Dulce Et Decorum Est Commentary

Dulce Et Decorum Est Commentary Dulce et decorum est is a famous anti-war poet written by Wilfred Owen in 1917, during the WWI. It portrays war as a brutal and dehumanizing experience by utilizing a number of horrific, gruesome imageries effectively. This poem is based on a quotation from a Latin poem, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, which means It is sweet and proper to die for ones country. However, there is absolutely nothing in the actual poem that is sweet, nor is there any description that associates directly to its title. The poem is ironically dedicated to Jessie Pope, a childrens book writer and a poet known to write poems that deliver patriotic messages. It also objurgates the media that propagated the innocent soldiers for attempting ignoble political maneuvers, and also those who glorify war without any just purpose. The poem can be divided roughly into three sections: the soldiers leaving the battlefield; a scenery of the soldiers suffering from an unexpected gas attack; and a blistering critici sm against those who glorifies these soldiers. The first stanza describes how the soldiers are mentally and physically distressed from the brutal and horrifying experiences of war. It mainly focuses on the discomforts and grieves of the soldiers who are in desperate need of medical supplies and attention. Wilfred Owen draws a sharp contrast between these old war-stricken soldiers described as Old beggars under sacks and the glorious and virile images people tend to have against soldiers. This stanza clearly highlights the fact that they are NOT marching towards the battlefield with patriotic spirit, but instead trudging exhaustingly like Hags who are completely worn out and mutated. They march by putting forth all the little strength left in them and walking Knock-kneed so that they can at least keep on moving forward. Many have lost their boots from cursing through sludge, and in retreat from warfare, many drag their feet, shod in their own blood with desperate need of recovery from the accumulated fatigue. The poem consist a number of 28 lines, and has a convectional rhyming structure. It uses full rhymes such as sack and back, sludge and trudge, boots and hoots, and so on. The rhyme scheme is in alternative groups of four, ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL MNMN. However, the stanzas are broken up irregularly into 8, 6, 2, 12 lines, and are not presented as quatrains.   In the first section, with a stanza of 8 lines, an octave which basically explains the environmental conditions and the deplorable situations the soldiers are in, and one of six, a sestet,, it can be assumed to be an Petrarchan sonnet, although it is not tenacious to the classical form since Wilfred Owen does not seem to strictly adhere to the actual rhyme scheme. The poem starts off with an slow pace, creating an ambience of dismay and dejection by utilizing words such as Sludge and Trudge. Owens illustrative use of imagery here allows us to picture and understand the poor environmental and physical conditions they are in. It shows how the soldiers are not merely tired, but that they are coming close to losing all the hopes they may have had for their bright future. A very good use of simile can be seen in the first verse where the soldiers are described to be old, crippled reprobates, who are Bent double, like old beggars under sacks / knock need, coughing like hags, even though many must have been very young. By saying so, Owen effectively breaks the widely accepted image of soldiers being brave, patriotic and highly motivated. Another intriguing term that deserves a mention here is Distant rest which can be interpreted in two ways: one interpretation may simply mean to have a long-awaited rest to recover from exhaustion, but it also implic itly refers to Rest In Peace as a destiny for many engaged in war. The second stanza prompts the readers to an abrupt alarm of danger. Gas, GAS! Quick, boys! Just as the boys were heading for a peace of mind by retreating from the front line, gas shells drop beside them. As soon as they hear the warning, the soldiers begin to hastily wear their Clumsy helmets to save their own lives in ecstasy of fumbling. Terrible and shocking images of the gas attack are highlighted by focusing on the unfortunate one who does not get to wear the mask in time and is slowly but surely poisoned to death. The notion of lung burning And floundering like a man on fire or lime creates a terrifying image of the man writhing and suffering from the symptoms of intoxication. The poem consist a number of 28 lines, and has a convectional rhyming structure. It uses full rhymes such as sack and back, sludge and trudge, boots and hoots, and so on. The rhyme scheme is in alternative groups of four, ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL MNMN. However, the stanzas are broken up irregularly into 8, 6, 2, 12 lines, and are not presented as quatrains. In the first section, with a stanza of 8 lines, an octave which basically explains the environmental conditions and the deplorable situations the soldiers are in, and one of six, a sestet,, it can be assumed to be an Petrarchan sonnet, although it is not tenacious to the classical form since Wilfred Owen does not seem to strictly adhere to the actual rhyme scheme. Owen again makes uses of similes to describe the affect the gas attack is making to the man. And floundering like a man n fire or lime. Also capital letters and exclamation marks are utilized as accents to emphasize the sense of urgency and panic, and to make the image even more graphical. GAS! