Explain the ways in which Wilfred Owen evokes feelings of pity and horror in “Disabled”
Explain the ways in which Wilfred Owen evokes feelings of pity and horror in “Disabled”
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War. Many of his poems have been praised for their bleak realism and it is also the case that his poem, “Disabled”, is observational and written in the third person from his own direct observation and experience. “Disabled” is about war, violence and mutilation as well as society’s reaction to this. It was written around 1917 showing the horror of war and evoking feelings of pity towards the soldiers.
In “Disabled”, Owen uses the analogy of playing sports and being a soldier in war, to inform his readers about how war is not glamorous, but rather life-threatening and gruesome. He also portrays the main character’s past and state of mind. Owen's use of the word “He”, leaving the soldier unnamed implies that he is referring to one of many young soldiers affected by the war. Through the soldier, who is also the main character, Owen tells his audience of the contrast between the glories of military spectacle at first look, and the realistic horrors of the battles in war, which are grotesque and horrible. Wilfred Owen also used the technique of contrast to show the reality of the society’s thoughts on war at the time.
The first stanza starts with a depressing description of a lone man “sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark” in a “ghastly suit of grey, Legless, sewn short at elbow”. This is Owen’s first use of description in the poem to portray the truth of war. By exposing the impact of the war on the soldiers, Owen has immediately grabbed the reader’s attention and sympathy for the soldiers in war. The psychological harm on the soldiers as a result of the war is also revealed in the first stanza by Owen when he mentions that even the “Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn, Voices of play and pleasure”.
Wilfred Owen's use of adjectives such as “dark”, “grey” and
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War. Many of his poems have been praised for their bleak realism and it is also the case that his poem, “Disabled”, is observational and written in the third person from his own direct observation and experience. “Disabled” is about war, violence and mutilation as well as society’s reaction to this. It was written around 1917 showing the horror of war and evoking feelings of pity towards the soldiers.
In “Disabled”, Owen uses the analogy of playing sports and being a soldier in war, to inform his readers about how war is not glamorous, but rather life-threatening and gruesome. He also portrays the main character’s past and state of mind. Owen's use of the word “He”, leaving the soldier unnamed implies that he is referring to one of many young soldiers affected by the war. Through the soldier, who is also the main character, Owen tells his audience of the contrast between the glories of military spectacle at first look, and the realistic horrors of the battles in war, which are grotesque and horrible. Wilfred Owen also used the technique of contrast to show the reality of the society’s thoughts on war at the time.
The first stanza starts with a depressing description of a lone man “sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark” in a “ghastly suit of grey, Legless, sewn short at elbow”. This is Owen’s first use of description in the poem to portray the truth of war. By exposing the impact of the war on the soldiers, Owen has immediately grabbed the reader’s attention and sympathy for the soldiers in war. The psychological harm on the soldiers as a result of the war is also revealed in the first stanza by Owen when he mentions that even the “Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn, Voices of play and pleasure”.
Wilfred Owen's use of adjectives such as “dark”, “grey” and