Julie Tagg| Think and Write for CSEC English A and B

Death

Owen’s poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and Goodison’s poem “The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son,” explores the theme of death or tragic loss of young lives. With close reference to the poems, discuss how each speaker responds to the losses they face. In addition, identify and discuss one literary device that is used in EACH poem.

Owen and Goodison explore the theme of death or tragic loss. Both poems portray the experiences of their respective personas facing such tragic moments. I will delve deeper into each poem to examine how and why the lives of young men come to an end in each case. This analysis will include exploring the contextual factors that contribute to the tragic outcomes, such as societal pressures, war, and mental health challenges. Furthermore, I will assess the use of one literary device in each poem, analyzing how it is used to convey the intensity of the emotional response.

In Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce Et Decorum Est,” the speaker uses vivid imagery to portray the horrors of war and its impact on young soldiers. The poem describes a gas attack that the speaker and his comrades experience, showing the inhumane suffering they endure. The poem’s depictions of the soldiers struggling to put on their gas masks, the sound of the gas shells dropping, and the sight of the soldiers drowning in the green gas are all powerful images that evoke a sense of horror and disgust.

In the final stanza, Owen challenges the idea that dying for one’s country is a noble and heroic act. He argues that it is instead a lie and a cruel deception. The poem’s title, which translates to “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country,” serves as a bitter ironic commentary on this ideal and highlights the tragic loss of young lives in war.

In Lorna Goodison’s “The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son,” the poem portrays a mother’s emotional response to the death of her son. The poem uses a conversational tone to convey the mother’s sorrow and frustration. The mother blames the man who employed her son for his death, arguing that her son’s job as a security guard should not have put him in harm’s way. She describes her son as a “brave lion cub” who was taken too soon, highlighting the loss of potential that she feels. The poem ends with the mother’s plea for the man to remember her son as a person, not just a “guard who lost his life.”

Both poems depict the tragic loss of young lives. In “Dulce Et Decorum Est,” the speaker is a soldier who is subjected to the horrors of war. In “The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son,” the son is a security guard who is killed in the line of duty. In both cases, the poems highlight the young men’s vulnerability to tragic loss and the impact this has on those left behind.

In terms of the devices used to convey the emotional response, both poems use vivid and powerful imagery. In “Dulce Et Decorum Est,” Owen’s use of powerful imagery, such as the simile “like old beggars,” and the metaphor of the “blood-shod” soldiers, create a vivid image of the soldiers’ agony and the horror of war. In “The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son,” Goodison’s use of metaphor, such as the comparison of the son to a “brave lion cub,” creates a powerful image of the son’s bravery and strength, while highlighting the mother’s sense of loss.

In conclusion, both “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and “The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son” are powerful poems that demonstrate the tragic loss of young lives. The poems use vivid imagery and metaphors to convey the emotional impact of these losses, highlighting the pain and trauma that is experienced by those left behind.