Comparative Analysis of ‘exposure’ and ‘dulce Et Decorum Est’

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ‘EXPOSURE’ AND ‘DULCE ET DECORUM EST’

Dulce et Decorum est and Exposure, both written by Wilfred Owen, depict the unsettling and horrific circumstances the soldiers went through in WW1. Dulce et decorum est is regarded as one of the most famous war poems to be written, as it utilizes great descriptions and vibrant imagery to portray the horrors of the war. Exposure unfolds the sometimes-overlooked elements in the war and it portrays their effect on the soldiers.

A number of unifying ideas run through both poems, with war acting as the glue that holds them together. In Exposure, the theme of war concerns the certainty that war is something that persists. The soldiers only know that war lasts; they have little idea of their whereabouts and they do not know what they are fighting for. In Dulce et Decorum est, the speaker refutes the message that war is glorious and it is an honour to die for the sake of one’s country. It is, however, the complete opposite. This message is also clear in Exposure, as it is described how the men have lost their religious beliefs. Their love of good seems dying, implying that they are not looking forward to any sort of afterlife after death has occurred. Death is seen as inevitable and the purpose of the war is unclear.

Both poems are angry about what has happened. They both provide detailed descriptions of the actions of the war, and we fell as if we are actually planted on the battlefield with Owen. In Dulce et Decorum est, we are with him as the face of his friend melts in front of him, and we even see that face dance beside his bedside at night. The message is clear: war is hell. In Exposure, we can almost feel “the merciless iced east winds that knive us”. This personification of the wind and the general weather in Exposure, suggests that it is a deliberately vicious and inescapable enemy. The soldiers are fighting two battles at once. This is also the case in Dulce et Decorum est, but against another enemy. Owen is calling out poets and propaganda artists who urged young boys on to war – especially Jessie Pope, a patriotic English poet, and journalist. Owen refers to her when he ironically introduces her as his friend, saying: “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory”. He lashes out at those responsible for sending children onto battlefields; those convincing children they can find glory on the fields. An early draft of the poem even contains a specific dedication “to Jessie Pope, etc.”

In terms of structure and form, the two poems are quite dissimilar. Dulce et Decorum est is constructed by four stanzas of uneven length, whereas Exposure is assembled by eight stanzas all of five lines. The last line of each stanza in Exposure is shortened noticeably, emphasizing its importance. These short lines are either rhetorical questions or repetition of the line “But nothing happens”. Both options seem to emphasize the apparent pointlessness of what was happening.

In Dulce et Decorum est, Owen uses the stanzas to reflect the message of the poem. The first eight-line stanza describes the soldiers trudging. The next stanza is slightly shorter (six lines), and it can be interpreted as the growing intensity and increasing pace of the soldiers as they are warned about the gas. The next stanza consists of only two lines, representing the same importance as the short lines in Exposure. It reflects that haunting moment of the dying soldier – and Owen sets it apart from reality, suspended as the dream caught in his consciousness. The last stanza is much longer with slower movement – mimicking the slow death of the soldier in the wagon.

In Exposure, the first four lines of each stanza follow the rhyming pattern of abba. This regularity emphasizes the unchanging and consistent nature of daily life trenches – also relating back to the repetition of “But nothing happens”. However, closer inspection shows that some of the rhymes are incomplete, for instance: knive us/nervous and brambles/rumbles. Owen uses a technique known as half rhyme, where the final lettering of the words is the same, but the sound is not quite the same. This helps to unsettle the reader, which echoes the experience of war.