Dulce Et Decorum Est - The Futility of War Expressed Perfectly in Poetry
Introduction
Today I would like to share some more poetry - a piece by Wilfred Owen called "Dulce et decorum est".
This is a long post with some extra discussion of context and analysis of the poem.
I will present the poem first in case you want to skip those.
The Poem
Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
Pro patria mori.
Brief Explanatory notes for those unfamiliar with the poem:
- "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" - a famous Latin phrase from the classical poet, Horace which was popular at the time - it means "It is a fine and fitting thing to die for one's country". The ultimate ode to Statism.
- "Helmets" could also refer to gas masks.
- "Five-Nines" refers to a particular type of shell - most likely the size.
- "Gas", "green light" and the symptoms described so vividly here seem consistent with chlorine. In it's gaseous form it is a pale green colour and incredibly corrosive to the lungs, death could be instantaneous in severe cases of exposure. In others it was a slow protracted matter (see paragraph below).
- "Cud" is partially digested grass, probably indicating the appearance of fluids, pus and necrotic tissue emanating from the stricken man's respiratory system as a result of the chlorine.
Here is an account of chlorine death from a nurse:
“He was sitting on the bed, fighting for breath, his lips plum coloured. He was a magnificent young Canadian past all hope in the asphyxia of chlorine. I shall never forget the look in his eyes as he turned to me and gasped: I can’t die! Is it possible that nothing can be done for me? It was a horrible death, but as hard as they tried, doctors were unable to find a way of successfully treating chlorine gas poisoning."
Further Discussion
Some Very Basic History Revision For Context
I originally encountered Owen when we were studying the Great War (early doublespeak) in history classes.
The curriculum at the time was set up so that we also studied the poetry and writing from the time in our English classes.
The First World War (as I will call it from now on) was a very bizarre time in history.
It came at a time when the world was in a period of turmoil and transition. The Austro-Hungarian empire was in a state of decline, as was it's neighbour in the form of the Ottoman Empire.
Tensions had been high in Europe for decades preceeding the outbreak of open war. The UK and Germany had been in a "cold" war of sorts with great suspicion between the two nations.
This was also the time leading up to the Russian Revolution.
There was a feeling that war was inevitable.
What was particularly disturbing at this time was that there also appeared to be very romantic notions of war.
There was very strong pro-war sentiment in certain quarters of the establishment (in the UK) and the mass media and much pre war writing glorified it.
The assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Yugoslavia in 1914 may be thought of as the official trigger but in actual fact it seemed to be more of an excuse for old rivalries and scores to be settled.
The "Hell" of Trench Warfare
Despite the romantic notions of war this was a kind of war that had never before been seen.
It saw the mechanisation of killing on a previously unimagined scale, with unparalleled use of explosives, machine guns/artillery and making it's debut on a large scale - the first use of chemical warfare.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
The most famous accounts and much of what is referred to in the literature is the pointlessness and frustration of those in the "trenches". Soldiers on either side would fight over tiny scraps of land with frequent stalemates.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Conditions were appalling. The fields were wet, muddy and cold. Rats were commonplace along with a variety of diseases including trench foot.
Supplies were meagre and the men were in constant fear of their lives.
Mental illness was rife. This was one of the first times that "shell-shock" which later become known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was noted on a large scale.
Unfortunately it was not accepted at the time and many soldiers suffering from shellshock were treated completely unsympathetically.
These people were mentally and therefore physically unable to fight and as a result were often summarily executed for dereliction of duty or desertion.
Some men would deliberately injure themselves, blowing off limbs or raising extremities out of the trenches to get shot - purely so that they could get some respite by being sent to the hospital.
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
When I say men - I should make it clear that some of them were boys who had lied about their age.
Some were only 14 or 15 and had said they were 16 because they thought that war was a great adventure.
That is what they had been sold by the propaganda of the time.
There is a World War I memorial at my school and amongst those names are some boys who were in that situation.
Desperate Glory
The power of Owen's poetry is that it takes us back to that horrendous time.
It gives a glimpse into the horror and futility of those deaths.
If there is one message from his words it is that of the utter pointlessness of the carnage.
This becomes all the more clear now with the hindsight of history we can see that World War I was not in any way a just or purposeful war - assuming that such a thing even exists.
It did not even bring any kind of resolution and in many respects created the problems that lead to World War II.
One further note of sadness comes from the fact that Owen himself did not get to see the end of the war.
One of the greatest poets in history was killed on the 4th of November 1918 almost exactly a week before Armistice Day.
His mother received the telegram informing her of his death during the Armistice Day celebration.
"What is the actual scale of this map, Darling?"
I hate to leave on such a sad note, so here is a short set of clips from "Black Adder Goes Forth".
These illustrate some of the aforementioned points using a tool that can be just as powerful as poetry i.e. comedy:
Thank you for reading.
References and Further Reading
- “WILFRED OWEN - DULCE ET DECORUM EST, Text of Poem and Notes.” 2017. Accessed January 6. http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html.
- Wikipedia contributors. 2017a. “World War I.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. January 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_War_I&oldid=757746290.
- Wikipedia contributors. 2017b. “Wilfred Owen.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. January 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilfred_Owen&oldid=758640120.
- John Simkin. 2017. “Chlorine Gas.” Spartacus Educational. Accessed January 6. http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWchlorine.htm.
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Again a fantastic post: Quality, depth and major relevance for our times. Upvoted and re-steemed. Thank you so very much for it all, I learned through it as well. All for one and one for all! Namaste :)
Thank you so much:)
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Thank you:)
It's very beautiful post and very interesting!!
Exchellent job dear @thecryptofied :)
Thank you:)
That was a great analysis and a poignant piece
Thank you:)
Unrelated to the post, you got talent for writing, the way you compose your text amazes me, I upvote and resteem.
Thank you for your kind words:)
Love that poem. I share it on remembrance day every year, trying to offset all the hushed marble reverence.
It's brilliant:)
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