DULCE ET DECORUM EST by Wilfred Owen 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. 5 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 tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, 10 Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring 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. 15 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, 20 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, 25 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.
THE UNIFORM By Marvin Bell 5 10 15 20 25 Of the sleeves, I remember their weight, like wet wool, on my arms, and the empty ends which hung past my hands. Of the body of the shirt, I remember the large buttons and larger button holes, which made a rack of wheels down my chest and could not be quickly unbuttoned. Of the collar, I remember its thickness without starch, by which it lay against my clavicle without moving. Of my trousers, the same heavy, bulky, slow to give for a leg, a crowded feeling, a molasses to walk in. Of my boots, I remember the brittle soles, of a material that had not been made love to by any natural substance, and the laces: ropes to make prisoners of my feet. Of the helmet, I remember the webbed, inner liner, a brittle plastic underwear on which wobbled the crushing steel pot then strapped at the chin. Of the mortar, I remember the mortar plate, heavy enough to kill by weight, which I carried by rope. Of the machine gun, I remember the way it fit behind my head and across my shoulder blades as I carried it, or, to be precise, as it rode me. Of tactics, I remember the likelihood of shooting the wrong man, the weight of the rifle bolt, the difficulty of loading while prone, the shock of noise. For earplugs, some used cigarette filters or toilet paper. I don t hear well now, for a man of my age, and the doctor says my ears were damaged and asks if I was in the Army, and of course I was but then a wounded eardrum wasn t much in the scheme.
Innocence by Thom Gunn He ran the course and as he ran he grew, And smelt his fragrance in the field. Already, Running he knew the most he ever knew, The egotism of a healthy body. Ran into manhood, ignorant of the past: Culture of guilt and guilt's vague heritage, Self-pity and the soul; what he possessed Was rich, potential, like the bud's tipped rage. The Corps developed, it was plain to see, Courage, endurance, loyalty and skill To a morale firm as morality, Hardening him to an instrument, until The finitude of virtues that were there Bodied within the swarthy uniform A compact innocence, child-like and clear, No doubt could penetrate, no act could harm. When he stood near the Russian partisan Being burned alive, he therefore could behold The ribs wear gently through the darkening skin And sicken only at the Northern cold, Could watch the fat burn with a violet flame And feel disgusted only at the smell. And judge that all pain finishes the same As melting quietly by his boots it fell.
War Poetry Analysis Worksheet Name 1 Dulce et Decorum Est Which images in the poem do you find most vivid? To which senses do they speak? How is the simile in the first line made very effective? The word shod means What happens during the poem that one might expect to find in WWI? like a devil s sick of sin; makes use of what literary device? The Latin quotation in lines 27 & 28 is from Horace: It is sweet and fitting to die for one s country. Owen served as a British soldier during WWI and was killed. Is this poem unpatriotic? YES NO What is its purpose? Does Owen believe the quote by Horace? YES NO How can you tell? Describe the speaker s tone. What is his relationship to his audience? Copy the line that you think BEST captures the overall tone in the poem: The verb in the line, Behind the wagon that we flung him in reinforces what idea? How are the images of the soldiers in this poem different from the images that typically appear in recruiting posters?
The Uniform What overall impression do the speaker s images convey about his uniform? 2 I remember the large buttons which made a rack of wheels down my chest uses what literary device? Write five adjectives to describe the narrator s uniform that he does not use in the poem. 1. 2. 3 4. 5. What is the effect of the phrase, I remember in the poem? What seems to be the speaker s attitude about his time in the army? Which lines seem to prove your assessment? Why? The memory, Of the machine gun, I remember the way it fit / behind my head and across my shoulder blades / as I carried it, or, to be precise, as it rode me, contains a shift. What is the shift? How does this shift affect how we see the relationship of the narrator and the gun? How does Bell s tone compare to Owen s?
Innocence 3 What is a synonym for innocence? Show how your synonym is supported or refuted in the poem. How is the boy in the poem innocent? Is innocence a desirable quality? What is the significance of the many forms of the verb to run used? Why run? Who or what is the Corps? What did the Corps do for the boy? What is a partisan as used in this context? Consider the following statements and decide whether the poem substantiates or refutes them. Mark your response along with the line(s) that support your answer. *Because of his good traits, most people would consider the boy a desirable kind of person. *After watching the torture of the partisan, the boy is still innocent. *Thom Gunn states that there is no more dangerous kind of person than the unthinking tool who obeys orders innocently and without questioning.
4 Now decide if you agree or disagree with the following statements. Justify your opinions with references to the poem. *He was a meditative, reflective person, and intellectual. * Innocence is the term the poet uses to describe the mental outlook instilled by the Corps he belonged to. *He forced himself to watch things that he found morally repulsive in order to prove his toughness. *Indoctrination explains and excuses the crimes he was involved with. What do you think is Gunn s view on the military? What leads you to believe that?
Imagine Thom Gunn, Wilfred Owen, and Erich Remarque sat down to discuss their philosophies about war and the military. Do you think they would agree or disagree? Write a one-paragraph argument using quotes from their writings to support your idea. 5