Compare and Contrast Essay: The Soldier vs. Dulce et Decorum est

Poets who write about war, especially in the 21st century have a responsibility to portray the horrors of war. They are supposed to warn us about the effects of war and remind us of the death and suffering that can occur. The propaganda of ww1 started a change of position between poets, some wanted to represent heroic qualities of soldiers, while others focused on the realities of war.  This can not be portrayed better than the 2 poems of The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen.

The 2 poems I have chosen to have very different views of war. Owens poem, Dulce et Decorum Est highlights the negative effects of war, while Rupert's poem, the soldier highlights the positive effects of war. The purpose of Owens poem was to warn us of the horrors of war and show us that dying in war is not honourable.  While reading this poem you quickly realise that to die war is not honourable as shown in propaganda. The poem forces you to empathize with the soldiers as it describes the horrors of trench warfare. Owen makes us picture the idea of trench warfare as if we experienced it for ourselves. He takes the idea of a soldier; masculine, strong and manly, and challenging it to make them look weak and withered. Within the poem, Owen uses a variety of different language and poetic techniques to make his message clearer, this can be seen in the quote “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks ... Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.” In this quote, a variety of poetic techniques are utilized to make the text powerful. Some of these techniques include rhyming, similes, metaphors, and alliteration. These techniques make the reader feel insecure, as they realize the horror of war and start to understand Owens message. Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen's only focus is on the negatives of war. He uses a variety of techniques to emphasize his point, while trying to make the readers empathize with the soldiers and relate to their experiences.

The second poem we have to discuss is The soldier by Rupert Brooke. This poem explores the lighter side of war, its purpose is to promote war and portray death as an honourable sacrifice to England, the motherland. Rupert Brooke wrote The Soldier during the start of World War 1 and was inspired by propaganda. He had not experienced the war yet unlike Dulce et Decorum Est. This fact alone affects how each of the poets wrote their poems.  Rupert uses a sonnet tone to make his writing have a pleasant effect and make you support the war effort. Brooke used a variety of poetic and language techniques to make England sound like a peaceful and beautiful place. This can be seen in this quote “If I should die, think only this of me … Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.”  this quote is important as it reminds the readers that England made them. The quote implies that you are only alive because of England, you owe everything to the country and should thus be happy to die for it. Some techniques used in the quote are; alliteration, tricolon and repetition. These techniques help keep a positive image of England in the readers head and make them consider helping England in the war. Furthermore, this poem is an unrealistic poem that only emphasizes the positives of war. It focuses on the fact that you would not be alive without England and dying in war is the only honourable thing to do. 

In summary, this essay has explored two poems that convey the different attitudes of war. The 2 poems I have explored were Dulce et Decorum Est and The soldier. These poems both represent how poetry can serve as a warning and how it can shape the world today.