Comparing Ivor Gurney’s The Target with Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est

Comparing Ivor Gurney’s The Target with Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est


Background on the Poets


• Ivor Gurney: 

                                         

  
                                             The Target


          A poet and composer, Gurney served in World War I and suffered from mental health issues exacerbated by his war experiences. His poetry reflects a deeply personal and reflective take on war, often emphasizing guilt, loss, and the internal conflict of soldiers.

• Wilfred Owen: 

                                      

 
                                     Dulce et Decorum Est

       

         One of the most famous war poets, Owen is known for exposing the brutal realities of trench warfare and dismantling the glorified image of war. His poetry often blends vivid imagery with biting irony.


Similarities Between the Poems


1. Anti-War Sentiment:

• Both The Target and Dulce et Decorum Est reject the romanticized view of war. They depict the horrors of combat and the psychological toll on soldiers.

• Gurney’s The Target conveys a soldier’s guilt and moral struggle after killing, showing the emotional scars of war. Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est describes the physical suffering of soldiers, using a gas attack to expose the grotesque reality of war.

2. Vivid Imagery:

• Both poets use graphic imagery to make the reader experience the harshness of war. Gurney’s soldier is haunted by his actions, while Owen’s vivid description of a gas victim highlights the sheer brutality of the battlefield.

3. Personal Voice:

• Both poems adopt a personal, first-person perspective. In The Target, the speaker reflects on his guilt and humanity. In Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen directly addresses the reader, especially in the final lines, making his critique of war propaganda more powerful.

4. Critique of Authority:

• Both poets implicitly criticize the systems that perpetuate war. Owen directly attacks the “old lie” that dying for one’s country is noble, while Gurney subtly questions the morality of those who command soldiers to kill.


Differences Between the Poems


1. Tone and Focus:

• The Target has a more reflective and personal tone, centering on the internal struggle of a soldier who feels the weight of his actions. It is quieter and more introspective.

• Dulce et Decorum Est is more visceral and confrontational. Owen uses graphic descriptions and direct language to shock the reader and dismantle pro-war propaganda.

2. Structure and Style:

• Gurney’s poem is more restrained in its language and has a simpler structure, focusing on the soldier’s thoughts and feelings.

• Owen’s poem uses a more dynamic and varied structure, with dramatic shifts in tone and rhythm, particularly during the gas attack sequence.

3. Themes of Guilt vs. Betrayal:

• Gurney explores personal guilt and the burden of surviving when others have died. The speaker reflects on killing and wonders how he will be received by loved ones at home.

• Owen focuses on collective suffering and betrayal. His anger is directed at the propagandists and the societal systems that glorify war.

4. Imagery:

• Gurney’s imagery is less graphic but emotionally charged, focusing on internal conflict (e.g., “What have I done?”).

• Owen uses explicit and grotesque imagery, such as “froth-corrupted lungs” and “gargling from the froth,” to evoke horror.


Conclusion


Both poems powerfully critique the realities of war but do so in distinct ways. Gurney’s The Target provides a more introspective account of a soldier’s emotional turmoil, while Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est takes a broader, more confrontational stance against the glorification of war. Together, they serve as enduring testaments to the devastating impact of World War I.



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