The Pity Of War In 'Disabled' By Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Owen aimed to convey 'the pity of war' in his poetry. How effectively does he do this in 'Disabled'? Sean Angus Y11

Wilfred Owen was an English poet and soldier during the First World War. During 1917 he created the poem "Disabled", in "Disabled" he presents 'the pity of war' through the life of a teenager war veteran who now suffers in his new life of being an amputee. Owen expresses these ideas through veteran’s isolation, helplessness, regret, etc. These ideas will be explored.

The title of ‘Disabled’ automatically sets the mood and atmosphere of the poem. The tone created is this dark, helplessness feeling, this feeling is very premonitising. This is created because

This can be seen when the poet writes, "Ghastly suit of grey". This makes him sound as if he is some type of ghost or a forgotten memory of the society that he uses to live in. War has made him lifeless, hence the ghost-like imagery. The "suit of grey" highlights that he is wearing a suit or some kind of uniform. The uniform represents how he has to wear what the people in the institute tell him to wear. This proves that he has a lack of freedom and control, and also gives the feeling that he is being dehumanised by the people that are supposed to help him. Owen also uses alteration to create a negative feeling. The words "ghastly" and "grey" are both very dark and depressing words which helps make the reader feel very sympathetic towards the war veteran as he has to go through so much isolation and pain just because he didn't think of the consequences of going to war. "Ghastly suit of grey" also suggest that he may have lost his colours, his happiness, his emotions due to war. The quote "He's lost his colour very far from here" also proves that war has taken everything from him, even his feelings, therefore Owen portraying the pity of

The word choice Owen uses like “shivered” in the first stanza creates this atmospheric notion of coldness, wet, blue which contrasts with the first couplet in the second stanza. This comparison builds this sense of empathy for the veteran and displays how war

Owen conveys the horror of war by describing the consequences of war. We know this because Owen writes “he sat in a wheelchair waiting for dark”. This is a very sentimental line as it shows what the soldier can do. All the soldier can do is “wait for dark”. “dark” could be a reference to death as death is usually associated with darkness and dark colours. “waiting for dark” could also indicate that the soldier is waiting for his life to come an end, waiting for Death to take his life away. Owen uses the soldiers suffering, disability and to convey the horrors of war.

In conclusion, Owen created an anti-poem war that aimed to convey “the pity of war”. He effectively does this by using very sympathetic and descriptive words. He makes the soldier's life sound dreadful through isolation, regret, rejection, immaturity and the painful remembrance of