Wilfred Owen “Dolce Et Decorum Et”

In this poem Owen spoke of the agony soldiers felt as they marched in horrible weather conditions. One could only imagine walking for miles in sludge while carrying supplies on their backs along with heavy weapons. Imagine going through all of this and not being able to make plans for tomorrow because you never know what the night might bring.

“Being double like old beggers under sack,
Knocked-kneed coughing like hags, we curse through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And toward the distant rest began to trudge.” (p. 1102 lines1-4).

These men probably marched for miles on end, it must have felt like a lifetime, them looking into the distance and seeing no end in sight, and knowing that they must keep moving without rest and attire that was falling apart.

“Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.”(p 1102 lines 5-8)

It was as if these men were running on fumes, especially the fact that they were so used to marching in those conditions its as if they were on auto pilot, and did it with their eyes closed.

“In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunged at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” (p1102 lines 15-16)

Can you imagine watching someone choke on their own blood? That is an absolute horrible death, not being able to breath, gasping for air in hopes that your life might be spared, but instead you are knocking on deaths doors. How much of that can one see before they themselves start loosing their minds from seeing people die around them left and right?