The Things They Carried vs Dulce et Decorum Est - Essay Example

Comparison and Contrast between "The things they carried" and "Dulce et Decorum est." Many pieces of war literature tend to express a sense of truth, anger and hatred. As one reads, war writing, there is a creation of unique images in the mind. Works of writers such as Tim O’Brien and Wilfred Owen reach out to readers in the way that the writer has chosen images and words used in the writing. These gifted writers reach out to many with their heart-felt and very touching images that tell about their vivid experiences of soldiers in war. This paper seeks to compare the tone, imagery, and style that depict the attitudes of war in two pieces of literature, Wilfred Owens in “Dulce Et Decorum Est.”, and Tim Obrien in “The Things They Carried” 1. Imagery In the "Dulce et Decorum Est.”, the writer depicts war to e a horrifying and brutal experience by using various different poetic devices. To create a comforting stark image the writers use the line “And watch the white eyes writhing in his face”. It is through this use of smile that the writer gains the sympathy of the readers as they witness such a grotesque nature of death. The writer uses graphic and audio combinations in the final lines to bring about a criticism in the patriotic fervor. In the story, “the things they carried”, the writer uses imagery to show the loneliness and isolation, the fear and rage that the soldiers are suffering. The soldiers miss families and friends, but they still find kindness and sympathy for the strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the fields, the girl who grieves while she dances). Another example of imagery in the story is at the point where O’Brien stands and stares at an enemy solder that he had just killed. He imagines the soldier was just like him he talks of him being a boy who was also afraid of war, but who had chosen courage so as not to display weakness in front of his family and friends. A scholar who would, given the chance, choose to study rather than fight in the war. When comparing the two one fills that the two writers have indeed employed good use of imagery in their literature pieces. 2. Author’s tone The writer of the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est." intends to be unnerving, to reveal a side of war that is very often overlooked and selectively forgotten. The detailed tone that the writer user to describe events, for example, “blood gargling”, “guttering” and “eyes writhing”, shows that they cannot be taken as “sweet” or “decorum” representations of glory. The tone of this poem depicts that war is not what young boys dream of; Owen brings out this message with a vivid and intense tone. He chooses his tone carefully to bring out the intended message, for example, the use of the term boys to depict that the solders are young men who lack experience. The tone brings out a message on the true pains and the terrible deaths that occurred in the war, but not the heroic nature classically portrayed. When compared to the tone used in the book, “the things they carried”, where the tone is one that brings about sadness and reflection, this is due to the tragic tone used in most of the stories. This book combines sharp unsentimental rhythms’ and lyrical descriptions. We find that there is a lot of similarity between the two both writers use tones that depict war, as not being a glorious thing, but one that brings a lot of sadness in people. The two writers have used different tones do describe the events. The tone on the poem is ironic and horrific while O’Brien’s tone concerning the war jumps from emotional to clinical, to manipulative and finally to epic. The poem “Dulce et Decorum Est.” begins with a depressing tone where the soldiers talk like old men who are on their death beads. This already gives the impression to the reader that the poem is not one with a successful conclusion. The second line has a tone that depicts how the soldiers are miserable. Line 6-7 tells us of how the soldiers are so exhausted that they are now numb to the bloodshed and the war. 3. Authors style The author of the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est.” is firmly against sending boys to war with the promise of glory. His opinion is that death in war is horrific and undignified and is not in any way sweet or becoming as referenced from the quote Pro patria mori. This opinion has resonated throughout the poem by the author’s use of figurative language and imagery that is compelling. From the first line, the writer uses ingenuous comparisons so as to paint a vivid powerful picture of the discomfort that soldiers face. "Knock-kneed, coughing like hags," the tired and weary troops march away to avoid enemy attacks, and toward the hope of a rest almost ahead of their capacity to envision as in line 2. The writer uses great style to bring out the point that war indeed does not spare anyone by applying the use of slight parallelism "All went lame, all blind;" and the striking image of soldiers marching "blood-shod. Drunk with fatigue" lines 6-7. O’Brien alternates in between the conversational and the grandiose for effect; in the things they carried this sentence appears: They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity. The lists begin with a something that is highly ambitious “they carried the sky” continuing from there and building, momentum gradually, with the addition of something that men must somehow carry. The writer uses style that shows the list to be epic .and this makes the task of these soldiers also feel epic. The other style that the writer uses is conversational; in lines 35-38, the conversation below is evident; Henry Dobbins thought about it. Yeah, well, he finally said. I dont see no moral. There it is, The writer uses a brutally conversational style in which grammatical niceties are not observed. This shows that the writer has combined use of beautiful sentences that you can’t hear on the streets and epic sentences that you would hear on the streets, and gives the impression that he is conversant in all languages and can use whatever style that will make the content ring true. When comparing the two literatures in regard to style, in the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est.” we can see that the author has made use of figurative language and imagery that is compelling to bring out his negative attitude towards way and by use of good style bring out his message strongly. In the story, “the things they carried” the author makes use of conversational and grandiose bring out his message this is a very different style compared to that used in the Poem "Dulce et Decorum Est.” but nevertheless equally effective. Conclusion The paper had a goal of comparing the tone, imagery and style that depict the attitudes of war in two pieces of literature, by Wilfred Owens in “Dulce Et Decorum Est.”, and Tim Obrien in “The Things They Carried”. The two writers display good use of literature tools to communicate their anger, frustration and hatred towards war. Having being in the war fronts themselves, these writers know the taste of war and have made the reader feel as though he or she was accompanying them in their battles. What the two literature pieces have communicated can be expressed in the words of Wilfred Owens. In “Dulce Et Decorum Est.”, he states that ‘the old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori’, which when translated means it is a lie that, “sweet and honorable, it is for one to die for the fatherland.” Works cited Young T. Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.Print. Read More