No longer clean and proud looking What EFFECT

No longer clean and proud looking What EFFECT does it have? Unpleasant comparison Links to physical appearance These soldiers have aged with the trauma of war “Bent double, like old beggars under Bent double: sacks” emphasises their EXHAUSTION and the fact that the men feel like they can’t go on. Sent to war as heroes and reduced to embarrassing and undesirable images. Simile Appear ragged. Dirty, dishevelled and drab Sacks also represents the bags under their eyes and the exhaustion. Heavy bags and visual sign of tiredness.

What EFFECT does it have? Create a frantic, faster pace Stark contrast between the slow movement as the “men marched asleep” in stanza one Urgency panic Shocks them into action, even though they are exhausted and injured “An ecstasy of fumbling” Creates a sense of how the men are rushing to put their gas masks on and save themselves from the danger surrounding them. Clumsy, describes how quickly they must move to ensure safety. Links to the phrase “Fitting the clumsy helmets” No time to be delicate and precise. There is an air of panic.

Power of the sea= power of the gas What EFFECT does it have? Represents the gas. It engulfs him like a wave and pulls him under it’s power. Fighting and struggling Unable to escape Dominating force Any other similarities between the clouds of gas and the sea? “As under a green sea, I saw him drowning” The physical Green sea = metaphor The colour highlight that soldiers would be aware of the danger and threat to their lives, just like being trapped alone and isolated in the sea. The way isolating nature of both the sea and the gas. They are “helpless” watching him as if he is being washed away by the sea. reaction as the gas attacks his body. The effect of the lungs of the soldier filling with fluid, similar to if he were drowning.

NB The fact that Owen had to create his own word illustrates the fact that there had been nothing like the terrible conditions of WW 1 before and the horror could not be described using everyday words. What EFFECT does it have? Creation of a new word, which links to sound. Word choice to tell us the true horror of this man’s death. Owen makes the death more realistic and horrific More visual, cause a deeper impact on the reader “Guttering, choking, drowning” Possibly the combination of spluttering and gargling. Onomatopoeia It is a word that sounds like the actual sound that it describes. Forces the reader to hear the sound of him dying as the fluid fills his lungs and he dies. It sounds painful, and disgusting. Nothing dignified or heroic Feel more sympathy, as like Owen now they too are witnesses to the depressing last moments of this man and must just listen to his pain

What EFFECT does it have? What type of sound is repeated? Sound becomes softer through the phrase to mirror the life of the soldier ebbing away Mimics the pain experienced by the dying man Watch: double meaning. The other soldiers must just stand by and watch their friend die. Also links to the idea of his time ebbing away “And watch the white eyes writhing in his face” Horrific image of the eyes rolling back in his head – very little control over his body Alliteration The idea of writhing is so unpleasant that it makes the reader and poet want to look away but there is no ignoring this horror. White: links to the white light of death approaching the soldier. Highlighting further that there is no saving the man.

Repetition It tells us that the men are scared by the danger of the gas attack. It suggests that Owen is shouting and attempting to warn the other men about the approaching danger. “Gas!” Personification “Clumsy Helmets” It describes the action of the men hurrying to put their helmets on rather than the helmets themselves. It stands out as it tells us that the men are in a panic and trying to move as quickly as possible to stay safe. It makes us feel the panic of the men, as it speeds up the pace of the poem. It shows us fear the men feel for the gas. It also reinforces the idea that the helmets are big and heavy and not easy to move about in these important moments.

His memories are so painful to him that they are suffocating him and oppressing him. Metaphor to describe his memories These thoughts cause him physically discomfort and pain. “Smothering dreams” Simile to describe the movements of the man who didn’t get his gas mask on in time. The gas is burning his skin and making him move about quickly in jerking movements. He is trying to suppress these thoughts and feeling but at night when he can’t control it the memories come back to haunt him. It tells us that he is suffering very intense pain as the gas is burning his body. “Flound’ring like a man in fire or lime” This could also be the mental struggle of the men who must watch their friend die in such a horrific way and cannot help him. Struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud: It is not a dignified way to die.

The word flung tells us that they took no care with the body of the dying man Word choice It seems strange to treat a friend in such a way. “the wagon that we flung him in” It highlights how war changes people and makes them harder Word choice No time to take care and be friendly. Unpleasant, undignified, not heroic Makes us feel sick at the thought of this. Unpleasant, undignified, prolonged death “froth corrupted lungs” Horrific imagery Makes the reader visualise how the man is dying Fluid in his lungs killing him and stopping him from breathing. Corrupted links to the fact that a young boy has been changed for the worse.

Simile This emphasises how horrific and painful this situation is. The gas leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the dying man “Obscene as cancer, bitter as the It highlights the The thought of such a cud” severity of the thing happening leaves a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. Word choice Terrible, painful, sour and unpleasant Incurable sores are the lies that the people at home told to encourage people to go to war situation. Incurable sores could also be the burns from the gas attack “Incurable sores on innocent tongues” Innocent tongues might be the tongue of the dying soldier, who was just trying to be a hero. Innocent tongues could also be the naïve people at home who believed that the war would be an adventure.

Simile This describes the appearance of the dying man’s face It is compared to a devil that is tired of being evil. “his hanging face like a devil’s sick of sin” Lack of control This suggests that the man might be tired of the pain now, he is no longer struggling but is ready to give up and die. over destiny and movement. His face is hanging over the edge of the wagon. His face is unnatural looking, twisted and far from human at the moment. Unfortunately like a dveil he cannot change the course of destiny and must continue to suffer.

Word choice Latin phrase It is sweet and noble to die for your country This highlights Owen’s anti-war belief and shows his hatred for the pro-war encouragement given by people at home. Owen uses this as a contrast to the events described in his poem. To make sure the reader knows that it is not noble to die in a war. “the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori He quotes the exact phrase used by people who did not experience fighting on the front line. He is talking directly to the reader of the time to make them feel guilty and ashamed of their actions. Particular emphasis is put on the word Lie to show much he is against this false encouragement.