Dulce Et Decorum Est Vs. The Charge

Of The Light Brigade Essay, Research Paper

The attitudes of poets towards war have ever been expressed smartly in their poesy, each poet either condoning or reprobating war, and warranting their attitudes in whatever manner possible. I aim to research the alteration in the portraiture of war before and during the 20th century, and besides the constructions and devices poets use to convey their positions persuasively, and warrant them.

These two verse forms describe war, and scenes from war, with changing degrees of strength and world and besides from different point of views.

Tennyson? s? Charge of the Light Brigade? was written during the Crimean war. It is about a military blooper, where six hundred work forces were sent to bear down directly into gunshot. Lord Tennyson was the poet Laureate at the clip of the Crimean war, but did non witness any combat.

? Dulce et Decorum est? was written during the first World War, by Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen was a soldier in the first World War, and he writes from first manus experience.

The two authors have wholly opposite attitudes towards war. This could be foremost because of the times and places the two authors were in. Wilfred Owen was a soldier in the first World War. He spent months in gross outing conditions in the trenches near the forepart line, as shown by the manner the soldiers were? coughing like beldams? . He would hold seen many people die in torment and, holding experienced one of the most destructive wars in history, he has a really unfavorable position of war. He was involved in the first World War, so he knows the worlds of warfare. I can see that his verse form is aimed at the poets who wrote about glorification, honor and nationalism. I can see this by the usage of? you? in his verse form. He wants to demo clearly the worlds of struggle, behind the gallantry and luster, and this is shown by the graphic linguistic communication and imagination he uses. He has a really unromantic position of war.

Lord Tennyson, nevertheless, shows a wholly different attack to war. Bing the poet Laureate, it could be argued that Tennyson was seeking to underact the wholly unneeded decease of so many work forces. In this manner, his poem becomes political, as he is supporting the? constitution? ( where work forces were told, when they joined the ground forces and sent to decease, that they would decease heroically, non as saps, despite being sent to the front line by generals far from the danger ) . On top of this, Tennyson was non in the war, he was in Britain during the run, hence he relied entirely on histories from soldiers, most likely high ranking officers, and his imaginativeness to compose the verse form. This is reflected in his position of war. He does non see the awful worlds of war, merely the honor and courage.

The two authors use many methods to convey their sentiments, and besides to demo or to conceal the worlds and myths environing war.

First, the two authors try to do their verse forms sound every bit realistic as possible ( whether this be the instance or non ) and every bit convincing as possible.

Both authors use direct address in their plants. In Tennyson? s verse form, ? Forward the Light Brigade! ? is used, and in? Dulce et Decorum est? , we hear? Gas! Gas! Quick, boys? . This direct address non merely makes the verse forms more exciting, as the two lines express action, but it besides adds a touch of pragmatism and immediateness.

Wilfred Owen makes his verse form more realistic by utilizing the senses to help his descriptions. He includes the sounds of gas shells dropping, and of

? the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs? .

He so gives an feeling of the atrocious gustatory sensation of this blood ;

? bitter as the rechewed food

Of vile, incurable sores on guiltless linguas? .

This descriptive usage of senses makes the poem shockingly realistic, and besides really vivid.

The usage of Latin in Owen? s verse form besides makes it more convincing. He writes? Dulce et decorousness est pro patria mori? . Translated, this means: ? Sweet and run into it is to decease for one? s state? . The usage of Latin is really respectable and unnoticeable, which is a crisp contrast to the other words and images in the verse form. It shows Owen? s intelligence and instruction, therefore doing him more believable and credible.

Tennyson does non utilize senses, but he tries to do his verse form realistic by demoing elements of subject. Tennyson writes:

? Their? s non to do answer,

Their? s non to ground why,

Their? s but to make and decease & # 8230 ; ? .

This subject brings the verse form to a reasonable, down-to -earth degree, doing it more executable and convincing. However, at the same clip, it implies that the soldiers are really heroic, as they are prepared to decease.

Both poems contain assorted images to do them more graphic. The tempers of these images, which truly determine the tempers of the verse forms as a whole, are really different to each verse form.

