Another significant idea that Owen explores in ‘Disabled’ is the contrast between the myth of War, which is romanticised and censored by propaganda, and the gruesome and brutal reality of war, experienced by the protagonist and Owen himself. Owen shapes and moulds the structure of the poem so that the myth and reality of war are also in juxtaposition deliberately so that the reader’s perceptions and understanding of the extreme contrast of war is clearly identified.
Owen first describes in extreme detail the reality of war with graphic imagery in Stanza III. This can be seen in the quotation: “He lost his colour very far from here”. The action of the protagonist losing his colour is a metaphor that Owen uses effectively to symbolise the protagonist losing a lot of blood, which gives the reader a first hint about the brutality of war. “Colour” can also be interpreted as the fruitful and colourful events in life, in which now the protagonist is going to be deprived of, since his life is fading away. Owen mirrors “light – blue trees” in Stanza II with this quotation, in which the two colours are in binary opposition. The colour “light blue” depicts and creates a sense of euphoria and romance. As the protagonist has now lost this “colour”, he will no longer experience elation or affection, and will now live a “grey” life, as mentioned in Stanza I. The phrase “very far from here” also suggests the difficulty for the protagonist in finding this “lost colour”. As he had lost this “colour” very far from here, Owen suggests that his loss maybe permanent and adds to the tragedy and pathos of his situation.
The next line in Stanza III also displays the reality of war: “Poured it down shell-holes, till the veins ran dry” The action of having...
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...s arms; and he has no arms to care for anymore; he is no longer part of a group but is completely isolated, therefore no longer having a notion of “Esprit de Corps”. All of these promises turned out to be hollow and baseless which highlights Owen’s cynicism and bitterness at the role of Propaganda.
As Owen had experienced the war himself, he holds a furious, angry and bitter stance towards propaganda as he knows the number of young men’s lives that would be claimed by it, especially when the judgement of many young men was flawed. Furthermore, he knows censoring and romanticising war will deceive the vast population, meaning that family members and friends would not know the danger their sons, brothers, or friends were imminently facing. I think Owen feels young men were persuaded to sign up with dishonest promises, and he is trying to emphasise this to the readers.
Just as the poem is written in a rhyme and rhythm that makes poetry easy to follow, the vivid imagery helps one to picture more easily what is going on in the poem. Owen brilliantly chooses words and phrases that illuminate the scene, making the reader feel as if he is physically in the scene along with the characters. For example, Owen describes that the Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots/ But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;/ Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots/ Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind (Gioia 782). A feeling of sadness and pity is felt as one hears the previous words. It is almost as if the scene of the soldiers trudging through the battlefield is being painted for the reader to actually visually ...
To draw into the poet’s world, the poet must draw relations between them, including the reader, making them feel what the poet feels, thinking what the poet thinks. Wilfred Owen does this very creatively and very effectively, in both of his poems, Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori and Anthem of Doomed Youth, who is seen as an idol to many people today, as a great war poet, who expresses his ideas that makes the reader feel involved in the moment, feeling everything that he does. His poems describe the horror of war, and the consequences of it, which is not beneficial for either side. He feels sorrow and anger towards the war and its victims, making the reader also feel the same.
Owen uses imagery constantly to convey the conditions and feelings experienced during this war. Firstly I will be exploring Metaphor as it is used so much in this poem. The first metaphor which I will examine is: “Haunting Flares” on line 3 of the first stanza. This quote has so many connotations, my first opinion on this was that the flares which the enemy are firing to light up the battle field are said to be representing the souls of the soldiers fallen comrades. This could also be said to represent the power the enemy has on their own mortality as the bright flares would light up the battle-field exposing everything to their view, this indicates that the enemy always seem to have power upon the soldiers, almost godly. The second metaphor which I will explore is:
Owen's poems the irony between the truth of what happens at war and the lie that was
World War One had an inevitable effect on the lives of many young and naive individuals, including Wilfred Owen, who, like many others, joined the military effort with the belief that he would find honour, wealth and adventure. The optimism which Owen initially had toward the conflict is emphasised in the excerpt, in which he is described as “a young poet…with a romantic view of war common among the young” (narrator), a view which rapidly changed upon reaching the front. Owen presents responders with an overwhelming exploration of human cruelty on other individuals through acts of war and the clash of individual’s opposed feelings influenced by the experiences of human cruelty. This is presented through the horrific nature of war which the
