Disabled

How does the writer try to bring out the thoughts and feelings of the disabled soldier in
Disabled?
- the comparison between the soldier's pas and his present situation
- his experiences with women
-his reason for becoming a soldier
- the use of language
- description of injury

How does the writer try to create sympathy for the soldier?
- what the soldier's life is like now
- what happened to him in the war
- what is life was like before the war
- the use of language

"Town used to swing so gay" "Town" is capitalised so it can represent any

town in the country which tells us that this
story is replicated throughout the British Isles.
It gives the reader an idea of the amount of
loss experienced. This quote is just telling us
that the town used to be cheerful and
carefree.
"glow-lamps budded" a metaphor for the young life of a soldier, he is
a 'bud' and still has not matured. It is symbolic
as it has connotations associated with flowers
which link to romance. This tells us he got girls'
attention.
"Light blue trees" creates a vibrant image which contrasts with
the "grey" description at the star.
"Girls glanced lovelier the air grew dim-" The alliteration suggests the normality of
flirting which he now no longer expects. The
"air grew dim" could be a reference to his
suffering in the trenches and the girls appear
"lovelier" as now they are no longer interested
in him and ignore him. The dash is the caesura
that marks the gap between nostalgic
memories and the grief of the present.
"Now he will never feel again how slim // girls' shows us that he knows that he will be
waists are" shunned by women from now on, or
alternatively he knows that he will isolate
himself from them out of shame. This tells the
reader that he values people's views and the
war has ruined this for him.
"All of them touch him like a queer disease" "All of them" shows the extent to which
women abhor him and are apprehensive to
meet him. "Queer disease" gives the
impression that he is unnatural and weird. It
suggests that despite his selfless war service
he is unnatural and weird. It suggests that
despite his selfless war service he is danger
and his disability is contagious. "Queer" is an
offensive name for someone who is
homosexual. During this time, homosexuality
wasn't accepted into society. Therefore, this
suggests that because of this disability he
won't be accepted into society either. It links
to the theme of isolation.
"Now he is old" used as a temporal marker to bring us back to
the present after talking about his youthful
face. The adjective "old" tells us that after the
war he is physically aged. Old things are
thrown out and ignored, perhaps this is how
the soldier feels society treats him.
"lost his colour" indicates that his life has been leached out of
his wound.
"Some cheered him home but not as crowds tells us that he believes he was welcomed
cheer goal," home in a half-hearted way and isn't getting
the adoration that he deserved or expected.
He was more celebrated in his sport's efforts
that in his 'greatest' achievement.
"Women eyes passed from him to the strong Propaganda created soldiers as heroic and his
men that were whole". disability undermined his status as a hero. The
"eyes" are a synecdoche for women
themselves. The revulsion that results in them
avoiding and neglecting him, and instead of
looking at the fit, uninjured soldier.
"he liked a blood smear" Blood was more of a trophy when he played
football, blood showed dedication.
"carried shoulder high" he was a proud, successful sportsman in
contrast to what he has become
"He sat in a wheeled chair waiting for dark" The returned soldier is lonely and has nothing
to do - he is not exactly a celebrated war hero
as he may have envisioned. "Waiting for dark"
is a euphemism for death. He is lifeless and
passive.
"Sewn short at the elbow." His sleeve is "Sewn short at the elbow.", then
it stops, just as his life stops, a mere stump. He
has lost his legs and his arms during the war,
his clothes are modified accordingly. The full
stop forms a caesura which amplifies his
disability.
"Mothered" implies that sleep soothes him and temporarily
blocks out sadness. This tells us the horror of
war and the pain the soldier is feeling.
"Before he threw away his knees" gives the impression that the injuries are his
fault, enlisted out of vanity. Alternatively, it is
an ironic response because of conscription. It
adds on to the ongoing themes of Wilfred
Owen and his attack on propaganda. "Threw"
is a strong and aggressive verb which implies
that he was too impulsive.
"Poured it down shell-holes" "Poured" is a reckless verb and links to "threw.
"Shell holes," tells us that he was wasted on
war. It tells us that he believes his reckless
decision has made him lose blood and life. We
feel empathy for him.
"And leap of purple spurted from his thigh" the colour signifies energy and vigour which is
now lost. It is an assonant rhyme which makes
it fast-paced. It implies that the war is
responsible for his uselessness in life now. HIs
life was lost so quickly and he was never aware
of this danger
"Smiling they wrote his lie" a reference to the desperation of government
authorities to fill up numbers, even if
underage. There are question marks on ethics.
"they" peer pressure
"he'd drunk a peg" - wasn't thinking straight, reckless - lad
conforming to traditional expectations of men
"he though he's better join. - he wonders why" - felt pressured
- short sentences give emphasis to his
impulsiveness + distorted reasoning that led
him yo volunteering
- strong sense of regret
"look a god in kilts" "god" - unstoppable ,leader - imagery boosted
ego to give him courage to join
"kilt" - symbol of patriotism - he was not
adverse to flattery; element of vanity -
romanticised view on war
"please his Meg" colloquial language: "Meg" means girlfriend -
young female population were patriotic and
encouraged men to enlist. there was an
element of romance that was attractive -
conform to masculinity
"and no fears" chiasmus - naive + innocent, convinced by
propaganda stories
Divided into two parts The first being before the war when everything
was great and the second being when he
returns disabled and no longer feels happy and
loved. The writer is saying that war changes
you and you can never be cured.
- "Through the park voices of boys rang It reminds him of his childhood which he threw
saddening like a hymn". away by volunteering to fight. The voices
sadden him because they remind of his lost
youth which has been taken by the
experiences he's had during the war. The
simile "like a hymn" serves to echo the sound
of an elegy at a funeral which shows that he is
mourning the death of youth.
4th stanza run on structure where we get the description of his injury
where he "lost his colour" which indicates his
life has been taking away from him, has a run-
on structure. This symbolises the continuity of
the non-stop bleeding and there is a sense of
exhaustion.
the stanza where it says "thanked him" is the shortest emphasising that the 'thanks' was
shortest lacking sincerity and there wasn't much of it.
Also, "thanked" is in italics so we can see that
there is an element of irony.
cyclical structure The poem starts with a euphemism for death
in "waiting for death" and this is also seen in
the rhetorical questions.
repeated rhetorical questions "Why don't they come // And put him into
bed? Why don't they come?", is also a
euphemism for death as there is no point in his
life anymore. No one is answering which
shows he is alone and lonely. Also, "put him to
bed" could mean to put him at rest by him
dying.
3rd person not personal, pain can be felt by everyone,
reflect lots of people