Had the poem ended without «The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori», I highly doubt th... more Had the poem ended without «The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori», I highly doubt that it would have had the same importance and significance it still has in British and world literature. Horace, a renowned poet from the times of the ancient Roman Empire, whose masterpiece «Odes» contains the latin quote Owen uses in this poem, once said something such as «He has not lived badly whose birth and death has been unnoticed by the world».
This poem begins with a title which is, truth be told, somewhat unusual, as the general perceptio... more This poem begins with a title which is, truth be told, somewhat unusual, as the general perception of youth is not that they are doomed, it is rather the other way around. Owen nevertheless aims at stressing the terrible conditions, both physical and psychological, that many British young men either have gone through or were soon going to go through. Owen himself is speaking, and this poem is adressed to us, his readers, and possibly to the politicians which had the power to end the war as they pleased.
Whilst peasantry was the principal form of living until the late 19 th century, it would dramatic... more Whilst peasantry was the principal form of living until the late 19 th century, it would dramatically change as we entered the turn of centuries. Industrialization transformed agricultural societies into urban, industrialized nations while economic pressure was at the same time forcing an increasing amount of peasants off the land and into the cities, in which the life of the poor stood in an increasing contrast to the life of the rich.
In spite of having had literature for well over a year, it was-I must admit-not until I had read ... more In spite of having had literature for well over a year, it was-I must admit-not until I had read this poem that I fully understood how substantially the literary techniques used in a given poem can influence it. Knowing Owenʼs modest background, it is indeed a paradox that he became such an accomplished poet as he did, because it was certainly not every day in the apogee of the class-divided British Empire that the son of a coalminer rose to the quite so aristocratic and well-respected ranks of a poet. Most of the fame he received was nevertheless received posthumously, and Dulce et decorum est stands as one of the magnum opuses of his poetic life.
Had the poem ended without «The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori», I highly doubt th... more Had the poem ended without «The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori», I highly doubt that it would have had the same importance and significance it still has in British and world literature. Horace, a renowned poet from the times of the ancient Roman Empire, whose masterpiece «Odes» contains the latin quote Owen uses in this poem, once said something such as «He has not lived badly whose birth and death has been unnoticed by the world».
This poem begins with a title which is, truth be told, somewhat unusual, as the general perceptio... more This poem begins with a title which is, truth be told, somewhat unusual, as the general perception of youth is not that they are doomed, it is rather the other way around. Owen nevertheless aims at stressing the terrible conditions, both physical and psychological, that many British young men either have gone through or were soon going to go through. Owen himself is speaking, and this poem is adressed to us, his readers, and possibly to the politicians which had the power to end the war as they pleased.
Whilst peasantry was the principal form of living until the late 19 th century, it would dramatic... more Whilst peasantry was the principal form of living until the late 19 th century, it would dramatically change as we entered the turn of centuries. Industrialization transformed agricultural societies into urban, industrialized nations while economic pressure was at the same time forcing an increasing amount of peasants off the land and into the cities, in which the life of the poor stood in an increasing contrast to the life of the rich.
In spite of having had literature for well over a year, it was-I must admit-not until I had read ... more In spite of having had literature for well over a year, it was-I must admit-not until I had read this poem that I fully understood how substantially the literary techniques used in a given poem can influence it. Knowing Owenʼs modest background, it is indeed a paradox that he became such an accomplished poet as he did, because it was certainly not every day in the apogee of the class-divided British Empire that the son of a coalminer rose to the quite so aristocratic and well-respected ranks of a poet. Most of the fame he received was nevertheless received posthumously, and Dulce et decorum est stands as one of the magnum opuses of his poetic life.
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