Wilfred Owen Poems
ENGLISH NOTES- WILFRED OWEN
DISABLED
Themes
- effect of war on the individual
- loss of identity and humanity
- multiply this for all seriously injured soldiers
Techniques
1. Imagery a) Soldiers present life
“ satin a wheeled chair”
“ legless, sewn short at the elbow”
EFFECT- establishes the scene and situation
- shocks the reader
b) Previous life
“ town used to swing so gay”
“ carried shoulder-high”
EFFECT- total contrast of his life pre-war
- all he has now are his memories
- tells us of his loss
c) Enlisting in the army
“ he’d drunk a peg”
“ he’d look a god in kilts”
“ to please the giddy jilts”
EFFECT- tells his reaction to flattery and peer pressure
- army assists by faking his age
2. Contrast a) Role of women in his life
- he once felt “how slim girls waits are or how warm their subtle hands”
- how “the women’s eyes passed from him to the strong men that were whole
EFFECT- shows the contrast between the lively active participant that he was, to the nameless, anonymous, dependent observer life.
b) His appearance
- he was a “god” “carried shoulder high”
- now he is wheelchair bound, limbless and dependent
c) Reaction of the crowd
- “drums and cheers” when the troops departed for the battlefield
- on return “ a solemn man”, perhaps a chaplain to bring fruit and ask him how he feels
EFFECT- young men are encouraged to join up and go to war but no one wants to take responsibility for caring for the injured returning from way.
3. Metaphors - a series of metaphors describing the battle and the
DISABLED
Themes
- effect of war on the individual
- loss of identity and humanity
- multiply this for all seriously injured soldiers
Techniques
1. Imagery a) Soldiers present life
“ satin a wheeled chair”
“ legless, sewn short at the elbow”
EFFECT- establishes the scene and situation
- shocks the reader
b) Previous life
“ town used to swing so gay”
“ carried shoulder-high”
EFFECT- total contrast of his life pre-war
- all he has now are his memories
- tells us of his loss
c) Enlisting in the army
“ he’d drunk a peg”
“ he’d look a god in kilts”
“ to please the giddy jilts”
EFFECT- tells his reaction to flattery and peer pressure
- army assists by faking his age
2. Contrast a) Role of women in his life
- he once felt “how slim girls waits are or how warm their subtle hands”
- how “the women’s eyes passed from him to the strong men that were whole
EFFECT- shows the contrast between the lively active participant that he was, to the nameless, anonymous, dependent observer life.
b) His appearance
- he was a “god” “carried shoulder high”
- now he is wheelchair bound, limbless and dependent
c) Reaction of the crowd
- “drums and cheers” when the troops departed for the battlefield
- on return “ a solemn man”, perhaps a chaplain to bring fruit and ask him how he feels
EFFECT- young men are encouraged to join up and go to war but no one wants to take responsibility for caring for the injured returning from way.
3. Metaphors - a series of metaphors describing the battle and the