War poet

Tragic Irony in “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Like Yusuf Komunyakaa’s “Hanoi Hanna,” Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” complicates the soldier’s relationship to his country. How does Owen combine poetic elements with factual details to bring out a tragic irony?

Asked by Anny on 04 May 21:56

Last updated by Cat on 04 May 23:17

1 Answers

Answered by Cat on 04 May 23:17

In the First World War, the brutality of what occurred in the trenches and during the war was generally known by readers so the poem becomes dramatic irony. Most people, for example, are aware of the horrors of gas in the trenches:

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,