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling. He deliberately uses the word ecstasy, which usually means to be rapturous, to dramatize the overflowing sense of panic and fear the soldiers are in. Owen applies words such as floundering, clumsy and stumbling not only to pace up the poem, but to communicate the sense of emergency, and the chaotic turmoil the soldiers find themselves in. However, then there is a sudden slowing down of pace led by the daunting imagery of fatal silence prevailing over the soldiers drowningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦under the green sea of poisonous gas. Also, there is a use of double entente seen here Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light / As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. Not only does the imagery of the green sea imply the luminous gas misting in the air, but it also portrays the view the soldiers see through the dim lenses of their gas masks. The ones who are protectively accoutered in mask passively observe the life of the unprotected relentlessly fading away The two lines In all my dreams before my helpless sight and He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning are thoughtfully separated to show all those who believe blindly that war in reality is not about brevity or winning or for anyones country but is simply about survival and an desperate escape from an overwhelming fear of becoming crippled both physically and mentally. Owen continues to utilize metaphors linked to sleep walking, dreams and nightmares, to assert how terrible, and relentless the returning image given is. The helpless sight indicated here is describing the guilt feeling of how the speaker I is unable to help the gas-poisoned comrade. He enumerates continuously a number of verbs to accentuate the immediacy of the section, and to reiterate the unimaginable suffering of the comrade as he drowns deep in the green sea. And at last, for the last stanza, Owen describes the soldiers death mask as a devils sick of sin, to implicate that an once innocent youth has fallen into the pitfall of hell. The last four lines here are very ironic and cynical, as if they are Wilfred Owens own words. The poem ends with an asseveration that Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, is a complete lie, In the last verse, Owen, for the first time, employs the second person you to directly address us readers in an attempt to wake us up to see the ugly reality of war that he unveils. In the phrase Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, Owen reminds the readers that these soldiers in the battlefield were also once the children ardent for some desperate glory, who were brainwashed to sacrifice their lives in such a pitifully poor environment. In the last lines, his anger, ill feeling and strong sense of denunciation towards the absurdity of war are vividly expressed in a manner that is highly convincing to the readers n ot to let the old lie be passed on unnoticed to the next generation. My friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory In the last sentence, Wilfred Owen purposely does not apply the use of iambic meter, as if there is no meaning, or no point in making an effort to place the words within the proper metrical structure, to emphasize his anger and sense of distrust towards the old lie in the most straightforward manner. Although the pace is still speedy, the word choices here become forthright and very striking, as if to emulate a war reporter with a doomed eye uttering whatever comes up in his mind out of desperation. In this stanza, he graphically pictures the dreadful images of a man tormented by the gas attack, giving revolting descriptions related to body parts, which are horrifying and visually disturbing. And watch the white eyes writhing in his face / blood gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs. I assume the phrase is intended to stir the readers emotions as powerfully and shockingly as possible, by meaningfully describing the facial appearance of a soldier, who is normally stereotyped as a handsome and virile youth, deform into an gruesomely dehumanized face, as a result of the poisonous gas he could not help inhaling. What we observe from the poem is that Wilfred Owen has been successful in employing various literary devices, to create the ghastly and horrifying images of the war. He implicates that war is brutal and vile, and completely contradicts the idea of how sweet and proper it is to die for ones country. He overall gives a very steady progression in the poem, in despite of the frightful imageries of the soldier suffering from the plaguing gas attack. In addition, Wilfred Owen makes use of irony to criticize not only Jessie Pope, but to all those people who believe warfare to be honoring and splendiferous tradition.  ­

