen, 2008, 2) and how they were “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,” (Owen, 2008, 2) discloses the bitter, and punitive position soldiers were in. “guttering, choking, drowning.” (Owen, 2008, 2) is an example of Owen’s use of the end stopped line, where not only does it provide the end of the stanza, but implies the man’s gruesome death.
Perfectly representing the bitter and punitive position as well is ‘Suicide in the Trenches’. Siegfried Sassoon represents World War One as a tragedy, and accuses people that support the young men in the war, for causing such calamity. Sassoon uses phrases such as “empty joy” and “simple soldier boy” to showcase how innocent, and joyful people ended up taking their own lives due to the terrible conditions, and bloodshed that occurred at the time. The word “simple” (Sassoon, 2008, 15) is utilized to reveal how untrained, and unprepared people were at the time during the war, and how it was not the war described by the propaganda at home. Sassoon additionally mentions “winter trenches, cowed and glum” which, depending on the reader, could be interpreted as emotive imagery of the landscape, or could be understood as the morale, or feeling of the boy in the poem, created by the war. Compounding Sassoon’s use of graphic imagery, the boy takes his life in the line “He put a bullet through his brain.” (Sassoon, 2008, 15) Instead of simplifying the boy’s suicidal act, Sassoon gives greater detail to better pronounce the impact of the events on the boy, and to make the moment more appalling. Furthermore, the end stopped lines within the poem signify the end of a stage of the boy’s life, in this case, the end of his life, and the end of his legacy, as it was considered cowardly, and shameful to take your own life at war. Subsequently, Sasson follows up by directly addressing the reader, and the “smug-faced crowds with kindling eye.” (Sassoon, 2008, 15) Sassoon’s direct address is pointed at the people who promote young men going to war for glory, as he mentions that “you'll never know The hell where youth and laughter go.”
Both pieces of calamitous creation both share several similarities. Owen and Sassoon are writing conductive to a similar purpose and represent the war in a brutal and true way, but adopt diverging methods of addressing the reader. In ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Owen utilizes his experience in war to give his colourful descriptions of a man’s death, and how the man “plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” Additionally, Owen makes sure to point out that war isn’t somewhere you want to be, when he writes, “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory,” The quotations aforementioned are examples of Owen trying to convince the reader of the poem, that war is a brutal, and merciless place to send anyone, let alone young men. From ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, Sassoon uses expressive imagery such as how “He put a bullet through his brain” to express the gravity, and solemnity of the situation, in more of a straightforward method for the reader. Sassoon, also utilized a direct address to vent his opinion into the reader of the poem, blaming them for the creation of the brutal massacre of World War One when he mentions “You smug faced crowds with kindling eye” and how they know nothing of the true actions within the war. Similar to Owen, Sassoon is almost trying to scare the poem’s audience into believing that it’s their fault that all of these people are suffering, and that they are the ones causing this brutal nightmare. Sassoon, and Owen take a very similar approach to representing the war to the reader. They both get the point across that war is not pleasant nor glorious, and poke hints with direct addresses that the reader is the reason that so many young men are dying. While they poke hints, Sassoon’s poke is going full force at the reader, blaming them for the situation. Overall, both poems also have a similar tone, that being one that is unforgiving, and harsh.
A dark, and heinous tone riddled both of the poems. After examining their work, it is clear that Owen, and Sassoon both exibited the true colours of war, while portraying their opinions through various methods within. Whether it be Owen’s use of metaphors, Sassoon’s deliberate, distinctive imagery, or both of the author’s direct addresses to the audience, both of the author’s works represented World War One as a foul place, full of violence and misery, misrepresented by propaganda.
Commenti