How does wilfred Owen use aristotle's three rhetorical appeals to convince us of his claim that the phrase dulce et decorum estpro patria mori lacks merit?

Answer 1

The main argument that Owen uses in "Dulce et Decorum est" is an emotional argument, by describing the pain of the soldiers and a horrific death and irreverent handling of a corpse. His appeal to authority is the fact that he was a soldier and witnessed this Horror and found that a military death is anything but sweet. His logical argument is that war is often glorified by those who have not fought it, but the reality is tragic and vulgar, and children should be made aware of that so they can avoid it.

Answer 2

In his poem "Dulce et Decorum Est," Wilfred Owen employs Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals to effectively argue that the notion of dying for one's country is not honorable. He appeals to logos by presenting logical arguments and evidence of the horrors of war, ethos by establishing his credibility as a soldier who has experienced the brutal reality of combat, and pathos by invoking emotion and empathy in the reader through vivid imagery and descriptive language. Through these appeals, Owen persuasively challenges the traditional belief that dying for one's country is "sweet and honorable."