Violence: The Art Of Destruction Essay -- essays research papers fc

In today’s day and age, violence almost seems like a way of life. Aggression is the way to solve a problem, and the only way to make someone listen is to yell louder than them. Today is a day when it is alright to show a cold blooded murder on television or in a film. People enjoy seeing cartoon characters (namely Japanamation) kill each other and have graphic sex. Violence is everywhere and is almost impossible to escape and even more difficult to keep out of your life. However, in these times we must learn to live as part of society, and make meaningful contributions rather than just adding to the same heap of hate and aggression that animals are prone to and people should be above that stage in their life. People need to use reason to think out things before they say them and think even harder before they do some thing. Too many people do things in the heat of the moment. They hit their wives and children, shoot their classmates, give the finger to a car as it drives by, m indlessly watch murder and destruction on TV and in the theatres, and say things that they don’t mean in the passion of the altercation. These behaviors are destructive and bring about even more hate and nothing ever gets accomplished. War never came without a price. Far too many men were killed who never got to see their families again, and we are still so caught up in ourselves that we don’t see the suffering of the people around us. We get mad and angry and lash out with violence and hate because it’s all we know. Although we were taught from the dawn of our existence that violence isn’t the way to go, that doesn’t make it the less natural way to go. It is so much more natural to just punch the loser who hurt your feelings instead of turning the other cheek and walking away and being the bigger person. Being the bigger person is always harder, because it means maintaining dignity and pride even though you didn’t fight back which is what s ociety has come to expect from us. School Violence What seems to frighten me most lately is school violence. I am almost afraid to come into school because some kid my get the wrong idea and do something that they’ll regret. I feel that the school should be a safe place where one feels that they are safe and secure and not where they feel that their hall ways could become a battle ground any moment. These recent school shootings have also left me a... ..., it’s only a matter of time before that person will stand up for themselves in the only way that they know how to protect themselves, and that is with a gun. Stopping The Violence As one can see, there are many different kinds of violence. So what does one do about it? This is simple. Just live and create. If you see destruction, create over it. If you see violence and hatred, mend it and manipulate it into love. Where there is barrenness, make something grow. Especially, where there is love, embrace it. Share it with as many people as you can. Violence can only persist if we let it. Lets have one more World War, the War against violence and hatred. Instead of bombs we can use smiles and instead of guns we can use acceptance. The earth will be a battleground for God and the emblem on my shield will be Jesus. He started the battle, now lets finish the war. Works Cited The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness – Erich Fromm Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis – Albert Bandura Breaking the Cycle of Violence – Richard J. Hazler, Ph.D. Violence in America – Stephen Goode Reason and Violence - Sherman M. Stanage Bully/Victim Conflict: An Overview for Educators – Beverly B. Title, Ph.D.

Origins of World War I Essay

The World War I fought between 1914 and 1918, is considered the largest of any war in human history and ever since, many refer it as the Great War. It was a culmination of activities and competition across European nations. It’s estimated that 14 million people lost their lives on the First World War. The causes of the World War I were complicated which includes; 1. Imperialism- The scramble for Africa and some other parts of Asia for raw materials by European countries led to a competition and this pushed the world into the World War I. 2. Defense alliances-most countries all over Europe had formed defense agreements that if one country was attacked, allied countries would join and fight back. For example when Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia joined to defend Serbia and German started to attack Russia. 3. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from Hungary and his wife in June 1914 by a Serbian national is considered to be an immediate cause. It took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and which was part of Hungary. This was followed by protests as Serbia wanted to take control of Bosnia then Hungary declared war on Serbia leading to an expansion of the war trough the mutual defense alliances. It’s not exactly known which country was responsible for the war though Germany is strongly believed to be responsible for the out break of the war. Through the Schlieffen plan German was supposed first to invade France through Belgium then Russia before it had mobilized. Germany was also a major partner in the triple alliance and it’s perceived that Hungary would not have risked war with Serbia without full backing of Germany through the blank check given on 6th, june1914. However, on the other hand the war started first as conflict between Hungary and Serbia after the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Hungary. In all fairness historians argue that all senior powers were responsible for war. In conclusion, other than trade, peace alliances and coalitions between nations should be formed and promoted to foster peace and understanding. This will prevent t an out break of another war. References Henig Ruth, 2002, The Origins of the First World War, Routledge.

cyberterror essays

cyberterror essays What is Cyber Terrorism? (Consumer View) When you say terrorism many people think of bombing and physical actions taken towards other people. You usually dont think of the internet. Cyber terrorism is one of the largest points of attack in America, simply because people dont think of their computer as a device that can physically harm them. But computers are the main way of taking care of sensitive documents that the government thinks are important to national security. The fact is that an attack on computer technology can cause a great deal of damage. First, however, we must define cyber terrorism. I define cyber terrorism as abuse of computer technology to destroy personal and business information with the intent to harass. That being said, cyber terror is a broad field. Government agents consider hackers to be cyber terrorists because they cause pointless acts of destruction. I do not completely agree with that because most hackers are more like a kid wanting to play a joke on their father because it gives them a sense of power. They do not wish to destroy, but to let them know that he was there. Cyber terrorists seek to do so on a larger scale because they want to cause destruction and panic to all those who use computers or to a specific group of people, similar to the events after September 11. Many Americans were downloading patriotic songs, so someone attached a virus to God Bless America and The National Anthem. The virus attached to your virus software. It caused an alert, but would not allow your virus scanner to clean it. The results were your computer freezing up, and if you rebooted, it would not allow Windows to run. This was a popular act of cyber terrorism; many people that I know had to recover all lost documents and information th at they had accumulated. The areas that we are most vulnerable in are personal computers, government, and private networks (Donthu, Navin (199...