? Dulce et Decorum est? uses really lurid images, which create a really daunting, and frequently nauseating temper. The first poetry shows the atrocious conditions in the trenches. The first simile Owen uses is? Bent double, like old mendicants under pokes? . This is wholly unexpected, as an ground forces is supposed to ache and good dressed. I see that the soldiers are severely equipped, as:

? Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod? .

This is besides really surprising. I begin to conceive of the hurting and discomfort the soldiers had to set up with, on top of the fright of decease. I am besides given an penetration into the dismaying conditions in the trenches. Soldiers were? knock-kneed, coughing like hags & # 8230 ; ? and? all went square ; all blind & # 8230 ; ? . This shows that it affected everyone.

In the 2nd poetry, coloring material is used to do the scene more graphic, and besides more exciting. The? green sea? is mentioning to the green coloring material of the Cl gas. The coloring material viridity is frequently related to ghost movies, giving the scene a haunting, endangering feel.

The 3rd poetry Begins by depicting a soldier who has been gassed. When portraying the soldiers? hanging face? , Owen compares it to a? Satan? s sick of wickedness & # 8230 ; ? . This simile has the impact of proposing that the soldier was in so much torment, that the look on his face is wholly impossible. This is perfectly dismaying that person could be in so much torment, and yet still alive and enduring. Owen so goes on to utilize the simile: ? obscene as malignant neoplastic disease & # 8230 ; ? . He uses? malignant neoplastic disease? to picture the blood the soldier is coughing up because, at the clip and still today, peoples? cognition of malignant neoplastic disease was really limited, and they truly merely knew that people died from it. This is reflected in the fact that people know small about the atrociousnesss and horrors of war and decease.

Owen besides uses many individual words to floor his readers, and to convey his feelings. He uses vastly powerful and disgusting words to stand for the soldier who was being gassed. ? he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. ? . These words are non merely gross outing, but are onomatopoeic. They sound like person seeking to take a breath, but choking.

When depicting the effects of war on him, he writes: ? If in some smothering dream & # 8230 ; ? . This implies that there is no manner out of the awful state of affairs and the dismaying conditions, and that it affects every facet of soldier? s lives in the trenches.

By stating they? flung? the deceasing adult male in the waggon, it shows even the death and injured are non treated kindly or gently, and besides that there are many dead or deceasing people, as they have a waggon to transport them in. They are dehumanizing the injured, so as they aren? T as affected by the decease and agony. This is besides shown in Owen? s verse form? Anthem for Doomed Youth? , besides written about the first World War. In? Anthem for Doomed Youth? , Owen compares a traditional church funeral, with the intervention of dead soldiers on the front line, and comes out with the decision that soldiers who die, frequently for nil, receive no thanks, no regard and no recognition when they are killed. In both of Owen? s verse form, the feeling put across is one of absolute unfavorable judgment of war and its ethical motives.

Owen writes about the? white eyes wrestling in his face & # 8230 ; ? . This disgustful image gives an feeling of how close the adult male is to decease, and by utilizing the word? wrestling? , Owen conveys the adult male? s torment and hurt.

Owen besides writes about? vile, incurable sores on guiltless linguas & # 8230 ; ? . This contains two really powerful words. ? incurable? implies that the lesions and effects of war last for of all time, and pestilence coevals after coevals, and? inexperienced person? is demoing that immature people went to war, without cognizing truly what they were walking into.

Another of import phrase is? froth-corrupted lungs & # 8230 ; ? Owen is proposing that war bends everything which was good, bad, immoral and spoiled.

Other words which indicate hurting, and make awful images are: ? cursed? , ? stalking? , ? weariness? , ? deaf? , ? clumsy? , ? shouting? , ? faltering? , ? staggering? , ? helpless? , ? dips? and? gargling? . These words are neither olympian or inoffensive, but shockingly realistic.

The images created in? The Charge of the Light Brigade? are really olympian and baronial. The temper is really glorious and heroic.

The first image created is? the vale of Death? . Interestingly plenty, ? Death? has a capital? D? . I think this is because Tennyson bodying? Death? and he assumes a human signifier such as the? inexorable harvester? . If this is the instance, non merely does it connote that the soldiers will decease a speedy, painless decease when they enter the vale, at the custodies of? Death? , but besides, with? Death? B

eing a individual, he can merely prehend one individual at a clip, so many of the soldiers will non decease. On top of this, this image makes the verse form more exciting. These same characteristics indicated by? the jaws of Death? and? the oral cavity of Hell? . What makes this heroic and dandy is that the soldiers rode boldly into? the vale of Death? , and many of them besides came out unharmed. It is as if they were rip offing or outrunning? Death? .

