n 1917, the first manuscript of Wilfred Owen’s  Dulce Et Decorum Est was crafted, as a response to Jessie Pope. During this period, Jessie Pope was known to be a propogandist who promoted the ideas of warfare and enlisting men into large scale conflicts. She began translating these beliefs into war poetry, publishing several works pushing the idea of the youth joining World War 1. Her most famous poem “Who’s for the Game?” advocates for the shaming of those who attempt to avoid putting themselves on the front line. Owen’s initial draft of his poem put a large focus on countering this poem, highlighting the fears and depressing attitudes felt towards warfare. Even the title itself, “Dulce El Decorum Est’ is pulled from the Roman phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”, meaning “How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country.” An ironic statement used to highlight why so many soldiers will lose so much of themselves to fight for their country.  

This initial draft was later revised and edited to be more appealing towards the wider masses, changing the initial address from “Dedicated to Pope” to having no specific address.  Jessie’s initial pro-war rhetoric became far more popular and widespread, even encouraging the usage of “white feathers” to highlight the cowardice of young men who didn’t want to fight. Owen’s modern draft was attuned to the aftereffects of participating in such a grueling war, adding in lines about soldiers having PTSD related dreams and hearing the voices of their fallen brethren. The final line was added to represent the intention of the poem, claiming that fighting for one’s country was a big lie many young men believe.  

Anti-War mentality has only become more noticed by society, mainly for its effects on the mental health of the people who participate in those scenarios. A study of many anti war poetry was conducted around late January to Early February 2024, which analyzed many poets stances on war, including William Owen. Akanksha Bhanot in her piece “Echoes of War: Exploring War poets and their Continued Resonance” takes note of Owen’s beliefs, stating that. “Despite radical shifts in the methods, strategies, and technologies of war over the past century, their poems explore fundamental and unchanged realities” (Bhanot  pg.3), emphasizing how Owen’s poem displays the dehumanization that often comes with war. She points out the nature of Owen’s ability to juxtapose the horrors of the war with the refined Latin text. It illustrates to the reader just how much warfare can be glorified into this beautiful thing, in spite of the dangers and mental strain it causes on the soldiers. 

When you witness the constant fuel of dangerous and destructive imagery, it’s not impossible to see how even an app like Tik Tok can potentially mess with the minds of its user base. The young demographic is often subjected towards horrific imagery designed to appear in their feeds, potentially harming their perception of certain environments. Because Tik Tok often encourages this mindless content consumption, many people from the young to old can often lose themselves in this type of imagery, some of which perpetuates toxic beliefs not too unlike the pro war sentiments seen during World War 1. Without any proper exposure to more healthy and safer content, a user of Tik Tok can end up not to unlike the soldiers depicted in Owen’s poem, often fearful and unable to function due to a specific set of imagery polluting their minds. 

Sources Cited: 

“Manuscript of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’” Omeka RSS, ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/exhibits/show/thefullenglish-910mw2/12. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.