Dulce et Decorum Est is a depiction of an event in a day in the life of a solider, presenting the harsh reality of war. The poet, Wilfred Owen, is dismissing "the old Lie", war propaganda, that it is sweet and noble to die for your country by showing the cruel actuality of life in the trenches, with the aim to change the way society thinks about conflict. In the first verse, Wilfred Owen uses …showed first 75 words of 966 total…

…showed last 75 words of 966 total…uses, such as the gas victim, are also ideas that that we can all identify with. Owen describes the man as "drowning", "under a green sea". The effects of poison gas would not be known to everyone, whereas the helplessness of drowning is something most could imagine. By using simple language and vivid and graphic imagery to convincingly denounce the military propaganda, Owen is able to convey his message to a wider range of people.