A epic scene is besides created when the general says:

? Forward the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns! ? .

This conjures images of heroes on horseback, bear downing dauntlessly towards the guns, when they know they may be killed. These elements of bravery and and danger add bang and love affair to the verse form. It would appeal to a immature individual, and possibly promote them to fall in the ground forces. The manner the soldiers carry on towards the guns when they know of the danger besides seems brave and make bolding. This is emphasised by phrases such as? Boldly they rode and good & # 8230 ; ? .

Verse four is full of exhilaration and courage. Colour is used when the soldiers? Flashed all their sabers bare & # 8230 ; ? . This gives the feeling of a really good equipped, smart, clean and impressive ground forces & # 8211 ; a contrast to the soldiers in Owen? s verse form. The poetry tries to convey the power and might of the Light Brigade. The soldiers? Flashed as they turned in air & # 8230 ; ? . This suggests that they were so powerful and energetic that they were about winging.

The poetry besides points to a clean, easy triumph for the mighty Light Brigade,

? Charging an ground forces, while

All the universe wondered & # 8230 ;

Right thro? the line they broke & # 8230 ; ? .

By reminding the reader that the Light Brigade charged at a whole ground forces, and broke right through their lines, it makes it more brave and brave, than foolhardy, as they succeeded. They are farther made heroes by the fact that they killed the despised enemy ;

? Cossack and Russian

Reeled from the saber stroke & # 8230 ; ? .

Tennyson does non demo the hurting of the people killed, the blood and the anguish and agony both the enemy and the Light Brigade died in. He describes a really clean, efficient obliteration of the enemy which, harmonizing to Owen, is really unrealistic.

A heroic, gallant image is created as the Light Brigade? Plunged in the battery-smoke & # 8230 ; ? . This is more evocative of a movie, than of existent life struggle.

The enemy are made to sound more evil and caddish as, non merely do they fire at the Light Brigade when they are bear downing, but besides as the Light Brigade are, as it appears, calmly withdrawing.

Tennyson straight describes the soldiers as? heroes? :

? While Equus caballus and hero fell,

They that had fought so good & # 8230 ; ? .

This makes me experience sorry for the soldier, that he should decease after courageously contending the enemy. Alternatively of doing war sound awful, it turns the dead soldier into a sufferer.

The rhetorical inquiry is used twice in this verse form. It makes the reader think, and hence imposes the author? s sentiment on his audience. ? Was there a adult male dismayed? ? is the first usage of the rhetorical inquiry. It implies that the soldiers were non scared of the guns, one time once more, giving them a bold, valorous image. The 2nd rhetorical inquiry is? When can their glorification fade? ? This indicates that they will ever be heroes, and that their charge was courageous and romantic.

Tennyson uses words such as: ? boldly? , ? frontward? , ? charge? , ? flashed? , ? sabering? , ? shattered? , ? sundered? , ? stormed? , ? hero? , ? fought? , ? glorification? , ? honor? , and? baronial? to convey the courage and gallantry of the work forces. Many of the words besides convey exhilaration and action, doing the verse form more thrilling and romantic.

Tennyson, at the terminal of each poetry repeats fluctuations of lines which all contain the phrase? six hundred? . By reiterating this, I feel it becomes less and less unusual each clip, so a reader would be less aghast that six hundred work forces were sent to bear down towards the guns, each clip they read it. After a few times, I anticipate the phrase and the beat, and do non truly believe about how many soldiers it is, and six hundred becomes familiar and unsurprising.

The gait at which the verse forms are read is besides really of import. ? Dulce et Decorum est? is designed to be read really easy, apart from in the in-between poetry, which should be read quicker. This is because the in-between poetry contains action and epinephrine, so should be quicker. The other two poetries should be slow, so the words are thought about and understood more deeply, and it becomes more meaningful and flooring. Besides, the slow gait reflects the velocity and the temper of the tired work forces in the verse form.

