Disabled And Dulce Et Decorum Est

The poems Disabled and Dulce et Decorum Est have one main theme in common: War and Conflict. The poets have explored and presented this theme in similar ways through their commentary and the way individuals should react to the poems’ content. Disabled expresses the tormented thoughts and memories of a teenaged soldier in World War I who has lost his limbs in battle and is now trapped, helpless, to a wheelchair making him useless. Whereas in Dulce Et Decorum the Poet says it is not honorable to die and kill for one’s country Also, when one reads both the poems, the reader will understand that the poets have experienced war and gone through a lot.

The soldier in the poem Disabled has suffered a personal tragedy, the loss of his limbs. This has led to him feeling isolated and bitter as he listens to those who have not experienced war, taking life for granted, playing outside his window. Then persona spends his time sitting ”in a wheeled[ed] chair, waiting for dark”. ‘Waiting’ suggests that he has nothing and no-one to
“Town used to swing so gay...before he threw away his knees”. The word ‘gay’ is significant as it describes his life as happy. The tone changes from happy to sad as he shifts from Line 1,2,3 to Line 4. This makes the reader empathise for him.

Fighting in war is tiring and tough, which means that soldiers have to be fit and strong. "Men marched asleep", this quote is quite different from the other quotes. ‘Asleep’ is a powerful word here as it shows how tired the soldiers are, fighting the war. Even though the soldiers are fit, they are tired and weak fighting the war, and so to emphasise that, Owen makes this abnormality the norm that seems to be one of the major functions of this war. The reader would have a visual effect as he will imagine a fit man looking so