How Is Diction Used In Dulce Et Decorum Est

There is a reason many say “war is never the answer.” In the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, Owen metaphorically speaks about the horrors and brutality of war no one truly understands. His overall purpose is to tell his audience that war is completely unnecessary, and no one should have to risk their life to fight for their country. His use of diction, imagery, and figurative language captures a powerful image of the life effects war has on individuals. Owen uses creative yet powerful diction to portray war and its gruesome brutality. He talks about “the incurable sores on innocent tongues” and the “blood-shod” boots from the awful conditions in the war. Owen’s use of “incurable” explains to the reader that the effects of war

He talks about how the soldiers were “like old beggars under sacks” and were “drunk with fatigue.” He uses these illustrations to talk about how exhausted the soldiers were, but how they would press on to get far away from the battle. Owen compares the soldiers to old beggars because not only did they feel like them because of the harsh conditions they lived under, but because they practically “begged” to get away from fighting as much as possible. In addition, Owen says the soldiers were so exhausted, it was like the fatigue mesmerized the soldiers, making them “drunk with fatigue.” Owen uses this comparison to give the reader an idea of how life was like as a soldier, and how awful it was. Likewise, Owen refers to how a man with mustard gas on him was “like a man in fire or lime.” He provides this detail by making a comparison to create an image of how awful the man looked at the time. In addition, Owen wants his readers to think about how they would feel if they were in that soldier’s shoes. Would they feel regret for fighting for their country? Owen also wants his audience to know that these incidents were all a part of the terrible conditions of war, and how none of them are worth risking a