Compare and Contrast

It is his destiny. In his relationship, it is of necessity for him to be the man, a throw back to an error of chauvinism. He is very eager and willing to be a hero. His ignorance is breed from his lack of wartime experience. The diction used is one of a haughty man, inexperienced, and unprepared in the horrors of life at war. We see this in "foe", "chaste breast", "mistress", "I am unkind", "I could not love thee." This man is a lover, not a fighter, a poet, not a soldier. The form of the poem, rigid and precise, also illustrates his belief in the military machine.
             The soldier's of "Dulce et Decorum Est" are experiencing tragedy of war at its worst. Allied forces have taken many casualties and the troops are suffering from fatigue and exhaustion. Owen is in the midst of the battle experiencing everything first hand. He experiences bullets whizzing by his ears, and a fallen comrade dying in his arms as he gasps his last breath while his lungs fill with blood. On the battle grounds in the first world war, the expected time frame of this poem, combat was at its most gruesome. The hellish battles in the trenches were a result of increasing technology of small arms, bringing grenades and automatic carbines in to play. Often soldiers were in throwing distance of hand grenades from the enemy while merely sitting in the trench. Men died face down in the mud as bullets filled the air around the heads of the soldiers still fighting for the "just cause". This was the filthiest and most brutal form of warfare by far, totally coinciding with how the author is illustrating his perception of war. He is experiencing the horrors of battle in its most hellish and gruesome form. He does not perceive war as honourable. He believes the reader will take up the same view as him.
             On the other hand, the other of "To Lucasta" finds himself bidding farewell to his woman. It is obvious that in the near future he will be stepping forth on the battle grounds to fill what he believes is a noble and honorable calling.