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A Poetic Analysis Of 'Disabled' By Wilfred Owen

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"Disabled" by Wilfred Owen is a poetic analysis of war that exposes the struggles of adjusting to civilian life. A deeper analysis of "Disabled" reveals the irony of war; a soldier's fight for his country's freedom which results in the sacrifice of his mental and physical freedom. The soldiers and their families suffer from the scars and traumatic events of the war daily, while those that benefit can remain in oblivion of their suffering. Owen’s "Disabled" gives the readers an intimate poem detailing the tragic loss of humanity that a soldier suffers. Because of the war, the soldier has been reduced in mind and body. His friends, essence, memories, desirability, physical strength and admiration all ripped away from him without warning. This …show more content…

“Now he will never feel again how slim girl’s waists are, or how warm their subtle hands.” The constant repression is causing the increased sadness and pain. His fondest memories were usually focused on girls and the attention that he received from them. “About this time Town used to swing so gay when the glow-lamps budded in the light blue trees, and girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim, - In the old time, before he threw away his knees.” Perhaps the most drastic change in his life is the lack sexual interest he gets, which is perhaps a huge attack on his already diminished self-esteem. Those times when “someone has said he’d look a good in kilts,” and his ability to use physical appearance and masculinity to please members of the opposite sex has passed.That change represents to him how useless, damaged and hopeless his life seems. Everyone has a quality about themselves that defines their identity and a social role that normalizes them. His obsession on women symbolizes something deeper. The fact that his leg affects one of the most significant aspects of his being such as his virility causes overwhelming resentment. He often attempts to relive those moments but instead it causes his sadness to grow deeper and his depressing realities more

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