The poem "Disabled" by Wilfred Owen was written during World War I in 1917. Owen writes from the perspective of a double amputee veteran who was given the field of battle took away all appreciation of life This character decides to reflect on the different reasons that led him to enlist. In this poem, the character presents the effects of war on young adult males sent to war. their loss of physical abilities, innocence and youth, as well as their loss of society's insufficient recognition of their actions during the war. criticism of society, the universal theme embedded in Wilfred Owen's poem Disabled, and the subject of analysis in this essay, is the separation that war creates between those who stayed home and those who fought: the so-called “two nations” effect. In order to convey these themes, the author uses structure, characterization, setting, contrasts, and diction. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The title of the poem is significant and reveals the theme of “two nations.” It is the character's disability that distinguishes him from others; this is the reason why he will never be able to experience the pleasures of life again. This is emphasized by the fact that “the eyes of the women passed from him to the strong men who were whole” (line 44). The use of the word “whole” implies that he considers himself incomplete, less than a man. Additionally, many parts of the body are integrated into the poem: “knees” (line 10), “hands” (line 12), “veins” (line 18), “thigh” (line 20), and “leg” (line 21). . These words emphasize the character's desire to have a "whole" body. However, it is important to note that he is isolated not only physically, but also mentally, because the war has made him insensitive to the pleasures of life. This is revealed by the fact that the sounds of youth and vigor are described as “sad as a hymn” (line 4). This idea of ​​the everlasting effects of war on the mental health of soldiers is also presented by Owen in the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" as the soldier who died before his eyes continues in all his "dreams" to "dive[r]] against [him], dripping, suffocating, drowning. » The reference point of "you" used in "Disabled" reveals the theme of "two nations". The character uses the third personal pronoun, where a “non-participant” acts as narrator: “He sat in a wheelchair” (line 1), which distances the reader from the character. This detachment between the veteran and the reader can be interpreted as the distance between those who fought and those who remained at home. The narrator, nevertheless, seems to have insight into the character's mind, for the whole poem has a tone of nostalgia and the character knows his desire, expressed in the penultimate line: "why don't they come and put it in bed” (lines 45-46). Additionally, it should be noted that this contrasts with other poems written by Owen as this poem is very personal. It focuses on the story of one soldier while others, such as "Anthem for Doomed Youth", compare soldiers to cattle such that the soldiers are seen as undifferentiated masses. The structure of “Disabled” reveals different stages of the character’s life. In fact, the poem consists of seven stanzas which can be grouped to distinguish five stages of his life. Additionally, the alternation between the past and present narrative of the character's life reveals his desire to live the life he led before losing his legs. The first stanza presents us with an alienated character whorepresents what remains of male youth after the war. The character creates this alienated figure through characterization and setting. The character is “in a wheelchair” (line 1), “legless” (line 3), “waiting for the night” (line 1) dressed in a “horrible gray suit” (line 2). This depicted character evokes pity in the reader, because the man clearly does not feel any passion or joy of life: he is alienated by his physical disability, reinforced by the fact that his clothes are gray, and he seems that he awaits death. Its isolation is emphasized by the words “dark”, “shuddered”, “horrible” and “grey”. Furthermore, the fact that he is “sewn short at the elbow” leads the reader to wonder about the conditions in which he lost his legs, evoking a feeling of precaution and speed. His physical description contrasts radically with the setting around him, further reinforcing his alienation. While he is described visually, the other people are described orally: "boys' voices sounded" (line 4) and "voices of play and pleasure" (line 5). The tone in which they are presented allows readers to assume that, in the past, the subject also played in the park with the other boys. The end of the first stanza invites the reader to accept the subject as dependent on society and in search of protection while sleep has “mothered” him (line 6) from the voices. This first stanza reveals the theme of “two nations,” as the war left him disabled and alienated from his surroundings. In the second stanza, initially, the character remembers the time when he was still part of society. This section clearly contrasts with the first stanza as the language shifts from threatening to frivolous. This is highlighted by the use of alliteration between the words “lamps bright” (line 8) and “girls looked” (line 9), emphasizing