DISABLED

COMPOSED BY POET: WILFRED OWEN

BY: YAZAN KHADER
 Disabled Wilfred Owen
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, Till gathering
sleep had mothered them from him.

RECORDING OF THE POEM

About this time Town used to swing so gay 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.

There was an artist silly for his 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, And half his
lifetime lapsed in the hot race, And leap of purple spurted from his thigh.
One time he liked a bloodsmear 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.

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. Germans he scarcely thought of; and no fears
Of Fear came yet. He thought 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. And soon, he was drafted out with
drums and cheers.

Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer Goal. Only a solemn
man who brought him fruits 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. How cold and late it is! Why don’t they come And put him into bed?
Why don’t they come?
 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF THE POEM
• OWEN’S POEM WAS PUBLISHED BY ITSELF WITH NO COMMENTARY AND NO
EXPLANATION GIVEN FOR ITS PRESENCE, SO THE READER WAS LEFT TO MAKE UP
HIS OR HER OWN MIND.
• WILFRED OWEN SAW THE HORRORS OF WORLD WAR I AND WAS INJURED ON THE
BATTLEFIELD. THE POEM WAS COMPOSED WHEN HE WAS HEALING IN AN
EDINBURGH HOSPITAL. SHELL SHOCK WAS IDENTIFIED IN HIM. IN THIS
HOSPITAL, HE MET ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN WAR POET, SIEGFRIED SASSOON.
OWEN IS ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL POETS WHO USED POETRY TO DOCUMENT
HAPPENINGS ON THE FRONT LINES. HE RETURNED TO THE BATTLEFIELD AFTER
FINISHING THE POEM. HE DIED ON NOVEMBER 4, 1918, AND HIS PARENTS
LEARNED OF HIS DEATH ON REMEMBRANCE DAY.
MAJOR THEMES

• PHYSICAL LOSS
• THE OLD LIE, STATES THAT WHOEVER JOINS WAR IS PERCEIVED AS BRAVE,
HEROIC AND POWERFUL. AND THOSE WHO DON'T ARE PERCEIVED AS
COWARDS
• GLORIFICATION OF WAR
• DESTRUCTION OF MANHOOD OF YOUNG MEN
 STRUCTURE

THE POEM'S STRUCTURE IS CONSTRUCTED OF SEVEN STANZA

OF VARIOUS LENGTHS. IT DOES NOT ADHERE TO A
TRADITIONAL, CONVENTIONAL POETIC FORM, TO EMPHASIZE
ON THE LACK OF CONTROL HE HAD ON HIS LIFE. THE POEM
STARTS AND ENDS IN A HOSPITAL WHICH CREATES A CYCLICAL
STRUCTURE.
 FIELDS OF INQUIRY
BELIEF, VALUE AND EDUCATION

THE BELIEF OF BEING OBLIGATED TO JOIN THE ARMY TO IMPRESS WOMAN, TO

ATTRACT THEM THROUGH THEIR FANTASTICAL TRAITS OF POWER, HERO AND
BRAVE, WHICH IMPACTS THE VALUE OF MANHOOD, WHERE WAR IS GLORIFIED
BY MANY WHEREAS IT IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, THOSE WHO SURVIVE IT
TEND TO SUFFER FROM PTSD THUS REGRETTING JOINING FROM THE START.
THIS CONTRIBUTES TO THE THIRD PILLAR WHICH IS EDUCATION, SOCIETY
EDUCATED THOSE YOUNG MEN AND BRAINWASHED THEM INTO JOINING THE
FORCE SO THEY CAN ATTRACT WOMEN DISREGARDING THE WHOLE
"FIGHTING FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY".
GLOBAL ISSUES

1. THE EXPLOITATION OF THE "OLD LIE" BY SOCIETAL NORMS (ENTIRELY

WOMEN) TO DECEIVE YOUNG MEN TO ENLIST IN RETURN OF ADMIRING
TRAITS AND ATTRACTION OF WOMEN.
2. THE SOCIETAL USE OF PROPAGANDA TO GLORIFY THE CONCEPT OF WAR TO
CONCEAL THE DEVASTATION AND DESTRUCTION IT CAUSES, BOTH
PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY.
DETAILED
ANALYSIS
STANZA ONE

• THROUGH THE UNREMARKABLE PRONOUN "HE," DISABLED INTRODUCES THE SOLDIER

IN THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT NARRATION. DUE TO HIS LACK OF IDENTIFICATION, THIS
FURTHER ISOLATES THE SOLDIER. HE IS "WAITING FOR DARK," WHICH MIGHT BE
INTERPRETED METAPHORICALLY AS HIM ANTICIPATING DEATH. THE GUTTURAL
ALLITERATION QUICKLY ESTABLISHES A STERN TONE AS THE SOLDIER IS SEEN SITTING
IN A HOSPITAL WEARING A "GHASTLY SUIT OF GREY." IN HIS OWN WORDS, HE IS
"LEGLESS, SEWN SHORT AT THE ELBOW." HIS PHYSICAL CONDITION IS REFLECTED IN THE
CAESURA AND SENSE OF DISCORD CREATED BY THE PUNCTUATION IN THIS SENTENCE.
THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S VOICES ARE HEARD BY THE SOLDIER, AND HE USES THE SIMILE TO
CHARACTERIZE THEM AS "SADDENING LIKE A HYMN," RECALLING THE GLOOMY
ATMOSPHERE OF FUNERALS AND CHURCHES. HE LAMENTS THE PASSING OF HIS YOUTH.
STANZA TWO

