Dulce Et Decorum Est--The old lie

Dulce Et Decorum Est: It is sweet and proper to die for one's country. Is this an "old lie" as Owen so strongly suggests in his poem? My understanding of the events of war as depicted through Owen's vivid details is that yes, this is a lie and a terrible one at that. How can suffering death in these horrid ways ever be "sweet"? Owen tells of a young man that lost his life as a result of simply not putting his gas mask on quickly enough. His depiction of the horrible sight of this man's death was far from sweet. He speaks of the haunting memory of this man "drowning" in the "green sea", of "the blood gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues"--should anyone suffer such a death because it is "sweet and proper" for them to do so? Absolutely not. I find it outrageous for anyone to expect a young man to subject himself to such a thing for a silly cause and claim that it is the "proper" thing for one to do in order to show dedication to a country.

This poem can definitely be considered an anti-war poem. Through the realistic descriptions of the events of war that Owen gives the readers, it is clear that he is not in favor of the war and its killing of so many young, innocent men. He also tells his friend, Jesse Pope, that if she could experience the horrors of war as described in Dulce Et Decorum Est, she would not be encouraging the men to enlist in the war. Through the intent of the poem and the strong use of imagery, it is clear that Owen is anti-war.