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Study Guide
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Dulce et Decorum Est Study Guide." Course Hero. 20 Dec. 2019. Web. 27 Jan. 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Dulce-et-Decorum-Est/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2019, December 20). Dulce et Decorum Est Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Dulce-et-Decorum-Est/
In text
(Course Hero, 2019)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Dulce et Decorum Est Study Guide." December 20, 2019. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Dulce-et-Decorum-Est/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "Dulce et Decorum Est Study Guide," December 20, 2019, accessed January 27, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Dulce-et-Decorum-Est/.
Wilfred Owen
1920
Poem
History, War Literature
The poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" is written from the first-person point of view of an unnamed soldier.
"Dulce et Decorum Est" begins in the past tense as the speaker recalls his wartime experience. It shifts into the present tense in the final two stanzas as the speaker narrates his recurring nightmare and directly addresses "my friend."
The Latin title "Dulce et Decorum Est" means "It is sweet and fitting." It is part of a longer Latin quotation that is included in the final lines of the poem—"Dulce et decorum est / Pro patria mori"—which is a line from Ode 3.2 of the Roman poet Horace (65 BCE–8 BCE). It is commonly translated as "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country."
This study guide for Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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