The Agony of War: Honor or Misery
What is the cost for liberty or the price for domination? Most of us say sacrifice: the sacrifice of innocent persons' welfare. To earn freedom or gain control, an individual's welfare must be surrendered in order to fight for his homeland. Their welfare is replaced with severe mental anguish, unceasing terror, agonizing physical pain, and death. These traumas are suffered both by a volunteering patriot or a reluctant recruit. The only difference between the two is whether or not they believe their sacrifices were done in vain. Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade illustrate soldiers' experiences in the time of combat, but the poets' attitude about war differ from one another: Tennyson glorifies the bravery in war, while Owen shows his contempt of war as a whole. Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade depicts a sense of honor and courage of the six hundred men who marched to their imminent death. Unlike Owen's poem, he does not describe gruesome details of combat. Tennyson focuses on the army's relentless march into a battle that they all know they will lose. Like all soldiers, they do not retreat, nor do they ever question the orders of their superior:
As a whole, their bravery and patriotism overcame the fear of the "cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them" (878). One unfortunate man did not have a mask to shield him from the gas. " The dwarfs sing this jubilant, chant-like song, looking forward to going work. They knew the outcome was going to be unpleasant. He is "flung" into the wagon rather than placed down respectfully like a soldier should be. Tennyson's intention is not to show that the soldiers wanted to die; instead, he shows the level of bravery the soldiers possessed. His intention seems to be to draw men's desires to become a part of war. The soldiers knew the order to march forward was not a good idea. Weakened and "drunk with fatigue", they yearn for the end of the war so they can go home (764). By comparing this rhythm to the opening line of Tennyson's poem, it seems that the soldiers are looking forward to facing the event that ultimately results in their casualty. Owen uses more imagery to show us how lowly the soldiers felt and were treated. The description of "many had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod" shows that these men were no longer properly equipped, were injured, and covered in blood. ] the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs bitter, as the cud, obscene as cancer, of vile incurable sores on innocent tongues" (765). Owen shows that many casualties in war do not involve brave tasks. Tennyson stresses the honor in bravery and patriotism, more or less ignoring the hardships that individual soldiers had to endure.
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Acceptance Essays
