Brooke: idealised patriotism
Rupert Brooke’s The Soldier presents war through a sentimental and patriotic perspective. Brooke died from an infection before experiencing the horrors of trench warfare, and his poem reflects an idealised view of fighting for England. In the traditional sonnet, the speaker asks readers to “think only” of the noble meaning of his sacrifice. The “foreign field” where he might die would become part of England, while the image of his body as dust contrasts mortality with the soul’s imagined eternity. The tone is solemn and peaceful.
Owen: the reality of war
Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est challenges this idealised vision with the physical suffering of trench warfare. Its movement through three moments shapes its argument:
- Exhaustion: soldiers struggle through the mud, described as “bent beggars.”
- Gas attack: one soldier fails to put on his mask in time; the speaker witnesses his agony through the glass of a gas mask.
- Accusation: Owen challenges those who promote the idea that dying for one’s country is glorious.
The title invokes a claim from Horace that it is sweet and honourable to die for one’s country. Owen calls this the old lie. The contrast between the poems is not simply one of style: Brooke idealises sacrifice, whereas Owen makes the suffering of war central.