Disabled by Wilfred Owen

Disabled - Wilfred Owen

(shows how he is now, how he is feeling)

He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark,

And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey,

Legless, sewn short at elbow. Through the park

Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn,

Voices of play and pleasure after day, -> something that he would never gain back. 

Till gathering sleep had mothered them from him.

About this time Town used to swing so gay -> Once happy
When glow-lamps budded in the light-blue trees
And girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim,
— In the old times, before he threw away his knees.
Now he will never feel again how slim
Girls' waists are, or how warm their subtle hands,
All of them touch him like some queer disease. -> Lost his love life

There was an artist silly for his face, -> deformed face

For it was younger than his youth, last year.

Now he is old; his back will never brace;

He's lost his colour very far from here,

Poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry, -> lost his will, personality, and all that was in him due to war

And half his lifetime lapsed in the hot race, -> "race" Thought he was running towards honour and glory, but was actually losing out even moreAnd leap of purple spurted from his thigh.

(reason for joining war)

One time he liked a blood-smear down his leg,

After the matches carried shoulder-high.

It was after football, when he'd drunk a peg,

He thought he'd better join. He wonders why . . .

Someone had said he'd look a god in kilts. -> probably well-liked, and egoistic. Attracted to the things people said about him, therefore was interested to join in to fight the war.

That's why; and maybe, too, to please his Meg,

Aye, that was it, to please the giddy jilts,

He asked to join. He didn't have to beg;

Smiling they wrote his lie; aged nineteen years. -> they needed men, and he ran into the army with a misconception that "army/going to war = honour, glory, attractiveness"

((War))

Germans he scarcely thought of; all their guilt,
And Austria's, did not move him. And no fears -> expected war to be something easy, was underestimating their opponents.

Of Fear came yet. He drought of jewelled hilts

For daggers in plaid socks; of smart salutes;

And care of arms; and leave; and pay arrears;

Esprit de corps; and hints for young recruits.-> a form of propaganda?

And soon, he was drafted out with drums and cheers. -> thought that he would be able to gain the best out of army, the glory and the admirations.. Thinking that whatever he did, he would come back with everyone celebrating over him, and people would crown around him with admiration.

(after war, back to now)

Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer Goal.

Only a solemn man who brought him fruits -> nobody except one man, appreciated him.

Thanked him; and then inquired about his soul.

Now, he will spend a few sick years in Institutes,

And do what things the rules consider wise,

And take whatever pity they may dole.

To-night he noticed how the women's eyes

Passed from him to the strong men that were whole. -> instead of the attractiveness and admiration he thought he would get, all he got was pity, and women, looking pass him, because he has lost himself. ("whole" as in physical form? spirituality? character?)

How cold and late it is! Why don't they come

And put him into bed? Why don't they come? -> rather die, and go than to live and suffer, and watch people one after another pity him.

Analysis:

The poem was written by Wilfred Owen after a war period. 

This poem had deeply shown how the poet had seemingly shown the contrast between what he thought he would get before and after a war. It also evoked sympathy with constant repetition of lament, seemingly frustrated, and filled with regrets. 

The poem has many punctuations, to show the slow pace, and the effect created a sense of sadness, and lets the reader take in everything that he wanted to express. He also used imagery, such as similes and metaphor in the poem to create an image of destruction of his identity from the beginning compared to the ending. He emphasises a lot on the points of how he had changed, from his appearance, to his mindset, by constantly repeating them.

The poet draws a lot of self pity for himself, by making himself look like he is in a bad position, such as “only a solemn man…inquired about his soul”, showing that barely anyone cared for him. “saddening like a hymn”, showing how even the best things, like children having fun, was hurtful and a pain to the poet, at the same time showing his jealousy, because he’ll never go back to the way he was before. It can be inferred, that the poet was very influenced by the way people looked at him, or the comments people made of him, that at the same time affected the things he decided to do.  “Someone had said he'd look a god in kilts” was one of the reason that he joined the fight, and it led to him thinking that it’d bring him the love of his life, “to please his Meg,

Aye, that was it, to please the giddy jilts”. 

Lastly, the title itself is “Disabled”, showing how it describe his appearance, on the outside, and on the inside, broken, and lost the parts that belongs and was a part of him that people recognised. It is coherent to a literary device, searched to be known as pararhyme that Owen is known to use. Showing a broken half of a word that rhymes, seemingly to show a comparison of his current life along with the poem.

This poem shows how he lost himself, in the mind and in personality because of war, that had claimed everything away from him -- Looks, woman, pride which was built up by himself.

Identity to him here, was made up of what people thought of him, how people treated him. 

The poet: Wilfred Owen

The things, people label you with, making you make certain decisions,
or even the way you look at things/yourself.

(kaiying)