The research on Owen’s life helps understand the motivation for writing “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Wilfred Owen was born in Shropshire, England, in 1893 (“Wilfred Owen”). As a young adult, he was forced to join the army in 1916 because the WW1 began. Hence, the understanding of Owens’s life journey helps uncover the main themes in his poem. The author explains his experience, mainly the trauma of war in this work, mostly when stating
“The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.” (Owen).
This quote means that saying that it is noble to die for one’s country is, in reality, a lie. According to his bibliography, he “he waded for miles through trenches two feet deep in water with the constant threat of gas attacks” (“Wilfred Owen”). These events are portrayed in the following passages from the poem:
“But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind” (Owen).
The Civil Rights Movement serves as an inspiration for “Times They Are Changin.” Dylan released this song in 1964 when this movement was developing and in the song he states:
“Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall” (Dylan).
Here, Dylan urges the politicians to see the changes that are going on in the world and join them, instead of obstructing. While legally, the slavery in the United States was abolished, this “didn’t end discrimination against blacks” because some people failed to see the changes (“Civil Rights Movement”) Likewise, Dylan argues that “the order is rapidly fadin’” referring to the societal changes that already occurred but were not accepted by some people, which helps understand the conflict of that era.
Works Cited
“Civil Rights Movement.” History. 2019. Web.
Dylan, Bob. “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Bob Dylan. Web.
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Poetry Foundation. Web.
“Wilfred Owen.” British Library. Web.