New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing 'Dulce et Decorum est'

I can analyse how Owen uses language, form and structure to present the brutal reality of war.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing 'Dulce et Decorum est'

I can analyse how Owen uses language, form and structure to present the brutal reality of war.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Owen uses graphic imagery to portray the brutal reality of war.
  2. Owen shows the vulnerability of the men in the beginning of the poem, contradicting the public perception of soldiers.
  3. Owen uses figurative language to convey a vivid account of the gas attack.
  4. Owen switches tense throughout the poem - perhaps to represent his experiences with PTSD.
  5. The inclusion of three tenses arguably illustrates the impact that war has had on Owen’s past, present and future.

Common misconception

Students sometimes fail to recognise that the tense shifts as the poem progresses.

Owen includes three tenses in his poem, perhaps to illustrate that the impact of war has, is and will be felt in his past, present and future.

Keywords

  • Vulnerable - able to be harmed either physically or emotionally.

  • Desensitised - less sensitive or reactive to something.

  • Imagery - words used to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.

  • Gruelling - extremely challenging and demanding.

  • PTSD - a mental illness caused by trauma, in which the patient may suffer flashbacks, hallucinations, depression and substance abuse.

If you have time, in the second learning cycle, ask students to highlight all the verbs together and discuss which tense they belong to. This will enhance their understanding of the poem and will develop their grammar.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
When was 'Dulce et Decorum Est' published?
1916
1917
1918
1919
Correct answer: 1920
Q2.
is biased or misleading information used to influence public opinion. It was used in WWI to encourage young men to enlist in the army.
Correct Answer: propaganda
Q3.
Which of the following statements about Wilfred Owen are true?
Owen's brother Siegfried was also a famous war poet
Correct answer: Owen served in Serre and St. Quentin
Owen never actually saw any military action
Correct answer: Owen died on November 4th 1918
Q4.
Complete the quotation from 'Dulce et Decorum Est'. "Dulce et Decorum Est..."
pro maria patrium
Correct answer: pro patria mori
pre patrium fori
por mora patria
Q5.
What is Owen criticising in the poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est''?
he is criticising the inexperience of soldiers in the war
Correct answer: he is criticising people who were glorifying war through the use of propaganda
he is criticising the lack of suitable equipment soldiers were given
Correct answer: he is criticising war itself and condemning the brutality of it
he is criticising the government for forcing people to enlist in the army
Q6.
Starting with the first, put these quotations from 'Dulce et Decorum Est' in order, as they appear in the poem.
1 - "Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge"
2 - "Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots"
3 - "But someone still was yelling out and stumbling"
4 - "He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning."
5 - "His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;"
6 - "Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud"

6 Questions

Q1.
What tense is the middle of the poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est' written in?
past
Correct answer: present
future conditional
Q2.
What method does Owen use in this quotation from 'Dulce et Decorum Est' to present the soldier's death graphically: "As under a green sea, I saw him drowning"?
Correct answer: simile
onomatopoeia
enjambment
metaphor
alliteration
Q3.
Which quotation from 'Dulce et Decorum Est' shows us that the soldiers have become desensitised to the violence and threat of war?
"Many had lost their boots"
"But someone still was yelling out and stumbling"
"coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge"
Correct answer: "deaf even to the hoots"
Q4.
Complete the quotation from 'Dulce et Decorum Est': "His hanging face, like a sick of sin".
Correct Answer: devil's, devils
Q5.
What is the effect of the phrase "froth-corrupted lungs" from 'Dulce et Decorum Est'?
the word "froth" is reminiscent of madness, so Owen suggests that war is mad.
Correct answer: Owen could be suggesting that war spoils innocence.O
Correct answer: it shows how compromised the soldier's breathing has become - he is choking.
it shows how difficult it was for Owen to breathe in this moment.
Q6.
Why might Owen switch tenses throughout 'Dulce et Decorum Est'?
Correct answer: to show us that war affects a person's past, present and future
to show us that he is in the process of healing from his PTSD
Correct answer: to recreate the experience of PTSD, so that we understand how war affected Owen
to illustrate that, with time, war can be forgotten and people can move on