Kyle Threlfall
English 102
Professor Hickey November 15, 2011 Compare and Contrast “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” In this essay you will notice the differences and similarities between “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Dulce Et Decorum Est”. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” was written in the nineteenth century by Alfred Lord Tennyson. In contrast, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” was written in the twentieth century by Wilfred Owen. The main similarity observed is that they both capture wartime experiences. However, the poets’ present these events using their own style and the effect is two completely different observations of war. The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” explains in a majestic approach that fighting in war is something every soldier should honor. The poem is also about the loyalty of the soldiers, not the bad luck or foolishness of men. Tennyson presents this in his poem to show the bravery of the soldiers, although, he only highlights on the benefits of war. Tennyson’s poem glorifies the war, celebrating the sacrifice they had made for their country with the statement “Honor the charge they made”, (“The Charge of the Light Brigade”, line 51, Tennyson). By glorifying the Brigade, Tennyson has ignored the obscurity and massacre of the war. This is shown by the loyalty that the soldiers have for their country. The commitment of war in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” is only shown because Tennyson's looking at war from afar. We can see this because in the poem he has not used descriptive language to describe what war was like and has not shown the real outcome of war. In contrast, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” gives us the complete opposite. It takes away the lie that describes the war as a place of pleasure and vividness. When in reality it is a place of carnage and apprehension. Owen's outlook of war is very different to Tennyson's as Owen feels it is inefficient and cruel on young lives. Tennyson not being present during the Crimean war is a very significant point as it changes the perspective of his poem and makes it seem as though Owen's poem is informing us with believable facts. Therefore, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” seems more powerful of the two because it appears more truthful to real life and what war is really like. Two quotes from the poem that links to the point of brutality on many lives and indicates the innocence of the soldiers are “Gas-shells dropping softly behind” and “Incurable sores on innocent tongues”, (“Dulce Et Decorum Est”, lines 8 and 24, Wilfred Owen). When analyzing the poem it is made aware that Owen presents the reader with details of what people felt and heard. The words “dropping softly behind” suggest that the soldiers had heard the gas-shells so much that they had become used to it. It also points to the fact that their trenches were based so far that they were distant from all the shelling. Also Owen says “innocent tongues” as the soldiers did not deserve this. This links back to the fact that everyone should know the truth about war. If everyone knew then nobody would make the mistake of going there and dying in such a horrific state. Both Owen and Tennyson have different attitudes towards the generals and this is reflected from their poems. Tennyson portrays the generals in a positive light. He does not place the blame onto the generals, who gave out the command, which resulted in so many deaths, as he says: “Someone had blunder’d” (“The Charge of the Light Brigade”, line 12). As Tennyson portrays the generals in a positive light, he wants to blame someone else for the deaths. He does not show it as the general’s mistake as he has quoted “someone”. Also the word “blunder’d” implies to a small mistake, though, sending four hundred men to their deaths is not a diminutive fault. Owens’s attitude towards the generals is critical; though he has not spoken of this in a direct way. The purpose of Owen's poem was to show the conclusion of war but not to blame the generals. Although, Owen has cunningly hinted that it is not honorable to die for ones country in a way that the generals will think that they are blamed. The Latin saying, "The old lie: Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori", (“Dulce Et Decorum Est”, lines 27-28, Wilfred Owen) explains that the title has a big impact on the reader due to its irony. It points out how sweet and honorable it is to die for ones country, whereas the actual poem points to the opposite. Owen has created his poem to be intentionally sarcastic to show that he is deliberately doing it. The extract is written in Latin to emphasize the generals should have done something and they are to blame for the suffering. The reason for Latin being used instead of English is because the generals’ main language was Latin. Tennyson’s and Owen’s attention of the soldiers are similar, but they are shown in a diverse way. Owen uses the utility of war by making it seem realistic. This is shown by the bad matters that they experience. Owen’s thoughts are shown in the poem and we notice that he had felt pity for the soldiers. Also as Owen personalizes one dramatic death it creates a stronger effect than four