The Heart

The use of compelling figurative language helps to reveal the reality of war. In the first line, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,"(1) shows us that the troops are so tired that they can be compared to old beggars. Another great use of simile, "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,"(20) suggests that his face is probably covered with blood which is the colour symbolizing the devil. A very powerful metaphor is the comparison of painful experiences of the troops to "[v]ile, incurable sores on innocent t

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This poem is extremely effective in showing the gruesome, heartless, and horrifying effects of war. This shows the cleverness of Owen's style of writing. These graphic images are very disturbing but play a very effective role in the development of the poem. As you can see, Owen has used figurative language so effectively that the reader gets drawn into the poem. Owen also incorporates a unique use of rhyme and rhythm. / [h]e plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. As this poem is about how harsh and terrible war is, Owen's use of cacophony is very effective in generating the tone of the poem. "(24) This metaphor emphasizes that the troops will never forget these horrific experiences. It is written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abab. If you haven't noticed, most of these words are examples of cacophony, which are words with harsh and discordant sounds.

The images drawn in this poem are so graphic that it could make readers feel sick. Is it not suicide? Owen uses good comparison, graphic imagery, and exceptional diction to persuade the reader that war is absolutely terrible and horrific.

Common topics in this essay:
World War, II Japanese, Decorum Est, Mussolini Stalin, figurative language, Owen's Dulce, , dulce et decorum, et decorum est, drawn poem, die one's, guttering choking, terrible horrific, dulce et, world war, decorum est, et decorum,

Approximate Word count = 595
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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