New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Dulce et Decorum est'

I can understand how Owen presents the bleak reality of war.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Dulce et Decorum est'

I can understand how Owen presents the bleak reality of war.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Wilfred Owen was a soldier who fought and died in WWI.
  2. There was a huge disparity in the glorified perception of war, versus the bleak reality of it.
  3. The poem dismantles and condemns the perception of war being promoted by propaganda.
  4. The poem paints a graphic image of soldiers who are caught in a gas attack.
  5. Owen used his poetry as a means of exposing the true futility and horror of war.

Common misconception

Students often think that the dying soldier was already dead when he was thrown into the wagon.

It is important that students understand that the soldier was still half-alive when he was tossed, dying, into the body wagon. This needs to be understood for students to grasp the brutality of war and the lack of respect soldiers were shown.

Keywords

  • Bleak - not hopeful or encouraging

  • To dismantle - to take apart/ to destroy the integrity of something

  • Disparity - a significant difference between two things

  • Propaganda - biased or misleading information used to influence public opinion

  • To glorify - to unjustifiably or wrongfully represent something as admirable

Consider how you'll present the poem to students on the first reading so that they grasp the true tone of Owen's words.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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 did the First World War begin?
1911
1912
1913
Correct answer: 1914
1915
Q2.
When did the First World War end?
1915
1916
1917
Correct answer: 1918
1919
Q3.
What is propaganda?
accurate information that is published in newspapers
reliable information that is spread by the Government
Correct answer: biased information that is spread to influence public opinion
public opinion that is spread to the Government
lies that are spread by other countries to mislead them in war
Q4.
Who is the speaker in a poem?
the person who wrote the poem
Correct answer: the person whose perspective the poem is written from
the person the poem is about
the person reading the poem
Q5.
What language method is used in the following quotation from ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”?
metaphor
onomatopoeia
Correct answer: simile
caesura
volta
Q6.
A is another name for a verse in a poem.
Correct Answer: stanza

6 Questions

Q1.
When was 'Dulce et Decorum Est' published?
1916
1917
1918
1919
Correct answer: 1920
Q2.
What does the phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” translate to?
it is noble and right to give one’s life
it is neither sweet nor suitable to suffer for one’s country
Correct answer: it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country
there is no glory in death – even less in war
he who dies for his country shall be rewarded
Q3.
How are the soldiers feeling in stanza 1 of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’?
motivated and empowered
Correct answer: exhausted and miserable
anxious and upset
indifferent and numb
inspired and optimistic
Q4.
Complete the quotation from stanza 2 of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’: “But someone still was yelling out and stumbling/ And flound’ring like a man in fire or ..."
Correct Answer: lime
Q5.
How does Owen feel at the end of 'Dulce et Decorum Est' when he writes “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest/ To children ardent for some desperate glory,/ The old Lie..”?
He feels optimistic about the outcome of the war.
Correct answer: He feels angry about the propaganda glorifying war.
He feels angry that he has been forced to go to war.
Correct answer: He feels sad at the immense waste of young lives.
He feels homesick and misses his children at home.
Q6.
Why did Owen write ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’?
to illustrate the thrilling reality of war and how much of an adventure it is
Correct answer: to dismantle the belief that war is noble and glorious
Correct answer: to portray the true, bleak reality of war
to document his experiences at war for his family
to portray soldiers as brave so that people appreciate their sacrifice