hundred deaths. The soldiers experienced a lot of suffering and pain. This is shown by the lines "In all my dreams before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, and drowning", (“Dulce Et Decorum Est”, lines 16-17). By the use of strong adjectives the reader can almost imagine his existence glistening away. This also shows that there was no benefit as he was unable to help them. By Owen aiming to convince others that going to war is a bad thing, he purposely makes it seem that it is actually as bad as he saw it. Tennyson’s positive poem makes the soldiers seem brave and glorious due to the rhythm and quick actions. He presents the soldiers in a heroic and idealized way. Tennyson also glorifies them throughout the performance. Tennyson’s poem mentions the death of over two hundred men and this does not seem horrific, as to the way he has described everything such as the surrounding. Unlike Owen, Tennyson's poem is more of a statistic than a horrific death of over two hundred men. The powerful words, "Flash’d all their sabres bare, Flash’d as they turned in air, Sabring the gunners there" (‘The Charge of the Light Brigade” line 27-29), are used to show excitement. The word “Flash’d” gives emphasis of how fast they were flashing their swords. Also the soldiers did not exactly “turn in air”; however, by Tennyson mentioning this it shows loyalty and courage to their country. One point in which the writers differ is that ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade” involves propaganda and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” does not. Propaganda in poetry rarely takes place, as it teaches false ideals. Tennyson’s information had come from a report, which he had then expanded more on. The report was written as propaganda, glorifying the British soldiers and making out that they were all able to die for their country as their head chief had ordered. The purpose of the poem was to inspire young adults in believing that joining their countries forces was the right thing to do which is shown when the speaker says, "When can their glory fade? O’ the wild charge they made!" (‘The Charge of the Light Brigade”, lines 50 and 51). Though, Tennyson has deceived them as he used propaganda to persuade others to join the forces. War was not exactly how he had mentioned it; therefore, his trickery has a great effect. However, Owen did not think like this. In the First World War times were different and no one actually knew about the conditions of fighting in the war. Since Owen had experienced the war he wanted to tell those and the public the truth. The truth, which going to war should not be performed because of the pain caused and of course the increased collection of deaths. This was for the reason that if parents or others knew the risk of sending young boys there they would not do it. This was also the aim of Owen’s poem, to show the disadvantages of war. Owen did not necessitate to use propaganda such as "I saw him drowning", (“Dulce Et Decorum Est”, line 14) since he appeared to be in the war. This is made known by the quote written in the first person. It also conveys that he was completely helpless as they all suffered. The language that they both use is very different. Tennyson uses metaphors to give a dramatic outcome to the scene. Even though his poem is discussing the war, Tennyson does not describe feeling and emotion. Tennyson had used the quotation, "Into the Jaws of death, Into the mouth of hell", (‘The Charge of the Light Brigade”, lines 24 and 25) to make the reader understand what war was like. This takes it away from the fact that it was very dangerous and that they will die. It also portrays the fate that the solders had awaited; however, Tennyson dos not describe the battle itself, as he was not an eyewitness to this. Metaphors do not only give a theatrical outcome but progressively build up a horrific entrance to the battle. Owen uses a wide variety of similes to convey feeling and to present the reader with images of what is happening. Owen’s similes are used mostly to show looks and how the soldiers felt. The men are not literally “old beggars” as suggested when the speaker says, "Like old beggars under sacks", (“Dulce Et Decorum Est”, line 1). It is only said to add effect. Similes are used effectively because the reader gets an accurate picture of what Owen had experienced. This is the same procedure as Tennyson uses, but of course Tennyson’s were not effective because he was not an eyewitness. Owen attempts to involve the reader as much as possible and uses the words “I” and “we” to remind the reader that he was there. To conclude this essay we have acknowledged that ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” are contrastable. However, in some points they are similar as both involve war. Even though they mention war, it is shown in different ways. As “The Charge of the Light Brigade” glorifies soldiers and the war, whereas, “Dulce Et decorum Est” points out that war is not as heroic as it seems but instead is a horrifying brutal affair.

Works Cited
Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce Et Decorum Est." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 649. Print.
Tennyson, Alfred. "The Charge of the Light Brigade." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 752-54. Print.