Directions: Respond to the discussion question in two ways:
1) Write a minimum 150 word response to the question below (maximum grade 8 pts)
2) Write at least two minimum 100 word replies to other students’ responses (maximum grade 4 pts each)
To count, responses must be substantive, i.e. they must further the discussion by adding an example, making a new point, or provoking further discussion with a new question. To back up your responses, you must present and cite evidence from the poem. To cite a phrase from a poem, put its line number in parentheses, like this: “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering” (6).
Do NOT look up anything online except for the dictionary definition of a word. Any posts that have been derived from another source will receive 0 points and will be deleted.
Discussion Question:
Read “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen.
For this discussion, focus on Owen’s choice of words and his use of images. What would be the effect if he had used a different word or image? For example, he compares the soldiers to “old beggars” (1), but he could have written “old vagrants.” Poets choose every word with great care and precision, so you must pay attention too. Also, consider the order of the words. The first line could have been written, “Like old beggar bent double under sacks.” How is the effect different?
You are free to discuss any other aspect of the poem, like who is the speaker and what is the setting, but focus primarily on words and images
