Stanza 1 Meaning Stanza 1 begins with a

Stanza 1 • Meaning: Stanza 1 begins with a description of the shocking condition of a group of soldiers retreating from the battle field. The detail used to describe the men’s wretched state is in marked contrast to the glorified image of war suggested by the title. The men are so exhausted they fail to notice a gas shell falling close by. Note how the description of the men builds to suggest how they have been totally degraded and demoralised by war. • Style: Stanza 1 is heavily punctuated, slowing the pace of the opening of the poem to suggest the slow, staggering movements of the tired soldiers.

Dramatic opening through use of power visual image Stanza 1 Analysis Simile undermines stereotypes image of soldiers as young and fit suggests they are filthy and weak • Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Alliteration for emphasis, a hard, staccato sound to echo the harsh mood of theses lines Simile conveys how men have become unrecognisable, their masculinity and youth destroyed Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, Personification suggests death is hunting the men, it is a constant presence wherever they go And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Onomatopoeia implies how heavy and difficult the ground is to cross Word choice emphasises how exhausted The men feel

Metaphor conveys the men’s exhaustion, they are so tired they are barely aware of what they’re doing Stanza 1 Analysis Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, The poor physical state of the men is clear, their feet are caked in mud and blood Repetition emphasises every man suffered But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind; Metaphor suggests how the men are so weary they are staggering and uncoordinated Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. Onomatopoeia suggest a warning sound but also that the shells are mocking the men

Series of short exclamations conveys panic- a sudden contrast to verse 1 Stanza 2 Analysis • Gas! Quick, boys! — An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, Transferred epithet conveys how the men struggle to put on their gas masks in time But someone still was yelling out and stumbling Word choice tells us how the man is thrashing about in agony And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime. — Simile emphasises the pain the man is in- as if he was being burned alive. The image also has connotations of hell Reader sees event from Owen’s perspective -makes poem more immediate and emotive Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. An extended metaphor describes the man choking to death- unable to breathe, he falls about

Stanza 3 Analysis • Stanza 3 is structured as 2 lines only. This indicates a shift in time as the narrator relates how many years after the war he still recalls this traumatic event. This emphasizes how the impact of war is felt for many years, and many generations. Conveys a sense of guilt that he can do nothing to help his friend • In all my dreams before my helpless sight He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. These words continue the metaphor introduced in Stanza 2 and helps us picture the man falling about, desperately trying to draw breath. Onomatopoeia imitates the soldier’s attempts to draw breath ‘Guttering’ refers to a candle spitting before it goes out, suggesting coughing and spluttering and symbolising the young man’s life being extinguished

Stanza 4 • Meaning and tone: In Stanza 4 the poet changes his narrative perspective as he addresses the reader directly. We are asked to consider our personal response to the atrocities of war and confront the deceit and hypocrisy of pro war propaganda. The tone in the final lines is bitter and angry. Owen uses the patriotic slogan in darkly ironic way to expose the dishonesty of romanticised portrayals of war in light of the horrific account of soldiers experiences he has described.

Stanza 4 Analysis Directly addresses reader. ‘Pace behind’ suggests funeral procession Alliteration If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace emphasises the hideous Behind the wagon that we flung him in, sight of the Emotive word choice man suffering And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, implies soldiers are His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin, If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood treated with no respect as if disposable Simile conveys how even Satan would be disgusted by this sight Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs Bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, — Contrast in this simile highlights how youth and innocence are destroyed by war Word choice suggests sudden movementimplies pain the man suffers

Stanza 4 Analysis This means great enthusiasm My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. Repetition of title makes us reconsider our attitude to war in light of what the poem has revealed Owen here directly refers to propaganda that portrays war as a heroic adventure Owen ends the poem with a damning criticism of war and those who support it. He makes it clear that anyone who knew the truth of war could not view it as war as an act of heroic patriotism