Objectives

• Analyse how Owen uses simile, imagery and direct address across the four stanzas of 'Dulce et Decorum Est' to construct an anti-war argument.
• Explain how the poem's structure — the shift from third-person narration to second-person accusation — shapes the reader's emotional and moral response.
• Identify and interpret the intertextual reference to Horace's Latin phrase and explain how Owen reframes it as 'the old Lie'.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds at least two quotations from the poem and links language choices to Owen's purpose and 1917 context.
• Evaluate how Owen positions the civilian reader as complicit in the soldier's death through the rhetorical strategy of the final stanza.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: How Owen makes the reader see: close reading 'Dulce et Decorum Est'

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the poem silently from start to finish. On your mini-whiteboard or in your notebook, jot down: (1) the single image that unsettles you the most, and (2) one word from anywhere in the poem that catches you off guard. There's no need to explain your choices right now — just make a note of them.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading on lines 1–2: 'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, / Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge.' Begin by highlighting how the two similes — 'old beggars' and 'hags' — effectively strip the soldiers of their military identity even before any weapons are mentioned. Point out the inverted syntax, where 'Bent double' comes before the subject 'we,' emphasizing the physical collapse in the structure of the sentence itself. Finally, illustrate how the phrase 'cursed through sludge' swaps out any notion of heroism for one rooted in profanity and mud.

   Independent task

   Working individually, students annotate the shift from stanza two to stanza three — focusing on the couplet 'In all my dreams before my helpless sight / He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.' Each student must write three sentences: one identifying the changes in pronoun and tense at this moment, another explaining what 'guttering' reveals about the dying man's body, and a final one discussing why Owen positions this couplet between the action stanzas and the rhetorical concluding stanza. Annotations are written directly on a printed copy of the poem and submitted at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain why Owen uses the word 'drowning' to describe a man dying from gas on dry land — what does the choice of that word force the reader to imagine?

2. Lesson 2: Writing the argument: Owen's rhetoric and 'the old Lie'

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without looking at your notes, write down the Latin phrase by Horace as it appears at the end of the poem, along with its English translation. After that, write a single sentence explaining who Owen is addressing in the final stanza and what accusation he is making against them. You should aim to complete this in four minutes or less.

   Teacher input

   To write a Point–Evidence–Explanation–Link paragraph, use lines 25–28: "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs… / My friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory, / The old Lie."

   Begin by embedding the phrases "froth-corrupted lungs" and "My friend" into your analysis. Explain that "froth-corrupted" serves as a transferred epithet, illustrating the gas's damage on a cellular level. In contrast, "My friend" carries a savage irony; the speaker's use of intimacy creates a rhetorical trap, implicating the civilian reader in the suffering of the dying man. This approach encourages deeper engagement with the text's themes and emotional weight.

   Independent task

   In the final stanza of "Dulce et Decorum Est," Owen employs stark imagery and biting irony to dismantle the glorified notion of dying in war as a noble sacrifice. He vividly describes the horrific aftermath of gas attacks, portraying the soldiers as “like old beggars under sacks,” which strips them of their dignity and highlights their suffering. By referencing “the old Lie,” he directly confronts the romanticized idea that war is honorable, effectively exposing the falsehoods that have perpetuated such beliefs. The use of irony is particularly evident as Owen juxtaposes the glorified rhetoric of war with the grim reality faced by the soldiers, forcing readers to grapple with the brutal truths often glossed over in patriotic narratives. This rhetorical strategy not only evokes a visceral reaction but also serves to challenge the reader's preconceptions about war. As a soldier writing in 1917 at Craiglockhart, a place where many veterans confronted the psychological scars of battle, Owen's argument resonates deeply with his lived experience. He implores his audience to reconsider the glorification of war, reinforcing that the true cost of conflict is far from honorable. Through his poignant language and powerful imagery, Owen compellingly urges a reexamination of the values associated with military sacrifice.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining what Owen gains by ending the poem with a Latin phrase rather than with an image of the dying soldier — why is the final word 'mori' (to die) rather than another description of the gas attack?

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 do-now mini-whiteboards: checking whether students can identify a specific image rather than a vague theme, as evidence of literal comprehension before analysis begins.
• Lesson 1 independent annotation of the couplet (lines 15–16): checking that students can distinguish pronoun shift and explain 'guttering' with reference to the body, not just to emotion.
• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checking whether students can explain a figurative word choice ('drowning') by naming what it makes the reader imagine, not just what it means literally.
• Lesson 2 do-now recall: checking retention of the Latin phrase and the identity of the addressee from the previous lesson, as a baseline before the writing task.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket: checking whether students can articulate a structural and rhetorical reason for Owen's ending — not just what the Latin means, but why Owen ends there rather than with an image.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and figurative language in a literary text.
• Textual Evidence (STR-1) — Identify and describe how structure and shifts in a poem contribute to its meaning.
• Character and Narration (NAR-1) — Explain how the speaker's perspective and direct address shape the reader's relationship to the text.
• Argumentation (LAN-1.E) — Develop a written claim about a literary text supported by relevant and sufficient evidence from the text itself.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Develop an informed response to texts, using appropriate terminology and accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in texts, including the effects of language, form and structure.
• AO4 — Explore connections across texts, informed by interpretation of relationships between texts and contexts.

Eduqas

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to the effects of language, form and structure.
• AO5 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.