The ‘old Lie’ that Wilfred Owen refers to in this poem is written in Latin. ‘Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori’ means ‘it is sweet and honourable to die for your country’.
This statement is ironic because the poem proves that it is not sweet or honourable to die for your country. Wilfred Owen describes the horror of war, recalling the awful things he has witnessed during the First World War.
Flashback Understand
1. (a) How are the soldiers described in the first stanza? (b) Do you pity them? Explain your answer.
2. Identify the poetic technique used in each of the following: (a) ‘Gas! GAS!’ (b) ‘And watch the white eyes writhing in his face’ (c) ‘An ecstasy of fumbling ... yelling out and stumbling’.
Explore
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1. What is the poet’s attitude towards war? How do you know?
2. Wilfred Owen experienced war first-hand as a soldier. Do you agree that his description of war is realistic and honest?
3. Pick out two similes that you find striking in the poem. Why do these images appeal to you?
4. Wilfred Owen makes use of vocabulary with negative associations. Pick out words that show: disease and sickness
difficulty breathing Create
Turn this poem into a short story. Add extra details about the terror of war. Consider: narrative voice – first or third person plot and action – including conflict setting – where the action takes place characters – introduce and develop three main characters ending – the resolution to your story.
exhaustion.
Similes compare one thing to another, using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ or ‘than’.
