Wilfred Owen's poem "Disabled" was written during World War I in 1917. Owen writes from the perspective of a double amputee veteran whose battle has taken away all appreciation for life this character decides to reflect on the various 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 society's insufficient recognition of their actions during the war. It could be suggested that the author is exploring the theme of the futility of war and criticism of society, the universal theme embedded in the poem. Disabled by Wilfred Owen, and the object of analysis in this essay, is the separation that war creates between those who remained at home and those who fought: the so-called "two nations" effect. To convey these themes, the author uses structure, characterization, setting, contrast, and diction.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The title of the poem is significant and reveals the theme of “two nations.” It is the figure's disability that distinguishes him from others; it's the reason he will never be able to experience the pleasures of life again. This is evidenced by the fact that “the eyes of 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. Furthermore, numerous body parts 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 figure's desire for a "whole" body. However, it is important to note that he is not only isolated physically, but also mentally, as the war has made him numb 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” when the dead soldier 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 “two nations” theme. The person uses the third personal pronoun, where a “non-participant” serves as narrator: “He sat in a wheelchair” (line 1), something that distances the reader from the figure. The gap between the veteran and the reader can be interpreted as the distance between those who fought and those who remained at home. The narrator, however, seems to have insight into the mind of the character, as the whole poem has a tone of melancholy and the character knows his desire, expressed in the penultimate line: "why don't they come and put him to bed" (line 45-46). Also, it should be noted that this contrasts with other poems written by Owen as this poem is very personal of "Disabled" reveals different stages of the figure's life. In fact, the poem is composed of seven stanzas that can be grouped to distinguish five phases of his life. Furthermore, the alternation between the past and present narrative of the figure's life reveals his longing for the life he had before losing his legs. The first stanza introduces us to an alienated figure who represents what remains of male youth after the war. The person creates this alienated figure through thecharacterization and setting. The figure is "in a wheelchair" (line 1), "legless" (line 3), "waiting for the dark" (line 1) dressed in a "horrible gray dress" (line 2). This portrayed figure evokes pity in the reader, while the man clearly does not feel any passion or joy for life: he is alienated by his physical disability, reinforced by the fact that his clothes are grey, and he seems to be waiting for death. His isolation is highlighted by the words “dark,” “shivering,” “horrific,” and “grey.” Furthermore, the fact that it is “sewn short at the elbow” leads the reader to question the conditions under which he lost his legs, evoking a sense of precaution and speed. His physical description contrasts drastically with his surroundings, further reinforcing his alienation. While he is described visually, the other people are described orally: “voices of boys playing” (line 4) and “voices of play and pleasure” (line 5). The tone in which they are presented suggests that, in the past, the subject had 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 seeking protection since sleep has "mothered" him (line 6) from the voices. This first stanza divulges the theme of “two nations” as the war has disabled him and alienated him from his surroundings. In the second stanza, at first, the figure remembers when he was still part of society. This section clearly contrasts with the first stanza as the language changes from threatening to frivolous. This is highlighted by the use of alliteration between the words "lamps" (line 8) and "the girls looked" (line 9), emphasizing the rhythm of the poem. Her gray dress contrasts with the “blue trees” (line 8). The reality of the figure is remembered in the line “before he threw away his knees” (line 10) in war. The use of the words “thrown away” to describe the loss of his knees shows that he feels guilty and acknowledges his role in the loss of his legs. He describes what he considers the symbol of lost male youth sent to war: a life of love and contentment. This is conveyed through a change in tactile imagery with the girls: before the war, he felt "the girls' hips" and "how warm their thin hands are" (line 12), whereas now the girls "touch him like a strange illness" (line 13 ). This underlines his isolation from society. Furthermore, it can be suggested that in line 13 the person criticizes society's reaction towards disabled soldiers, as well as possibly revealing their implications in his current state. The third stanza reveals that the veteran was “younger than his youth” (line 15) when sent to war. However, 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 has lost its color far from here” followed closely by the words “shell holes” is the first allusion to war in the poem. Next, he goes on to describe the “Fear” (line 32) he felt on the battlefield. Here the use of capitalization reinforces the feeling through personification. This conveys the “two nations” theme, as the reader will not be able to understand this capital “Fear” unless they themselves have served in a war. Owen wrote several poems about life in the trenches revealing the horror of war and the fear felt by soldiers. This was the case with the poem “The Sentinel”. The fourth and fifth stanzas reveal the figure's motivations for joining the army. They are ecstasy after a victorious football match, "to drink a peg" (line 23) and "to please the dizziness" (line 27). The decision, therefore,it contains a feeling of euphoria, speed and desire for success. Influenced by propaganda and pressure from society, the character presents us here, in fact, with a possible scenario that 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 about the Germans ” (line 30). Most World War I soldiers believed that by going to war, they would transform themselves into heroic male figures with girls waiting for them at home. They never considered the full implications of their decisionThese benefits are destroyed in this poem, as the figure is anti-war and reveals the “truthful” effects of war: loss of youth, innocence, and helplessness. Finally, the character criticizes the people in power for allowing him to enroll even though he was a minor. This is revealed in line 29 when “Smiling they wrote his lie: at the age of nineteen.” In this sense, the sadness of the soldier's plight is accentuated. His motivations highlight society's culpability for his choice, leading the reader to feel a sense of pity and compassion for the figure as he was simply too young and innocent to understand the full implications of his actions. uses an extended metaphor between the football match and the war. This metaphor was quite popular at the time and commonly used by several poets, including Jessie Pope in the poem “Who's for the game”. In this case, however, the war does not reveal itself as a football match. This is evidenced by the fact that “he liked to have a blood stain down his leg, after matches, brought up to shoulder height”. These injuries on the football field made him feel proud, virile and heroic, as if he were celebrated by others. Yet, in the case of war, they hypothesize a disgusting image, “a leap of purple flowing from his thigh.” So, war, unlike a football match, is not fun and 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 bleak present. The soldier remembers when he returned home: he “clapped” (line 37), but it was not the hero's welcome he had imagined. Not even “while the crowd cheers Goal” (Line 37), underlining with a capital letter the word “goal” what the figure has lost by going to war. The reader is once again encouraged to feel sorry for his decision and subsequent loss. Owen's aim is to demonstrate that the promises made to the soldiers are lies and that those who return wounded from war are detached from society and pitied for their loss rather than being honored for their sacrifice like a man "questioned about his soul " (line 39). This is also presented in Owen's poem “Dulce et Decorum Est”, where the honor and glory in dying for one's country is referred to as “The Ancient Lie”. The final stanza of the poem completes the circle by taking the reader back to the past. the figure is present. This is emphasized by the use of “Now” to begin the paragraph, which results in a change in mood. The figure comes to the decision that “he will spend a few sick years in the Institutes / and do what the rules deem wise” (lines 40-41). Proving that he accepts and gives in to society's pressures once again, becoming a passive young veteran who will forever be considered disabled. The figure has assumed his role as an object of pity by accepting whatever “pity they may do” (line 42), once again upholding his isolation from society created by using the pronoun “they”, the non-disabled. The poem ends with an anxious plea: “How cold and late! Why don't they come / And put it on,.