In the first and last poetries, this slow velocity is achieved by the long words, and the long lines, the deficiency of a rhyming strategy, and the frequent punctuation. All these decelerate down the reading of the poetries. The velocity in the 2nd poetry is increased by the short words, frequently monosyllabic words and the decreased figure of commas. These allow the verse form to be read quicker, to convey action.

The reading of? The Charge of the Light Brigade? is speeded up foremost by the riming strategy, which allows the lines to be read quicker. The beat of the lines is besides of import. There are two short syllables followed by one long one. This emulates the gallop of Equus caballuss, therefore rushing up the gait. It is called a dactyl. The short words and short lines are besides an of import portion in rushing up the verse form and the action. We can see that there is small punctuation in the verse form, which ensures the gait is non impeded. This conveys exhilaration at the work forces? s courage.

The sounds of the words besides play a large function in puting the temper of the verse forms. The sounds in? Dulce et Decorum est? are really had, due to the difficult consonants. For illustration: ? coughing? , ? guttering? , ? gargling? , ? bitter? , ? cursed? , ? rummy? and? deaf? . This creates a harsh, aggressive ambiance, giving an feeling of the awful conditions and agonizing deceases the soldiers were affected by, and is besides harder to read, decelerating down the gait farther.

The words in? The Charge of the Light Brigade? sound really soft, for case: ? half? , ? frontward? , ? fusillade? vitamin D? , ? stagger? vitamin D? , ? fought? , ? sabering? and? honor. This makes the verse form all the more inoffensive, and less flooring. It is besides easier to read, so the gait is speeded up. This softness is created by the soft consonants and long vowels.

Unlike? Dulce et Decorum est? , ? The Charge of the Light Brigade? does non demo the effects of war on people. This could be because Lord Tennyson was non in the Crimean war, and besides because depicting the awful effects of war on people would interfere with the heroic, baronial ambiance he is seeking to make. Wilfred Owen shows the effects on him up to his decease in 1917, after his experiences in the first World War. He is reprobating war, so he writes a little aside from personal brushs. The poem reads:

? In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, submerging. ? .

I think this has a immense impact, more so than the powerful, awful images he creates. It describes his incubuss of people being gassed, utilizing three of the most lurid and revolting sounding words in the verse form. For me, demoing the awful and straitening effects on ordinary people is an unbelievable manner of showing his sentiments, and seeking to carry people non to travel to war, as it is a really powerful emotional entreaty.

In my sentiment, the last few lines of each verse form sum up the the temper and the gesture of the verse forms, and the attitudes of the authors on war.

The last few lines of Lord Tennyson? s verse form reads:

? Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Baronial six hundred. ? .

Tennyson feels that the charge of the Light Brigade was baronial and weather, non stupid. We can clearly see his romantic, glorious position of war epitomised here.

The shutting lines of? Dulce et Decorum est? are:

? My friend, you would non state with such high gusto

To kids ardent for some despairing glorification,

The old prevarication: Dulce et decorousness Eastern Time

Pro patria mori. ? .

Owen is knocking the people who wrote of war in footings of aristocracy, glorification and gallantry, to victimize immature people into the ground forces. By utilizing the word? desperate? , Owen indicates that it is non glorious to decease for your state, but foolhardy and irrational. He remarks on the fact that the authors such as Jessie Pope quarry on immature peoples? appetencies for glorification, as glorification was all people knew about war before they joined the ground forces. Owen goes farther than this, proposing that the authors of glorious war verse forms have even lied to the immature people, and sent them to the front line to decease in their 1000000s, in atrocious conditions and straitening state of affairss.

Having explored both verse forms, I feel that the one which brings about the biggest response from me is? Dulce et Decorum est? . This is because of the dramatic in writing imagination he uses, the manner he describes the effects of the war on him, and besides because of the manner he directs the verse form at the reader personally, utilizing phrases such as? you? and? my friend? . In my sentiment, ? The Charge of the Light Brigade? does non hold the impact and the pragmatism to convey the sentiments contained in it efficaciously and forcefully. I feel is a more inventive, mentality on war than Wilfred Owen? s in writing verse form. The thing I did wish about Tennyson? s verse form was the exhilaration and passion and gait.