Essay About Poem Dulce Et Decorum Est And Purpose Of This Poem

Reader Response
Essay Preview: Reader Response
Report this essay
In the poem Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, Owen is describing
the war scene he is in. It is not a beautiful sight; instead, it Owen
tries to paint the scene as one that is horrid. At the end of the
poem, Owen says “The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est/Pro patria mori”
(414). Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori is Latin which translates
to say it is sweet and beautiful to die for your country. When Owen
says this is a lie, I think he means that it is not an honor to die
for your country as many citizens may believe. Instead, Owen describes
it as if it is a nightmare you cant wake up from. I believe the
purpose of this poem was to show his readers that fighting in the war
is not something to be proud of and it is not something sweet and
beautiful to die for your country for.
As I was reading this, it reminded me of the book The Things They
Carried by Tim OBrien. In The Things They Carried OBrien talks about
his stories during the Vietnam War. The last time I read it was a
couple of years ago, but from what I remember, the book was depressing
because he talked about his stories from war. While I do not
personally know any veterans, I have heard that coming back from war
messes with veterans minds. I know that war is not pretty and it is
gruesome. However, I would not have thought that a veteran would say
dying for your country is not a noble death as some may see.