Wilfied Owen-'Dulce et Decorum Est'
;'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest(3) began to trudge. '
Owen uses a variation of vowel lengths in this passage to connote towards the mental imagery that he wants to reader to see. The word 'bent' is short and sharp, which insinuates that the soldiers were crooked, distorted or physically misshaped because of what they had to endure. This is supported by the text that follows, 'like old beggars under sacks'. This implies that they were curled up and strained. The word beggars sounds harsh and sharp and consolidates the fact that the soldiers are in poor, barren conditions/states of mind.
'Knock kneed' is an example of alliteration showed by Owen, and when read as a whole line it has a rhythmic pace, which symbolises the way the soldiers were trudging through the mud. Owen expresses the conditions the soldiers were by using
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