Ferncourt High School
English Literature (Poetry)
CSEC Essay Question
J. Cross
“Ol’ Higue” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” deal with the death of
someone. In this essay, outline what happens in each poem and
describe the attitude of each persona towards the subject of death.
In addition, identify one striking image in each poem and comment
on its use. Finally, say which of the two poems is more alarming and
why. (35 marks)
The poems, “Ol’ Higue” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” deal with the theme of
death. The following essay will outline what happens in each poem. It will
also describe each persona’s attitude towards the subject of death, as well
as, identify and comment on a striking image used in each poem. In addition,
there will be a discussion on which poem is more alarming.
In the poem “Ol’ Higue” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” a lot of reflection
happens. In “Ol’ Higue” an old woman reflects on her everyday activities. As
a vampire, she ‘gallivants’ all night to consume babies blood. She needs
their blood to stay alive. However, she hates her job. She wants to be like a
normal human being. However, she gives herself some credit when she
realizes that she is needed for folk stories and mothers need to use her as a
scapegoat when their babies die. As a result of this, she declares she will
‘never dead.’ In the poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est,” a soldier reflects on
soldiers trudging through mud, ‘bent-double,’ exhausted and injured from
battle. He especially remembers a fellow soldier who could not escape a gas
bomb and he dies right in front of his eyes. This gives the persona
nightmares. He remembers the soldier’s eyes ‘writhing in the back of his
head’ and him choking and gargling on his own blood. The persona then
warns, ‘it is [not] sweet and befitting to die for one’s country.’ The reality of
war is horrible and not as glorious as people may say.
Each persona’s attitude towards the subject of death is both painfully sad
and empowering. In “Ol’ Higue,” the persona dislikes the fact and think it is
‘stupidness’ that she has to kill babies and consume their blood for survival.
If she does not do this, she will die and of course, she is afraid of the ‘dying
hum…’ She does not want to die and she energetically assures herself that
death will never overtake her because she is too valuable. She is needed for
folk stories and mothers need someone to blame when their children are
harmed without a logical explanation. On the other hand, in the poem,
“Dulce et Decorum Est,” the persona’s attitude towards death is painfully
sad. The persona witnessing his colleague’s violent death causes him to have
nightmares. As a result he believes and warns that it is not sweet and
befitting to die for one’s country. It is all a lie. To preserve life, he suggests
that dying for one’s country is not noble but rather futile and painful
physically, emotionally and mentally.
Each poem conveys a striking image. In the poem, “Ol’ Higue,” a striking
image is the Ol’ Higue ‘gallivanting all night without skin burning… out like
cane fire to frighten the foolish…’ This image is striking because we see the
transformation of an ordinary old woman to something supernatural and
frightening. Her fire imagery is quite vivid, and it brings with it fear and
terror not only for the characters in the poem but for the audience. This is
what horror stories are made of. In the poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the
striking image is that of a dying soldier being thrown in the back of a wagon.
His ‘white eyes writhing in his face… you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
come gargling…’ This imagery is striking because we experience death as
real and horrible. The imagery is violent and conveys the pain of war.
Through this imagery, we understand why ‘it is [not] sweet and befitting to
die for one’s country.’
The poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est” is more alarming of the two poems. It is
more alarming because we are constantly bombarded by the violence of war
and death. We see soldiers ‘limped on’… ‘Blood-shod.’ We hear soldiers
running for cover, ‘gas –gas! Quick boys,’ and screaming for help. We see
the vivid death of soldiers where their faces are ‘hanging like the devil sick of
sin.’ We see and hear the dying soldier ‘plung[ing], guttering, choking and
drowning’ in his own blood. With these graphic images, readers are also in
the war zone and literally feel and experience the horrors of wars and the
persona’s pain. In comparison to “Ol’ Higue,” the death of babies is not
graphic or violent. Instead, we are presented with angelic, sweet-smelling
and pure imagery of babies. As a result, “Dulce et Decorum Est” is more
alarming.
Both poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Ol’ Higue both deal with the
theme of death and show the audience that death is dreadful and hated but
at times we can rise above the power of death through positivity and self-
preservation.
