Composers effectively convey their views on conflict through the use of creative forms, and these views are influenced by their own experiences and context of war. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, a poem by Wilfred Owen (1918) is a powerful poem that exposes a dark, gloomy reality of war and opposes the connotation of war being a way to show glory and honour for your country. The poem vividly describes the alarming events that occurred during and post war. Similarly, the etching ‘Dead Sentry In The Trenches’, by Otto Dix (1924) presents the idea of cruelty and anguish in war to the viewers.
Wilfred Owen's 1918 poem Dulce Et Decorum Est challenges the widespread perception that war is to be celebrated by portraying it as a very negative experience. Owen accomplishes this by primarily using images to evoke fear and disgust in the viewer. Throughout the poem, Owen uses a range
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A man is depicted in the image lying lifeless next to long, thin cables and on the deserted ground, with a hard helmet sitting on his head. The firearm next to him is abandoned and still. Otto Dix uses emotional resonance to convey his perspective on conflict to the viewer. In his drawing, Dix purposefully chose dull hues to demonstrate that there is nothing cheerful about conflict. The firearm by the soldier's side functions as a vector line that points to the soldier, who is the salient point of the picture. When looking at the etching at a first glance, it seems ordinary, and as if there is nothing wrong with it. That is, until the viewer follows the vector line to see that the soldier has his face ripped off, and a skull is all that remains. The body language of the soldier implies that he is still alive, as he is seen resting well. Overall, the etching represents the fact that regardless of who wins wars, the impact is always negative for everyone