In ‘Anthem of Doomed Youth’ Owen shows another version of the suffering- the mourning of the dead soldiers. When Owen asks “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?”, his rhetorical question compares the soldiers to cattle as they die and suffer undignified. Owen uses this extended metaphor to confront us with the truth, that there are too many fatalities in war. As such, the soldier’s deaths are compared to livestock, to emphasise their poor treatment and question our perspective about soldiers dying with honour. With an overwhelming death toll of over 9 million during WWI, Owen depicts how the soldier’s die with the repetition of “Only the...” to emphasise the sounds of war that kills soldiers in the alliteration ‘rifles’ rapid rattle.’ Owen also illustrates the conditions that the soldiers died in and how they were not given a proper funeral in the cumulation ‘no prayers nor bells,/ nor any voice of mourning.’ Owen painfully reminds us that we have become complacent with the deaths of soldiers, seeing them as a necessary sacrifice during human conflict. Thus, Owen shows us what we have overlooked about war, that is, that it brings endless death and long-lasting grief to the surviving soldiers and the people around
Owen’s poem uses symbolism to bring home the harsh reality of war the speaker has experienced and forces the reader to think about the reality presented in romanticized poetry that treats war gently. He utilizes language that imparts the speakers experiences, as well as what he, his companions, and the dying man feels. People really die and suffer and live through nightmares during a war; Owen forcefully demonstrates this in “Dulce et Decorum Est”. He examines the horrific quality of World War I and transports the reader into the intense imagery of the emotion and experience of the speaker.
The similes and metaphors used by Owen illustrate very negative war scenes throughout the poem, depicting extreme suffering of young men fighting during World War I. The first simile used by Owen describes the soldiers as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”, giving them sickly, wounded, and exhausted attributes from battle and lack of rest (1). Next, the soldiers are described as “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags”, which once again portrays these young men as sick...
...e see a young boy being taught how to use weapons. In “Exposure”, Owen depicts a group of soldiers freezing to death at war, even though they aren’t in the midst of fighting. Lastly, in “Dulce Et Decorum Est” we read about a soldiers who struggles to get his mask on during a gas attack (when the enemy releases a gas deadly upon inhale). Owen describes the soldiers slow death in detail. Not only do these images provide the reader with first hand accounts of war, but they also show Owen’s feelings towards the war. All of these images that are glued into his head will be there forever, which is why he incorporates these realities in his poems, so that everyone can realize that war is nothing more than a inhumane act of terror.
Owens work can be defined by his use of language to transport the reader to the frontline of the war. His works evoke great emotion in the reader to empathize with feelings and circumstances of the soldiers he wrote about at the time. In his poem, Disabled, Owen shows the life of a soldier after the impacts of war as many soldiers were left without limbs. In the eyes of society, they were no longer fully human. He depicts how they were treated as outcasts, ostracized and left to die a lonely death:
The poetic techniques used in Wilfred Owen’s war poetry sweep the reader from the surface of knowing to the essence of truly appreciating his ideas. Through sonnets, Para rhymes, ironic titles, voices and strong imagery, not only is the reader able to comprehend to the futility and the horrors of the Great War, but also they can almost physically and mentally empathise with those who fought. Through the three poems examined, it is evident that Owen goes to great effort to describe the conditions and thoughts of the First World War, thus his works are considered an invaluable asset to the modern literature.
How Wilfred Owen Uses Language and Imagery in His Poetry to Communicate his Attitudes of War
Contrasting to the patriotic and idealised image of war and serving your country the representation that Owen conveys of war, is eerie and daunting,' the darkening lanes.' The imagery of the 'darkening lane' could reflect the lives of the solders sent to war, it suggests that their death were almost inevitable and they were bound to death before they wee even sent off. The use of the word darkening eliminates any hope the readers may have and illustrates Owens attitude that they're no hope in fighting and without hope there was no purpose or point in fighting. Owen also expresses certain vulnerability in the soldiers as they are sent into a world which they know nothing about. Similarly Binyan demonstrates the same naivety and innocence of the soldiers that served in the war. '
Owen begins the poem with a depressing description of a man in a wheeled chair “waiting for dark”. The use of the word ‘dark’ gives connotations of death, implying that he’s waiting for his death to come. It also conveys a sense of isolation and sadness as the soldier no longer has a family. The mention of ‘sleep’ in the last line of the stanza can be an indication that death is near, since death is sometimes described as eternal sleep. Personification is used a...
Owen creates sympathy for the soldier in ‘Disabled’ by using a wide range of poetic devices. Owen explores the themes of regret and loneliness to portray sympathy for the soldier. Moreover he criticizes the soldier for joining the war at a young age and for the wrong reasons.