Free Sample Essays > European Literature
War Poetry
Compare the way Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen portray war in ‘Counter Attack’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est.’
The two poems are both written about trench welfare in World War 1. They are both very anti-war based poems, and this is shown by the way they write about the war. They often use negative terms and illustrate the very sad, dangerous and ordinary happenings of the war. The way the war was advertised to the public was that it was an honour to die for your country, and that the conditions were reasonable. I don’t think anyone would have been prepared for the conditions they faced. Sassoon and Owen described the conditions as they were, miserable and disgusting, and gave detailed explanations of the pity they soldiers went through. I think the poems were both written to describe to the people at home these conditions, and the death of soldiers. This would make those out of the war, know what it really feels like to be in the war, and that it all wasn’t fun and games. This may open their eyes to the big picture.
The poems are both very similar in that they are both about trench welfare, and are both written in an anti-war matter. They both talk about the horrible conditions of the war, the thoughts and fear that the soldiers went through, and they both include the description of a soldier’s death. Even though they both have a lot in common, they are both written very differently. Sassoon’s poem is based around a failing attempt at a counter attack, while Owens poem was about Gas attacks. The poem ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is written more about the panic of the war, while ‘Counter Attack’ is more relaxed, and very descriptive of the soldier’s thoughts. ‘Counter Attack’ really shows how much grief and fear the soldiers went through, and the negative effects of war. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is very much based on describing the movements of the soldiers (“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge”).
Wilfred Owens ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is structured using rhyme in an ABAB pattern, with the last word in each A line, rhyming with the next A line and likewise for B. Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘Counter Attack’ is written with an unconventional structure. Both poems use very striking and effective language, mainly descriptive using Metaphors, Similes and Personification. These all have great effect to give an image in the readers mind. I find this part of both poems is really catching and creative. The rhyming pattern in Wilfred Owens poem really gives it a catchy reading sense and stands out really well.
I find that after reading both poems, they are both very catchy in their own way. The way that they both use description to put an image in the readers mind, is the part that really stands out for me. The rhyming pattern in Owens poem gives it the rhythm that it needs to get [next page]