The poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owens, is a powerful anti-war piece of literature that uses several devices to get its point across clearly. The phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is translated to mean "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country." It is the intention of Owens to show that this concept is false. Through graphic imagery and a depressing, realistic tone, Owens succeeds in displaying just how sweet it is to die on the battlefield.
In the first stanza, Owens describes the soldiers in a way that one would believe they are close to death, such as comparing them to old beggars. He uses such similes as 'coughing like hags' and phrases like 'blood-shod' to show just how physically miserable these soldiers are. Using words like 'blind', 'deaf', and 'lame', one can assume that the men are in poor condition.
When the gas-shells hit and release their poisons on the men, Owen writes, "Gas! GAS!" showing a sort of panic, and disbelief in the......

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Title: Dulce Et Decorum Est
Approximate Word Count: 490
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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