Wilfred Owen

The Pity of War The World War I poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen is a reactionary poem. Owen reacts to a horrifying and terrible war and to the lie being told about it. He displaces the heroic, proud view of war we have always carried, with a haunting image of the harsh reality of a war. The poem speaks about the use of chlorine gas. Since the first gas attack in history …

…irony between the truth of what happens in the trenches and the Lie being told at home. It is this attention to form and imagery that makes the poem effective. The same old Lie is still being told to young men today. Is it sweet and becoming to die for one’s country? Death in war is neither sweet nor becoming. It is a horrible and indecent way to die, as Wilfred Owen clearly shows.