• THE SOLDIER REFLECTS ON HIS FORMER EXISTENCE; JOY IS

SYMBOLIZED  BY THE IDEA OF LIGHT IMAGERY WHICH COMPLETELY
JUXTAPOSES THE FORMER DARKNESS. THE USE OF ALLITERATION
THROUGHOUT HEIGHTENS THE FESTIVE MOOD. THE CHEERFUL TONE IS
ABRUPTLY BROKEN AS THE "AIR GREW DIM." A SUDDEN END-STOP BRINGS
HIM ABRUPTLY BACK TO HIS PAINFUL REALITY AS HE LAMENTS ABOUT HOW
"HE THREW AWAY HIS KNEES." THE SOLDIER SACRIFICED HIS KNEES IN HIS
FOOLISH DECISION TO ENLIST, AS IMPLIED BY THIS LITOTES. GIRLS ARE NO
LONGER ATTRACTED TO HIM AS A RESULT: "ALL OF THEM TOUCH HIM LIKE
SOME QUEER DISEASE." THE COMPARISON ISOLATES HIM EVEN FURTHER.
STANZA THREE

• THE TROCHEE "NOW" ABRUPTLY RETURNS THE READER TO THE PRESENT

WHILE THE SOLDIER RECALLS HIS ATTRACTIVE YOUTH. HE USES
JUXTAPOSITION TO SHOW HIS ABRUPT CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN
HE SAYS THAT TODAY HIS "BACK WILL NEVER BRACE" . THE EFFORT OF THE
SPEAKER IS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE USE OF PLOSIVE ALLITERATION. HE USED
THE IMAGE OF HAVING "POURED IT DOWN SHELL-HOLES TILL THE VEINS
RAN DRY" TO DESCRIBE HOW THE WAR COST HIM HIS YOUTH. YOUNG MEN
REGARDED THE WAR AS A CHANCE TO BECOME THE VICTORIOUS "HERO,"
AND THE METAPHOR "HOT RACE" EVOKES A SENSE OF COMPETITION WHILE
CONNECTING TO THE CENTRAL TOPIC OF DISILLUSIONMENT.
STANZA FOUR

• IN STANZA FOUR, THE YOUNG MAN'S REASONS FOR ENLISTING ARE DESCRIBED. THE
CAESURA IN THE SENTENCE "HE THOUGHT HE BETTER JOIN. HE WONDERS WHY"
HIGHLIGHTS THE PROTAGONIST'S LACK OF CONSIDERATION FOR JOINING. HE
EXPRESSES REGRET BY ASPIRANT ALLITERATION, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY THE END-
STOPPED LINE IN THE SECOND PHRASE. THE SOLDIER CONTINUES, "SOMEONE HAD
SAID HE'D LOOK A GOD IN KILTS," SO HE JOINED THE ARMY OUT OF VANITY. THIS
METAPHOR HIGHLIGHTS THE HEROISM THAT CAME TO BE LINKED WITH SOLDIERS AS
A RESULT OF PROPAGANDA DUE TO THE IMMORTAL CONNOTATIONS
 ASSOCIATED WITH "GOD." IT FURTHER SUGGESTS THAT HE SERVED WITH THE
SCOTTISH REGIMENT. HE LOST HIS LEGS AS A RESULT OF HIS FOOLISH JUSTIFICATIONS
FOR ENLISTING IN THE MILITARY.
STANZA FIVE

• THE SOLDIER IN QUESTION EXPLAINS THAT HE LIED ABOUT HIS AGE IN

ORDER TO ENLIST SINCE HE WAS TOO YOUNG—SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED
FREQUENTLY IN WORLD WAR I. HIS REASONS FOR JOINING THE ARMY ARE
ENUMERATED IN A SYNTACTIC LIST; IN HIS VIEW, THE OPTIONS AND
POSSIBILITIES WERE LIMITLESS. HE EXPRESSES EXPECTATIONS FOR "ESPRIT
DE CORPS," THE LATIN EXPRESSION MEANING A SENSE OF BELONGING TO A
GROUP, WHICH UNDERSCORES HIS DESIRE FOR HERO STATUS. HE MET HIS
FATE DUE TO HIS NATIONALISTIC DESIRE FOR GLORY.
THANK
YOU