Dulce Et Decorum Est And Hills Like White Elephants

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Language drives the world around us. It is the premise of communication and lack thereof. Whether it be latin, french, spanish, music, literature, or art, language, in any of its various forms, gives one the freedom to communicate with and understand others. Those who can effectively exercise multiple languages are highly sought after and those who can not are often misunderstood. In many ways the manipulation of language can make those who hear, read, or see it think a specific way. Because of the power language holds, it is often used as a mobilizing device for war. In the literary works “Dulce et Decorum Est”, “next to of course god america i”, and “Hills Like White Elephants” their respective authors, Wilfred Owen, E.E. Cummings, and Ernest Hemingway, reveal the immense power language has on a person’s thoughts, especially in a time of war or controversy.
Wilfred Owen, author of “Dulce et Decorum Est”, utilized his own experiences as a soldier in World War I to empower those around him. Throughout …show more content…

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” exemplifies the importance language has in everyday disputes between ordinary people. Hemingway’s characters Jig and the American have a lack of language skills and little communication between them. Although the American often speaks in spanish to the waitress such as in his statement, “Dos cervezas”, this is not the biggest language barrier between the couple (“Hills” 5). A better representation is the American’s response, “It’s pretty hot” to Jig’s question, “What should we drink?” (“Hills” 1,3). Much like their entire conversation, the American skirts Jig’s question and answers non-committedly. Hemingway has shaped language to be a barrier between the couple that impedes their ability to be happy. In this manipulation of language the characters feel lonely and misunderstood, because they fail to express their

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