Writers use horrendous imagery to protest the gruesome details of war. In Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est”, Owens states that “before my helpless sight,/He plunges at me, guttering,choking,drowning”(15-16). Owens recalls the moment his fellow comrade started to die due to a gas attack. Owens uses descriptive imagery of how his friend suffered to strike trepidation into the hearts of readers. Owens even expresses “If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood /Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs”(21-22).
Increasingly convinced that the war had been going on for no fruitful reason, Owen began to write poetry to express the irony of the situation. He set the tone for an entire generation of men and women affected by the war to think and write about the events that had resulted in a blood bath around the world. Owen’s gripping realism is important today because when we read his poetry, we feel as though we are with him on the battlefield, watching as men suffer in a frantic struggle to stay alive. Throughout this essay, I will explore the techniques used by Owen to illustrate the notion of the horror and futility of war.
War Photographer Comparison In War Photographer, the poet portrays that conflict is severe and explores the disastrous effects of it. This is implied through metaphors especially when it describes seeing a man ‘a half-formed ghost’. Remains similarly explores the idea of conflict but shows its lasting effect through similar techniques like repetition as when the poet repeats ‘dozen rounds.’
For the women and men back home, the families, their ideas of what their loved one is going through is constantly changing with the novels and movies romanticizing war and the war heroes. Kurt Vonnegut has said before that he believes civilization was terminated in World War I and that "Much of the blame is the malarkey that artist have created to glorify war, which we all know, is nonsense, and a good deal worse that that –romantic pictures of battle, and of the dead men in uniform and all that" (Vitale par. 4). Vonnegut points out the severity of what happens when war is romanticized. Slaughterhouse Five depicts the fantasy of war compared to the reality of it; the gruesome scenes show the reality of war, all the while, showing how easy it is for men and women to believe war is a glorious battle for honor when in reality, it is a living hell.
Through both of his poems, Dulce Et Decorum Est and Disabled, Owen clearly illustrates his feeling about war. Both of them convey the same meaning that war destroyed people’s lives. For Dulce Et, Decorum Est, it mainly illustrates soldier’s life during war, the dreadfulness of war, whereas, Disabled illustrates how war have damaged soldier’s life. Also, the saying that said that war it is lovely and honorable to die for your country is completely against his point of view. Owen conveys his idea through graphically describing his horrible experiences in war.
"They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor" (21) In this passage the narrator mentions "the blush of dishonor" few times.
Antigone and Creon both display extremist behavior and act rashly. By depicting the adverse consequences showered on both the heroes Sophocles appeals to the emotions of his audience. Creon’s flaws represent the flaws of the society while Antigone’s passionate family loyalty leads her to a dignified path of destruction. However, Sophocles’ personal admiration towards Antigone’s heroism paralleled with portrayal of the ego-driven Creon persuades the audience to show sympathy towards Antigone. Sophocles’ depiction of his approbation for Antigone’s heroic traits indicates that he was inclined towards the family over the cold dictatorship of the king.
Baba can’t assert Hassan so that he acts cruel to Amir in order to expiate guilty sentiment and liberate from self-accusation. From this place, Baba is cowardice merely his strong and powerful mask cover his cowardice hides inside his heart however Rahim Khan knows that. Yet, Amir always shows his cowardice whatever to Hassan or to Baba. Amir thought his happiness would increase by betraying Hassan, but his guiltiness increases and it tortures. But Amir, acts more rationally and reasonable after he grows up.
“Dulce et Decorum Est” mainly describes the war as harsh, depressing, and fierce. This poem expresses suffering by using harsh connotations of descriptive words like drowning, blood-shod, haunting flares, and devil’s sick of sin to create a tormented mood and tone. This author appeals to the audience with pathos by having depressing stories about the struggles of war. This poem uses similes like “Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud” they use these similes to show how bad it is for the soldiers at that time. This poem also rhymes for example “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” and “Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs” the word sacks and backs both rhyme.
In one instance, it is used to convey that the mourners believe they should try to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again because of the impact the deaths had on them. For example, in the fourth, stanza it states, “for there we strike by day and by night, / there we kick by day and by night, / there we spit by day and by night / until the doors of hatred fall” the repetition allows the reader to realize that the narrator is frustrated by the war that has caused the militiamen to die. The repetition of “there we…by day and by night” indicates that the mourners are greatly impacted by the militiamen’s deaths because they are willing to take action “by day and by night” to make sure this does not happen again. In addition, repetition is also used to relay how strongly the mourners feel about the loss of the soldiers. They feel “more than anger, more than scorn, more / than weeping,” and the “mothers [are] pierced by anguish and death”.
In comparison to Dix, Remarque 's All Quiet on the Western Front depicts soldiers who are used to fighting on the front line; forcing them to forget how to adjust into a civilized society considering the horrors they face on a daily basis. Soldiers ' are familiar with their obligations on the front line as opposed to when they enter the real world after the war. Remarque includes a passage in which Paul, the protagonist of the novel, fights against his own conscience, reconnects with human morals, and ultimately concludes that war is real and that he must learn to adapt to it. After Paul stabs a Frenchman, he immediately questions if he would 've committed the killing if it were his loved ones, which uncovers his guilt built up inside of him. The author states, "Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?
In the novel All Quiet on The Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, the constant exposure to war results in devastation. The protagonist Paul Baumer, is amongst soldiers fighting in WWI along the front. A main focus in the novel is the devastating effects that war has on the soldiers who fight in it. Many soldiers are susceptible to constant physical and emotional danger, as they can be obliterated at any given moment. Throughout the story, the soldiers are living on the edge, and uncertainty overwhelms swarms their thoughts.
The True Weight of War “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery.
Metaphors are commonly used throughout the text, whether malouf used it to emphasise certain gruesome aspects of war, or to express the mourning of a character over a friend lost in the battle lines. Imagery plays a major role in conveying various aspects within the storyline, particularly through the duration of Jim’s life at war. Particularly within the chapters following Jim entering the battle lines, Malouf applies hyperbole in his writing as an emphasis strategy, for the readers to be overwhelmed and have a detestation towards the concept of war. Malouf, using all of these literary techniques, and created a disheartening tale of a man’s journey through
The irony used by Irving shows how tolerance is key in life when faced with tough dilemmas; enduring pain helps to shape individuals and make them who they are destined to be. Hardships come along with life, growing as an individual is not always the easiest; however, learning from tough situations and building a tolerance shapes a person. Owen Meany is a prime example of a character who has had to endure a lot, this began since the moment he was born. His short stature and “cartoon voice” (18) are characteristics that depicts Owen from everyone else. For instance, John states that during Sunday school, “We tortured him, I think, in order to hear his voice; I used to think his voice came from another planet.