Poetry is how veterans can effectively navigate the darkness of war. Siegfried Sassoon’s “Suicide in the Trenches” is set during World War I and tells the story of a “simple” boy soldier. Similar to “Suicide in the Trenches,” Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” is set during World War I. However, this poem recounts one of the horrors that Owen faced during his service in the war. The title translates to “It is sweet and just” from the Latin saying “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” which means “It is sweet and honorable to die for one's homeland”. Both poems successfully explore the impact of war and use several different techniques to educate the reader on the theme. Both poets use a variety of different techniques to create graphic images of how war affects young men. “Dulce et Decorum Est” begins by using similes to describe what the young men who had enlisted for the war were now like. “Bent double, like old beggars under sackcloth, on our knees, coughing like witches, we curse through the mud. » Owen uses several similes to deepen our appreciation of the poem. . They create the image of young soldiers walking with their backs arched, their clothes tattered and torn, a bit like an old beggar. They also show how soldiers are paralyzed, both mentally and physically, and are overwhelmed by the weight of war. Owen also seems reluctant to introduce him and his fellow soldiers. We familiarize ourselves with comparison after comparison before discovering the mysterious “we,” the subjects of the poem. The comparisons show that it is almost as if Owen thinks the reader would be unable to imagine what war is really like. Owen seems to have looked for images that the reader will actually understand, as if he was convinced that they...... middle of paper ...... ecorum Est' created a greater impact on the reader and informed him better on the subject. war theme. This poem used several different techniques including irony, similes, metaphors, and inclusion of the reader. While "Suicide in the Trenches," In the Trenches didn't use as many different techniques and didn't use them as effectively. I think the title “Dulce et Decorum Est” was particularly effective in the way it was used ironically. The way Owen spoke to the reader as if he could never understand if he was not there created a major impact on the reader. Another reason the poem was so effective was how the different similes Owen used could be interpreted differently by different readers. For all the reasons listed above, I think Wilfred Owen was more successful in delivering a poem that caused the reader to take note of the theme and impact of the war..