The story of Dulce et Decorum Est Pro patria mori - Its is sweet and honourable to die for one's country By Emily Renfree by

First Verse/Stanza 1

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 12:28:40 UTC

In the first verse and first line of the poem there is a phrase "Bent double, like old beggars

under sacks" this creates a clear and shocking image in your head that the young men who

have gone to fight in this war are no longer young boys but withered men who have seen

disgusting things. The simile "like old beggars under sacks" helps create an immediate in

the readers head of the young men hidden in the trenches, the propaganda used (how the

war would be over soon and that it was honourable to fight) now seems like a lie to the soldiers

as they now understand they won't be going home soon. The word "beggars" implies that

the soldiers where like beggars, begging for this war to end.

Second Verse/Stanza 2

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 12:36:10 UTC

There is a line in the second stanza which can create and image of fear and tension and someone shouts "Gas! Gas! Quick boys!" This line in the poem helps you imagine the sort of terror they would be going through. "Dim through the misty pains" implies that they their vision was compromised as the "misty pains" ,which was the glass in their eyepieces of the gas masks, could not be seen through. It creates an image of how they had to struggle to get the gas maskes on otherwise they would die. "But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime" This creates a haunting image of what can happen if they don't get their gas masks on in time. The similie " like a man in fire or lime" helps you create a vivid image of the pain and fear these men felt.

First Verse/Stanza 2

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 12:36:44 UTC

"And towards our distant rest began to trudge, Men marched

asleep, many had lost their boots"

These phrases in the poem describes how the soldiers were feeling

after they had fought. The words "distant rest" creates the image in your

head of how far they soldiers had to walk to get back to their camp where

they could sleep for a few days. The words "Men marched asleep" shows

how tired and shaken these men where when fighting.

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 14:24:20 UTC

Third Verse/Stanza 3

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 14:32:48 UTC

The third verse is very short and it only consistes of two lines "In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking , drowning."

These words imply that Owen is having nightmares about the men who choked to death with the gas.

This lets us image how horrible and terrifying it would be to fight in the war.

Fourth Verse/Stanza 4

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 14:53:54 UTC

In last verse you can get a clear image of what the soliders are feeling and what they can see.

"Behind the wagon we threw him on" infers that they were throwing the dead corpses of their friends who had died on the back of the wagon to be taken away.

"His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin," This creates a dramatic and disgusting image because Owen has decribed the effects of the gas in a horrifying way.

The words "like a devil's sick of sin" creates tension and a sense of shock for the reader and it lets the reader really have a clear image in their heads of what the soliders went through.

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 15:12:36 UTC

Fourth Verse/Stanza 6

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 15:15:24 UTC

The very last line "The Old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" ,which means "It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country, is very important in the poem. It endes with this phrase so you can see how the author wanted you to inteprete the poem. This poem is creating an image in your head whilst explaining to you how the soldiers were lied to, I can conclude this from the words "The old lie".

Fourth Verse/Stanza 5

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 15:20:09 UTC

The phrase in the last verse " Obscence as cancer bitter as cud" helps engage the reader in relating to what

the soliders went through as cancer is something that can happen to anybody and a lot of people have close friends or relatives that had cancer.

The words "obscene as cancer" can help many people relate as they know how horrible cancer can be.

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 15:26:47 UTC

emily1212 — 2013-04-11 15:34:03 UTC