Mary Whiton Calkins essays

Mary Whiton Calkins essays Mary Whiton Calkins was born on March 30, 1863 in Hartford, Connecticut, but spent most of her childhood in Buffalo, New York. Mary was the oldest of five children born to her Puritan mother and minister father. According to some sources, Calkins father had a great distrust of public education, and preferred educating his children by boarding them with French and German families. It is recorded, though, that Mary Calkins graduated from an established high school in Newton, Massachusetts. Calkins indicated her interest in philosophy in high school by writing a graduation essay entitled "The Apology Plato should have written: a vindication of the character Xantippi." Johnson, 1997 Calkins entered Smith College in 1882 as a sophomore, but left the following spring when her sister became ill and died. She remained home the following academic year, studying Greek and tutoring two of her younger brothers. Calkins re-entered Smith College in the fall of 1984 with senior standing and graduated the following spring with a degree concentrated in classics and philosophy. (Johnson, 1997) After Calkins graduation from Smith, she spent a year studying social and economic issues with a womens organization called the Newton Social Science Club. Calkins researched her first paper entitled Sharing the Profits (1888), during this period (Johnson, 1997). The following year, Calkins, and her family went on a journey to Europe where Calkins attended Leipzig University for a short while and studied with Wilhelm Wundt. (McHenry, 1995). The Calkins family traveled on to Greece where Mary studied Modern Greek (Johnson, 1997). Calkins began her career in academia immediately upon her return when she was offered a position as a Greek teacher at Wellesley College. During her time at Wellesley, Calkins made her interests in philosophy known and she was recommended to fulfill the position of teaching courses i...

Organizational Behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Behavior - Assignment Example An informal research activity could be done using a formal scientific approach by following a controlled and objective approach where the researcher has to follow prescribed rules which are regularly reviewed for errors (Arch & Elizabeth, 2009). The aspect of organizational behavior that I would study is motivation. This involves inspiring and stimulating the employees to accomplish the desired goals of the organization. The reason I would study is that the motivation of employees is important in ensuring the success of the organization. In addition, behaviorism psychology is concerned with an observable behavior as opposed to other internal events that include thinking. Due to this, the observable behavior is easily measured scientifically. Each behavior is as a result of a stimulus and it is learned from an environment of an individual (John, Robert, & Michael, 2014). Organizational psychology is concerned with the study of the human behaviors especially in the workplaces and applies both psychological theories and the organizational principles. This psychology enhances the success of an organization by heightening the level of organizational performance. This behavior is learned and is easily measured. The difference bet ween organization and behaviorist psychology is that organizational psychology applies only in an organization (Nigel, David, Nikala, & Douglas, 2006). In Texas, the people still enjoy a good taste of barbeque and it is evident from a wide variety of stalls displaying different varieties of barbeque. In this aspect, there is one famous world-famous barbeque called Drexler’s which is located in Houston’s third ward area. The business has been a family business for the longest time one can remember. The history of the restaurant began in the late 1940s when the uncle to the current owners operated as the Burney’s BBQ (John, Robert, & Michael, 2014).

Muhammad Ali Clay ( Cassius Marcellus ) 1942 - 1981 Essay

Muhammad Ali Clay ( Cassius Marcellus ) 1942 - 1981 - Essay Example For instance, he started training when he was only 12 years old. However, irrespective of the tender age of training, the super man acquired several skills, expertise as well as experience. This pushed him towards the realization of his first global success at the age of 221. For instance, it was at the age of 22 when Muhammad Ali first won the World heavyweight championship. This happened in the year 1964. The victory really motivated Muhammad Ali. As such, he vowed to put even more effort in order to succeed at each and every boxing event. It is of crucial significance to underscore the fact that Muhammad Ali was born a Christian. However, as he continued to grow, he later on converted to Islam. This happened in the year 1975 when he was 33 years old. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States of America, Muhammad Ali, also known as Cassius Marcellus Clay played a total of 61 fights. Amongst these fight matches, he won 56 and lost 5. Amongst his victories, his total wins by knock outs included 37 in number. This paper is going to focus on Muhammad Ali relevant to his religious perspectives as well as the issue of women. Moreover, the paper is going to focus on the views of Muhammad Ali relevant to wars as well as maintenance of peace amongst individuals in the society. Furthermore, the paper is going to focus on Muhammad Ali’s take on the issue of racism as well as equality of all the people regardless of differences in races, religion as well as ethnic backgrounds. It is of crucial significance to note that Muhammad Ali, also known as Cassius Clay was really opposed to the issue of racism in the United States of America. Muhammad Ali is someone who deeply the valued the issue of equality amongst all humanities. However, it is of crucial significance to underscore the fact that the issue of racism greatly undermined as well as compromised the issue