Wilfred Owen
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.
GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!– An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.–
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Task 1: Analysing the Poem
-Watch the following presentation to work on Wilfred Owen´s poem
First Stanza:
- What is the main emotion expressed in the first stanza (verse)?
- Write an example of a simile used in the first stanza:
- Why were the shells ‘disappointed’?
Second Stanza:
- How does the emotion change at the beginning of the second stanza?
- What were the soldiers ‘fumbling’ for and why?
- Owen uses a metaphor to describe what the gas looked like. Write it here:
Third Stanza:
- Why do you think the third stanza is only two lines long? Think about the dramatic effect and the emotion:
Fourth Stanza:
- What is the main emotion expressed in the fourth stanza?
- Name three parts of the body that are affected by this sort of gas:
- Explain the final lines.
Extension Question:
Write your opinion of this poem. Think about what the emotion expressed, use of powerful words, use of similes and metaphors, layout, and what the poet is trying to say. Try to use full sentences and give reasons to support your ideas.
Share these answers in your blog)
E-portfolio
Task 2
-Work on the following poems (they can be found in Songs of Ourselves or you can listen to them)
Task 3
- Check out the following page: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/70139/the-poetry-of-world-war-i
- Choose 2 poems and prepare an analysis.
- Illustrate them with pictures and explain which different parts of the poem they illustrate.
- Write an essay. Compare and contrast 2 of the poems you have worked on. Comment closely on the themes, tones and how the writers convey their message.
- Post the analysis in your blog.
I strongly suggest these authors: Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and T. Hardy (but you can choose whoever you want)
DEADLINE: June 26
