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Dulce et Decorum Est (1921)

poetryfoundation.org

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Re: Dulce et Decorum Est (1921)

#11

Post by jongjong »

You've got to die of something; so you might as well die for something but your country isn't the best thing to die for.

The problem with your country (at least the vast majority of countries) is that it doesn't care about you. It's just too big to care. It has almost nothing to do with you.

I can't wrap my mind around the fact that people feel some affiliation with their country. For the vast majority of people, the relationship is akin to an abusive boyfriend/girlfriend who takes your money and ignores your existence.

It only reciprocates for a tiny number of people at the very top; everyone else is delusional.

The slots at the top are extremely limited. The country should never be the focus; people should engage with local community instead. The country can only be appreciated in the context of a local community.

Re: Dulce et Decorum Est (1921)

#12

Post by AuthAuth »

jongjong wrote: post #11

You've got to die of something; so you might as well die for something but your country isn't the best thing to die for. The problem with your country (at least the vast majority of countries) is that it doesn't care about you. It's just too big to care. It has almost nothing to do with you. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that people feel some affiliation with their country. For the vast majority of people, the…

Imagine your country is a nice place with nice values might be hard to imagine for Americans. You fight so that it remains that way for future generations. Countries can cease to exist.

Re: Dulce et Decorum Est (1921)

#16

Post by einpoklum »

This reminds me of what could be considered a complementary poem/song, by John F. Kendrick:

--

Onward, Christian soldiers! Duty's way is plain:

Slay your Christian neighbors, or by them be slain.

Pulpiteers are spouting effervescent swill,

God above is calling you to rob and rape and kill,

All your acts are sanctified by the Lamb on high;

If you love the Holy Ghost, go murder, pray and die.

--

Onward, Christian soldiers, rip and tear and smite!

Let the gentle Jesus, bless your dynamite.

Splinter skulls with shrapnel, fertilize the sod;

Folks who do not speak your tongue, deserve the curse of God.

Smash the doors of every home, pretty maidens seize;

Use your might and sacred right to treat them as you please.

--

Onward, Christian soldiers! Eat and drink your fill;

Rob with bloody fingers, Christ OK's the bill.

Steal the farmer's savings, take their grain and meat;

Even though the children starve, the Saviour's bums must eat.

Burn the peasant's cottages, orphans leave bereft;

In Jehovah's holy name, wreak ruin right and left.

--

and so on: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Songs_of_the_Workers_(9th_edi...

Re: Dulce et Decorum Est (1921)

#17

Post by kayo_20211030 »

It's interesting to compare Owen's and Brooke's poetry (and even Sassoon's). Owen had lived through it all from '15 to '18, with some detours, and probably even as a patriot saw war for what it was. Brooke never really got that dose of realism; putting out his jingoistic cant until dying in 1915, before even seeing a war. Owen was a better poet, Brooke appealed to schoolboys.
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