Ap English Poetry Comparison Essay

William Blake’s “London” and Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” appear to have little in common. Although at first they may seem different, they have many hidden similarities. Blake and Owen both uniquely deliver the message being told in their pieces to the readers. Ultimately, both deliver their message by allowing one to expect the unexpected, appeal to their senses, and the way the poet wants one to feel while reading.

Owen and Blake hope to deliver their message presented in the poem by using the same approach. Irony is found in both poems, which allows one to expect the unexpected. Throughout “Dulce et Decorum Est”, Owen adds suspense in the piece by adding irony throughout. For example, the title of the work is “Dulce et Decorum Est”. At first this may not be looked at as irony, but the more it is observed at the more it can be considered irony. The meaning of the title means, “it is sweet and honorable to die for your country” (111). Irony is shown throughout the piece because Owen creates an alternative reality of what war was really like. Soldiers were often looked at as heroes for sacrificing their lives for their countries. Throughout Owens piece, he recreates the reality of what the battlefield was really like. He allows one to understand the sacrifice that comes with war, and the ones who survived suffer also. For example, Owen says, “Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, / But someone still was yelling out and stumbling” (Owen 10-11). This description of the reality of warfare allows one to understand that war was a brutal and horrifying experience. Likewise, in “London” Blake

The reality of war changes when it says, “GAS! Gas! Quick boys!” (Owen 9). It allows one to imagine the men yelling and screaming in order to live. This line makes the experience of death come alive, because it is easy to imagine these men struggling for their lives after being