Dulce Et Decorum Est Irony

“Dulce Et Decorum Est” is the title of a poem by, Wilfred Owen, in which he recounts his first hand experience as a soldier in gas warfare era World War I. The poem goes on to mention the bleak condition of other men involved in the war as well as display the shock of a gas attack. At first sight, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” may seem like a first hand account of the experiences of World War I, however the text articulates a horrifying mood, war imagery, and situational irony to overthrow the noble statement of patriotism, “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori1,” by showing the disgrace of war. Substantially, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” has a hidden objective meant to subconsciously alert common people. Consequently, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” has become a poem

It serves as a wake-up call to the senseless and patriotic audience who believe in the phrase, “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” Although, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” is a first hand account of Owen in his war days, the real hidden objective is changing people's perception of war and its disgrace, where the text adopts a horrifying mood, war imagery, and situational irony to de-value the nationalistic statement, “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” by showing the disgrace of war, to readers. The story exercises a horrifying mood, as cultivated by the usage of such a bleak war zone setting such as a sludge area and impairment as an echoing tone. Furthermore, the poem expresses unseen war imagery, through the way it represents the thick and green gas attack on local allies. Finally, the text practices an intuitive usage of situational irony, through using the patriotic phrase as its title to attract an audience, but ultimately showing them the opposite, in the form of bleak death and violence. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Wilfred Owen wanted to honestly name his poem, “It is NOT sweet and fitting to die for one’s