Exhibit:

Kyle Huffman's Wilfred Owen & WWI

Preview of images

Part of Group:

Fall 2021 ENGL 2540 Online

Wilfred Owen used his own experiences during World War I to contradict the translation of one of his most notable poems, "Dulce et Decorum Est" with gruesome forms of imagery. 

Images in this Exhibit

Trench Warfare

Trench warfare was a common technique used in war to battle at the frontline, evade the dangers of the enemy, or advance into enemy territory.

Being that Owen was an infantry soldier, he often spent time in the trenches awaiting battle and escaping the explosions he described in Dulce et Decorum Est.
Chemical Warfare

As time progressed, weaponry advanced as well. The use of gas was developed as a way to draw soldiers away from the trenches.

Owen describes his own encounter with gas in his poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" and described how it affected one unlucky soldier. 
The Front Line

The front line of soldiers were the first to come in contact with any type of conflict from the enemy lines.

Due to Owen being an infantry soldier, he often served on the front lines in the trenches. The horrific moments of war can be recalled in Dulce et Decorum Est. 
Enervation

Soldiers were often living in poor conditions within the trenches. With ongoing battles and constant moving, soldiers were often in pain and exhausted.

In the beginning lines of Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen speaks about the conditions most soldiers were in. 

"Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots of gas-shells dropping softly behind."
War Propaganda Poster

The government often used posters, alongside using the draft to recruit new soldiers, making the war seem exciting and something to be pride of.

In Owen's last lines of Dulce et Decorum Est, he says, "My friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"  which is translated to "it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country." With all of the atrocities described throughtout the poem, Owen gets his point of how the portrayal of the war is a lie and contradicts...