Wilfred Owen - Dulce Et Decorum Est

The poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” written by Wilfred Owen is a poem in which a particular incident is vividly described. The poet focuses mostly on the one character when describing this incident and shows personal feelings by using striking words, unusual images and effective sounds.
The first incident of striking words being used occurs in the first verse when the poet is describing his fellow soldiers as they march in extremely difficult conditions. The soldiers are unwell and are exhausted. The poet uses such expressions as “Bent Double”, “old beggars”, “Knock-Kneed”, and “Coughing like hags” to describe clearly the poor physical conditions of the men. The poet also says that they “cursed through the sludge” to describe the horrible conditions and to express the soldiers’ opinions of their task. There is a very slow pace conveyed here to emphasise the weariness and exhaustion of the soldiers in these horrific conditions. Also, when the poet describes the men as “coughing like hags” he does so to emphasise the men’s sickness and ill-health caused by their suffering.
Later, in the first verse, the poet portrays on unusual image of the soldiers as they continue through the “sludge”. He gives the reader a very in-depth description of the men as they “marched asleep” to highlight that they are barely conscious due to their exhaustion. The poet also reveals that the soldiers are “drunk with fatigue” because they are not acting normally also due to their extreme exhaustion. The men are walking away from the frontline, heading for rest and the thought of rest overcomes their desire to stop despite their clear exhaustion.
At the start of the second verse, the poet begins to describe the main incident within the poem and indicates a dramatic change in pace to present a clear image of panic. The soldiers are surprised by a gas attack by the enemy and some soldiers have trouble putting on their gas masks during their panic. The poet started this verse by writing “Gas!...