the rhythm of the poem. His gray suit contrasts with the “light blue trees” (line 8). The character's reality is recalled in the line “before he threw down his knees” (line 10) during the war. The use of the words "thrown" to describe the loss of his knees shows that he feels guilty and recognizes his role in the loss of his legs. He describes what he sees as a symbol for male youth sent to war and lost: a life of love and contentment. This results in a change in tactile imagery with the girls: before the war he felt "how tall the girls are" and "how warm their subtle hands are" (line 12), while today the girls " affect him like a strange disease” (line 13). ). This highlights his isolation from society. Additionally, it can be suggested that in line 13, the character criticizes society's reaction to disabled soldiers, and possibly reveals their involvement in his current condition. The third stanza reveals that the veteran was “younger than his youth” (line 15) when sent to war. Yet, after a year of war, he has become "old" (line 16), showing that the war has robbed him of his youth, implying that his face is now older. In line 17, “It lost its colors far from here,” followed closely by the words “shell holes,” is the first allusion to war in the poem. Later, he describes the “fear” (line 32) he felt on the battlefield. Here, the use of capital letters reinforces the feeling through personification. This conveys the theme of "two nations", as the reader will not be able to understand this capital letter "Fear" unless they have served in a war themselves. Owen wrote several poems about life in the trenches revealing the horror of war and the fear felt by the soldiers. This was the case in the poem “The Sentinel”. The fourth andFifth stanzas reveal the character's motivations for joining the army. They are ecstatic after a victorious football match, “ankle drunk” (line 23) and “to please the giddy” (line 27). The decision therefore contains a feeling of euphoria, speed and desire for success. propaganda and pressure from society, the character presents us here, in fact, with a possible scenario which reveals a lack of reasoning on his part. This is probably true for most soldiers. This is further underlined by the statement “he hardly thought of the Germans. » (line 30). Most soldiers in World War I believed that by going to war they would become heroic masculine figures with daughters waiting for them at home. They never thought through the full implications of their decision. These advantages are shattered in this poem, as the character is anti-war and reveals the "true" effects of war: loss of youth and innocence, and helplessness . Finally, the character criticizes those in power for allowing him to register when he was a minor. This is revealed in line 29 when “Smiling they wrote his lie: aged nineteen.” In this line, the sadness of the soldier's fate is increased. His motivations highlight society's guilt for his choice, leading the reader to feel a sense of pity and compassion for this character, as he was simply too young and innocent to understand the full implications of his actions. It is important to note that the character uses an extended metaphor between football and war. This metaphor was very popular at the time and commonly used by different poets, including Jessie Pope in the poem "Who's for the game". But in this case, war is not like a football match. This is underlined by the fact that “he liked to have a bloodstain on his leg, after matches, raised to shoulder height”. These injuries on the football field made him proud, masculine and heroic, as if he were celebrated by others. Yet in the event of war, they conjecture a disgusting image, “a jet of purple gushed from his thigh.” Therefore, war, unlike a football match, is neither fun nor fair, and what is lost cannot be regained. The character introduces a three-line stanza to create a transition between his promising past and his dark present. The soldier remembers his return home: “acclaimed” (line 37), but it was not the hero's welcome he had imagined. Not even “as the crowds applaud Goal” (line 37), emphasizing in capital letters the word “goal” what the character has lost by going to war. The reader is once again encouraged to feel sorry for their decision and the resulting loss. Owen's goal is to show that the promises made to soldiers are lies and that those who return from war wounded are detached from society and pitied for their loss rather than being honored for their sacrifice as a man's 'inquires into his soul' (line 39). This is also presented in Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", where the honor and glory of dying for one's country is called "the old lie". The last stanza of the poem completes the circle by bringing the reader back to where the figurine is present. This is emphasized by the use of “Now” to begin the paragraph, resulting in a change in mood. The character comes to the resolution that “he will spend a few years of illness in the institutes / and do what the rules consider wise” (lines 40-41). Demonstrating that he accepts and gives in to society's pressure once again, becoming a liability. young veteran who will forever be considered disabled. The character has assumed his role as object of pity by accepting,.