Pre Twentieth Century Poetry War And Death Essay

To compare the way in which the two poets write about the subject of death. Use qoutations to support your views. The first poem is entitled Dulce Et Decorum est. This poem is written by Wilfred Owen, he served in the army in 1915 & died 3 years later in 1918. During this time he had a good account of what War was about. This poem is a very anti – war piece of poetry. He describes the war in gory details & the obvious aim is to discourage people from joining the war effort. He uses vivid descriptions to describe simple things. † Knock kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge† In the poem the soldiers are retreating, this poem is extremely grim and morbid. The author was trying to create a picture in our imagination of the horrid scenes. He is also trying to tell future generations not to fall for the old lie, Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patri Mori. This he claims is propoganda which will make you feel patriotic & want to die for your country. In the poem a fellow comrade dies from a gas attack. In certain parts of the poem he uses wild Similes, for example. † His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin â€Å" This appeals to most people because it catches your eye, it is a peom which can be confusing if you had no idea what was happening. This is different from other poems because it describes everything in detail. Halfway through the poem, the author describes what resembles a crude funeral. † If in some smothering dreams, you to could pace, behind the wagon that we flung him in. â€Å" The reason this is crude is because you wouldn’t fling someone into a hearse. I think the reason that they did that was because they are exhausted enough as it is without carrying extra weight. This poem is a basic warning to all future generations, although whether it worked or not is unknown. Personally it works for me as I would not join. The second poem is entitled, Stop All The Clocks. The author is W.H Auden. this poem was written during peacetime & isn’t as morbid and grim as the other poem by Wilfred Owen. This poem is more personal & more of a deeper feeling going into it the emotions that he was feeling at the time of writing. The poet was a homosexual & is writing about a lover, who is male. This makes no difference to the poem. It would be the same if he was a heteresexual. W.H auden uses some wierd words to describe his lover. † He was my North, my South, My East & West. â€Å" I think this means that he was the world to him. W.H auden’s poem sounds like he wrote this when his emotions were at there highest. the other poem seemed to be written after the war, the emotions in it wouldn’t be as strong. W.H Auden uses everyday objects to represent his feelings. † Stop all the clocks, cut the telephone. Prevent the dog barking with a juicy bone† This isn’t rare in poems but the words he uses are. If these were used in normal sentences then they would sound pretty normal. Overall both poems give an accurate account of War & Death, both peoms are good & are very well written. If i personally had to choose a poem that i liked, I would choose the Dulce Et Decorum Est. I think that it grabs peoples attention & it sounds more like a poem which would interest people. It gives an account into the past. I think both poems get there message across. War & Death is examplified well into both poems & both authors have done a good job to show this.