In Memoriam, Death Bed and Dulce et Decorum est Essay Example

will not come again.'

This confirms that the son named 'David' has deceased and the father will never be reunited with him. In this stanza, the theme of death, grief, and sadness has clearly emerged.

The following passage discusses the content of the next stanza in which David's letters to his father are mentioned. These letters curiously lack any mention of the war, instead focusing on his father's responsibilities on the farm. The final two lines of the stanza express, "And the Boches have got his body, And I was his officer." The term "Boche" is a derogatory slang term employed by the British to denote German people during the war. Such language is often used by a society when attempting to diminish their adversaries. Essentially, this stanza signifies David's demise while also revealing that the poem's author served as his superior officer. This implies that the officer would feel a greater sense of sorrow over David's death compared to someone who knew him only casually, as the officer is constantly present with his soldiers throughout each day of the week.

The subsequent stanza depicts the officer's reflection:

'You were merely David's father,

Yet I had fifty sons

When we ventured into the evening

Through the arch of cannons,

And we returned at dusk-

Oh God! I heard them appeal

To me for aid and compassion

That I was unable to provide.'

In this stanza, the officer draws a comparison between himself and David's father, highlighting that he not only fulfilled the role of a father to David, but also to his fifty men.

He describes how he had to cross no man's land beneath the gunfire arch. On their return, he heard the screams of his comrades.

Despite being like a father figure to them, he had to avert his gaze from their cries as he was unable to assist them.

Then, in the last two stanzas, he shifts his address from the fathers of his deceased men to the deceased men themselves.

The following stanza expresses the author's enduring appreciation for his men, who placed their trust in him. He acknowledges that they were like his own sons, as they could only witness the vulnerability of infants and the youthful confidence of young men. Contrarily, they were unable to witness their comrades' deaths and offer comfort in their final moments. Through this comparison, the author emphasizes his unique role as their father figure, having witnessed their lives from start to finish, including their moments of frailty and impending demise.

The final stanza emphasizes that the speaker, as an officer, witnessed and experienced the agonizing suffering and loss of his young and brave soldiers. Unlike their fathers who only saw them in their strength and glory, the speaker was there for their torment and their vulnerable moments. The soldiers begged not to be abandoned as their broken bodies convulsed in pain. The speaker distinguishes himself from the fathers by saying "For they were only your fathers, But I was your officer." This implies that being an officer requires a deeper understanding and connection with the soldiers than being a father.

I will now analyze Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum est'. The title originates from a Latin phrase, 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori', which translates to 'It is a sweet and fitting thing to die for one's country'. Though this phrase may initially evoke a

sense of glorifying war, its true meaning is often misunderstood.

The text emphasizes the speaker's argument that something is not true, but then contradicts itself by presenting a different perspective. The speaker quotes a phrase and states that it is a lie, adding in :
'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.'
In the first stanza, the soldiers' actions and condition are described using similes and metaphors, such as being 'drunk with fatigue' and 'bent double, like beggars under sacks'. The description sets a slow steady rhythm that lulls the reader. However, the last two lines of the stanza, 'Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.', reveal a serious event. The urgency of the second stanza increases as the rhythm speeds up. The soldiers' hurriedly fitting their gas helmets just in time is described as an 'ecstasy of fumbling'. The poem's focus then shifts to the man who dies from a gas attack, described as 'plunging at me, guttering, choking, drowning.' From this point, the poet conveys his anti-war sentiment and promotes his 'moral' of the story: the old lie.

Next, I will proceed to 'The Death Bed' by Siegfried Sassoon.

The first stanza of this poem by Sassoon showcases his frequent use of metaphors and similes. In fact, there are five metaphors and two similes just in this stanza, all intertwined. As you read this poem, these vivid comparisons create captivating images in your imagination. Within this stanza, the lines "Silence and safety; and his mortal shore" and "Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death"

reveal that someone is dying. Additionally, these lines mark the start of Sassoon's recurring theme of water.

The subsequent verse evokes a feeling of fleeting time as it portrays an individual hastily sipping water. The verse further illustrates the pulsating pain of their injury, before pivoting towards the concept of water,
'Water-calm, sliding green above the weir'.

He regards water as an alley illuminated by the sky for his boat, before falling asleep.

The subsequent verse starts after some time has elapsed, and now the ward is filled with wind. This wind is causing the curtain to flutter. The narrator explains that due to his 'drowning eyes', he can only discern patches of color.

As time passes, he hears the sound of rain and music. The final line of the text states 'Gently and slowly washing life away,' which can be connected with the final line of the first stanza.

The text mentions that the pain of the person jumped like a wild animal. When they woke up, they shivered because the terrible thing had gone away. In the second-to-last stanza, there is an abrupt shift to someone speaking and instructing others to light numerous candles, as there may still be a chance to save him. The final line of this stanza explicitly expresses his strong opposition to war: "how can he die when ruthless old soldiers pass through unscathed?"

The final stanza portrays death as a personification, unyielding in its decision: "But Death replied 'I choose him'. So he went." This line reminds us that the war was still ongoing with the distant sound of guns.

Moving on to the comparison of the three poems, a notable contrast is the

use of realistic viewpoints in F.A. Mackintosh's and Owen's poems, while Sassoon's employs more abstract thoughts and numerous metaphors. Sassoon also brings death to life through personification. Additionally, while Owen and F.A. Mackintosh both employ a realistic style, Owen utilizes more graphic details while F.A. Mackintosh delves into the thoughts of a man for his soldiers. Each poem differs in terms of its prominent emotion.

Owen's poem is filled with a strong hatred towards the war, while F. A. Mackintosh's expresses deep grief for the loss of his men. In Sassoon's poem, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific main feeling, but there is a prevalent sense of waste caused by the war. This feeling is evident in each of the poems. Despite this, Sassoon's poem also reveals a sense of hate in the lines 'He's young; he hated War; how should he die when cruel old campaigners win safe through?' This highlights the grief and sorrow for a young man who lost his life.

Both Owen and Sassoon's poems share the main themes of death and pain, but with a difference in the graphic portrayal. F. A. Mackintosh's poem revolves around the comparison between the officer and the fathers of his men, to the extent that the poem itself almost serves as a simile.

Overall, all of the poems express a sense of profound loss caused by war, creating a common thread among them. Despite variances in style, these differences do not undermine the underlying message that the poets aim to convey. While the poem by F. A. Mackintosh does not display opposition to war as directly as the other two authors, all three poets can be

considered anti-war.