The irony of war exposed in Dulce et Decorum, Regeneration and calm on the Western FrontMany of the young officers who fought in the Great War joined the army with ardent enthusiasm, believing that war was played with fancy uniforms and shining swords. They viewed war as a noble task, an exuberant journey full of honor and glory. Yet, after a short time at the front, they discovered that they had become disillusioned with the war: fighting earned them nothing but desperation, death and terror. They had lost their lives due to the war, which had also killed their innocence and their youth. They were no longer boys but insensitive men. Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", Pat Barker's novel Regeneration and Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front all describe the irony between the illusory glory of war and the gruesome reality of it, but while Owen and Sassoon treat the theme from a British point of view, Remarque allows us to look at it from the enemy's point of view. The poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", an anti-war poem by Wilfred Owen, who was an English infantry soldier, states that it is not sweet and appropriate to die as a hero for a country. From the first line, Owen describes the troops as "like old beggars under sacks" (1). This metaphor indicates that the men are tired of battle and suggests reluctance. They too have been on their feet for days and seem drained of youth as they "marched asleep" (5) and "limped, shod with blood" (6). Overall, in the first stanza, Oundjian 2, there seems to be a tension between old and young because it shows how the impact of endless war has reduced these once energetic young people to the point where they could be called "old" ( 1 ), "lame" (6) and... half of the paper..., demonstrated through the author's talent, denounce the authoritarian figures who should have guided his generation towards adulthood and who instead became the young people against each other in pursuit of superficial ideals. The soldiers were simply victims of a senseless war. In conclusion, Remarque's first-hand encounters with trench warfare, Owen's vivid descriptions of soldiers' experiences, and Baker's poignant accounts of the lives of historical figures all affirm that there were no winners in war, only losers in a battle without hope for territorial supremacy. Works Cited Barker, Pat. Regeneration. Toronto: Plume, 1993. Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et decorum est." The Faber Book of War Poetry. Ed. Kenneth Baker. London: Faber, 1997. 3-4.Remarque, Erich Maria. All quiet on the Western Front. Trans. AW When. New York: Ballantine, 1982.