Wilfred Owen and Tim OBrien - Essay Example

Compare and Contrast Introduction Both the First World War and the Vietnam War had a tremendous effect on a number of individuals, for example, the way they talked, thought, and lived. “Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poem by Wilfred Owen in which he denotes the experiences that took place during the war. The writer uses extremely illustrative imagery and numerous poetic elements to show how the war is not as splendid as numerous individuals may perceive. “The Things They Carried” is written by Tim O’Brien and is his description of what happened during the Vietnam War (O'Brien 4). The writer uses symbolism to explain his views on the war. This paper will contrast and compare the strategies and approaches utilized by the two writers to investigate the theme that the realities of war that soldiers on the ground experience contradicts the idealistic view of war promoted by governments or the military. The authors utilize imagery to highlight the themes of their work. Both Wilfred Owen and Tim O’Brien employ imagery in their works and attempt to put across the consequences and reality of war through it. Imagery entails the use of descriptive language to highlight occurrences. Wilfred Owen graphically highlights the truth about the First World War. The writer uses extremely illustrative imagery to explain that the war is not as splendid as numerous individuals may perceive. This view is distributed all over the work but is most stout at the final part of the poem. The first stanza illustrates the exhausted and shell-shocked soldiers moving through the sticky dirt (Owen 1). The writer’s utilization of words, for example, ‘sludge’, ‘bent double’, ‘coughing like hags’, and ‘old beggars’, assist the audience with a picture of the condition the soldiers find themselves in. The delicately selected phrase, ‘blood-shot’ invokes an extremely bitter and visual image in the mind of the audience showing them the terrible situation the soldiers have to survive in. Also, “The Things They Carried” utilizes imagery. In the initial part, the writer illustrates every significant character by highlighting the things they carry, from the feelings of love and fear they carry to the physical things, for example, lice and grenades. By illustrating what the soldiers are carrying, Tim O’Brien is making these people real to the audience, because, in essence, these soldiers signify us. Nonetheless, the work is supposed to show the audience the different things that soldiers carry into the battle field, for example, grief, love, and memories. For instance, Henry Dobbins carries additional rations while Jimmy Cross has dreams of Martha. The themes of both “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “The Things They Carried” is that war is terrible. The authors show that war is not as magnificent as people think. The initial four words in “Dulce et Decorum Est” highlight the difference in the pace of the poem. The reiteration of the word ‘GAS’ and the used punctuation instantaneously alter the mood almost making the audience afraid. The use of the lines ‘an ecstasy of fumbling’, and ‘Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time’, develop a feeling of fear and the phrases, crammed with inept consonants, enhance the tension. For instance, the word ‘ecstasy’ is usually linked to enthusiasm, incredibly fits in the line as it signifies horror in a brilliant way. Wilfred Owen also includes the audience in the following stanza by attacking them. He utilizes the phrase, ‘And watch the white eyes writing in his face’. This reinforces the distress of the soldier and almost makes the audience feel mortified for not being present even if there was no way to provide assistance (Owen 1). The line “Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs” is extremely filthy making the war, all the more frightening. The utilization of assonance is extremely direct laying emphasis on the repellent sight. On the other hand, O’Brien makes a number of statements to highlight what the soldiers carry in the battle field; he asserts ‘‘they carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to’’. This shows that the soldiers are normal individuals who are supposed to heinous and terrible things for the purpose of war. The writer employs the short images of what the soldiers are carrying so as to create a visual for the audience (O'Brien 198). The audience feels that they are gradually getting to know the soldiers by having a view of what they are carrying. The final stanza in “Dulce et Decorum Est” utilizes the phrase ‘My friend’ and “The Things They Carried” creates a visual to highlight the themes in a friendly way. This act is heartening, permitting members of the audience feel at ease. The words ‘desperate’, ‘ardent’, and ‘children’ in “Dulce et Decorum Est” inform the audience that the youthful individuals are extremely zealous on going to battle for the praise that they cannot see what is truly happening (Owen 1). In “The Things They Carried”, the writer employs the short images of what the soldiers are carrying so as to create a visual for the audience (O'Brien 198). The audience feels that they are gradually getting to know the soldiers by having a view of what they are carrying. For instance, Jimmy Cross carries photos and letters of Martha so as to make the audience understand his longing and love for her. Because of the writer’s focus of helping the audience understand the characters well, I presume the reaction is more like combat is awful, but it takes place. Also, in my view, the soldiers in the battle field are simply individuals who have emotional baggage and feelings just like all the individuals, and it may be presumed that they are compelled to engage in these terrible activities in the name of combat. Conclusion The paper has compared and contrasted how imagery and pace are employed by the different writers to discuss the theme that facts of war that soldiers on the battle field go through is different from the idealistic notion of battle put forward by the military or government. The concentrated illustrations all through the two works are terrifying and force the audience to comprehend the writer’s intention (O'Brien 249). This permits the audience to consider the issues surrounding the wars. The people who read these works may doubt their accuracy, but nevertheless, they are drawn into them. Therefore, both these works affect the readers in a meaningful and personal way. Works Cited O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Mariner Books, 2009. Print. Owen, Wilfred. The War Poems of Wilfred Owen. New York: Chatto & Windus, 1994. Print. Read More