Analysis of 'Disabled' by Wilfred Owen
“Disabled”- To what extent is the soldier a sympathetic character?
The poem “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen, written in third person, presents a young British soldier who lost his legs from the First World War. The soldier is left in solitude, as he no longer appears charming to the others and his sufferings from the war changed him into a completely different man. Therefore, Owen presents the soldier as extremely sympathetic by emphasizing that one impulsive, naïve decision he made as a teenager led him to become ostracized and estranged from his own society.
First of all, Owen portrays the soldier as a sympathetic character by emphasizing that he was too innocent and immature to comprehend the possible consequences of war. The young man’s decision to join the army had been so impulsive and illogical that he cannot recall exactly why he made such decision. The poet uses punctuation to suggest this- frequent use of commas and semi colons when he says “that’s why; and maybe, too, to please his Meg…” expresses the poet’s hesitation as he struggles to remember exactly why the protagonist enlisted for the war. The poet mentions “….maybe, too, to please his Meg..” and “someone said he’d look good in kilts”. The use of ambiguous words such as “maybe” and “someone” add to the vagueness of his motive. Since the readers are fully aware that catastrophes such as injuries and deaths occur in battlefields, the fact that the soldier joined the war without a logical reason shows that the decision had been completely spontaneous. As the majority of men would’ve joined the war out of patriotism, the soldier’s ambiguous or non-existent motive clearly emphasizes that he was incapable of making judicious decisions for himself. The soldier rather saw the war as an opportunity to gain pride, love and respect- this is suggested when the poet mentions “he thought of jeweled hilts for daggers in plaid socks; of smart salutes; and care of arms…” The frequent use of semicolons shows the
The poem “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen, written in third person, presents a young British soldier who lost his legs from the First World War. The soldier is left in solitude, as he no longer appears charming to the others and his sufferings from the war changed him into a completely different man. Therefore, Owen presents the soldier as extremely sympathetic by emphasizing that one impulsive, naïve decision he made as a teenager led him to become ostracized and estranged from his own society.
First of all, Owen portrays the soldier as a sympathetic character by emphasizing that he was too innocent and immature to comprehend the possible consequences of war. The young man’s decision to join the army had been so impulsive and illogical that he cannot recall exactly why he made such decision. The poet uses punctuation to suggest this- frequent use of commas and semi colons when he says “that’s why; and maybe, too, to please his Meg…” expresses the poet’s hesitation as he struggles to remember exactly why the protagonist enlisted for the war. The poet mentions “….maybe, too, to please his Meg..” and “someone said he’d look good in kilts”. The use of ambiguous words such as “maybe” and “someone” add to the vagueness of his motive. Since the readers are fully aware that catastrophes such as injuries and deaths occur in battlefields, the fact that the soldier joined the war without a logical reason shows that the decision had been completely spontaneous. As the majority of men would’ve joined the war out of patriotism, the soldier’s ambiguous or non-existent motive clearly emphasizes that he was incapable of making judicious decisions for himself. The soldier rather saw the war as an opportunity to gain pride, love and respect- this is suggested when the poet mentions “he thought of jeweled hilts for daggers in plaid socks; of smart salutes; and care of arms…” The frequent use of semicolons shows the