To compare the way in which two poets, writing at different times, how they have expressed their views about war and to show how these views reflect the period in which they were written.

Different generations are inspired by the experience of war because of the heroics, bravery and waste of life. In this essay I will compare two poems "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson and "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen. "Charge of the Light Brigade" being written during the Crimean war and "Dulce et decorum est" being written the World War one.

"The Charge of the Light Brigade" was a poem written by a man who was poet Laureate for the Queen; his job was to write poems about famous events. The poem is in six verses, each verse tells a different stage in the poem, the first verse begins with the British troops charging into the "valley of death." An order is made to the light brigade:

"Forward the light brigade!
Charge for the guns"

The soldiers had to go forward to the battle field and charge the enemy with guns; this is also an example of direct speech which is used to show the reader that it is being told by someone else other than the poet. Tennyson uses repetition throughout the poem, in verse 1 there are several examples:

"Half a league"
"Into the valley of death"
"Rode the six hundred"

Tennyson uses repetition to emphasize certain phrases in the poem and to make the reader remember particular parts. "Half a league" is showing how long the soldiers are marching to get to the battle field a league being three miles and then half a league is one mile and a half.

In the second verse the men had realized that the order given was a mistake.

"Was there a man dismay'd?
Someone had blunder'd"

A rhetorical question is used to make the audience believe one answer, its main purpose is to ask a question that is not meant to be answered. "Was there a man dismay'd?" Did they worry that the order was wrong, no they didn't:

Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die"

Tennyson uses this as an example of rhyme; rhyme is a good technique to use in poems Tennyson uses this technique to emphasize this particular part of the poem.
Again we have the repetition of:

"Into the valley of death
Rode the six hundred"

The third verse describes the battle and repetition is used again:

"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them"

This was written to picture the army surrounded by cannons. The repetition emphasizes this. Not only does this verse give a clear image of the battle of Balaclava it also gives a sense of sound by using onomatopoeia to mirror the sounds:

"Volley'd and thunder'd"

In this case "volley'd" means a series of shots. Alliteration also helps make a clearer image of the battle:

"Storm'd at with shot and shell,"

Tennyson uses the word "boldly" to describe the soldier's confidence and bravery and personification of "into the jaws of death" shows how the soldiers were fighting their way into death. Finally in the third verse he closes it with again the repetition of
"Rode the six hundred"

We then have a description of those who survived the battle attacking their enemies with their last bit of might, using there "sabres"

"Plunged in battery smoke"

This would be coming from the enemy. Since they had guns the smoke would come from them. Again this verse shows a clear image of the last of the army attacking. "Cossack and Russian" they are described at this is again showing the bravery of the soldiers.

"Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred"

This is very effective because throughout the poem we have a repetition of "rode the six hundred" and all of a sudden "not the six hundred" this is an example of emotive writing, it makes the reader want to feel bad for the soldiers because they died because "someone had blunder'd"

Finally in the fourth and fifth verse it describes the army leaving the battle field. Again repetition of

"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them."

However the next line is not an example of repetition it is another sudden change to catch the reader's attention:
"Cannon behind them"

This makes the reader realize that the soldiers are leaving the battle field. And then again repetition of the third verse lines:

"Volley'd and thunder'd
Storm'd at with shot and shell,"

Whilst riding back some soldiers were killed leaving the field Tennyson describes them as "heroes" and using repetition and personification, they came through the "jaws of death" and "Back from the mouth of Hell"

In the final verse Tennyson tells us to

"Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade

Noble six hundred"

In my opinion "Charge if the Light Brigade" is effective in the way that it makes the reader want to feel sorry for the army and want to honor them.

"Dulce et Decorum est" is a poem by Wilfred Owen who actually experienced being in the war. When he was injured and was on sick leave he wrote poems about the experience. This particular poem is in three verses. The first verse opens with a simile:

"Bent double, like old beggars"
"…coughing like hags…"

We know that the poem is in first person because in line two, Wilfred Owen uses the line "we cursed" "we" showing that it has been written in first person. The men were cursing whilst walking through sludge which is thick mud. The language in this poem describes a great deal about the hard work of the soldiers, for example:

"…began to trudge…"

"Men marched asleep" describes Owen. The men by this time had lost their boots in the mud, and he describes their feet as "blood-shod" This is when one's feet are covered in blood. Again Owen uses the word "fatigue" to describe the exhaustion:

"Drunk with fatigue…"

In verse two, we get introduced to an attack:

"Gas! Gas! Quick boys!"

While the other men were putting their helmets on, one man was "yelling and stumbling" with shock, Owen uses a simile to describe the mans actions:

"…floundering like a man in fire or lime"

Owen continues to describe the man as he was "drowning" Nobody could do anything to save the man after the gas got into the man' lung for if they did he would die to:

"In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning."

The third and final verse Wilfred Owen catches the reader's emotions by emphasizing the circumstances of being in the army and going to war, he wants to change peoples view on being honored for serving ones country.

"…the wagon we flung him in…
Watch the white eyes writhing in his face…"

Owen uses similes to add to the emotive language:

"…like a devil's sick of sin…
…Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud…"

He describes the "…every jolt, the blood" as the wagon drove, the gas that got into his system was so "vile" it just ate away at him. He wants to get the point through to older people who encourage their young to join and get glory for serving their country that if you can see the actual life changes it causes you wouldn't encourage them to want the "desperate glory" as he describes it. Then he takes the old Latin phrase: "Dulce et decorum est" meaning sweet and proper it is for your country, to die and tells us it's "The old lie"

I think that "Charge of the Light Brigade" has some strong points for example praising the men who fought for their country and died on behalf of a simple mistake, they deserve to have honour, but Lord Tennyson's job was to write poems, he didn't know what it was actually like to serve in the army and know all the horrors of marching in to a death trap or watching people they knew, maybe even friends dying whereas Wilfred Owen was in the army, was injured and watched someone choke to death from gas, therefore I believe that the poem "Dulce et Decorum est" was a more enhanced poem because of these points.