2. *
To learn how a poet creates a sense
of horror.
To learn how and why a poet uses
contrasting images or imagery.
To learn about a poet’s use of
structure.
To learn about attitudes towards
disabled people.
4. 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.
* * *
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.
*
5. Therewas 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 blood-smear 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;
6. 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?
7. *
Annotate the poem in your anthology book,
making sure you note:
1. What the poem is about;
2. The different language techniques the poet
uses, their purpose and HOW they are
effective;
3. Why Owen might have written the poem;
4. Your personal response, thoughts and
feelings.
8. *UNDERSTANDING THE POEM
STANZA BY STANZA
1. Stanza 1: Why does Owen contrast the “voices of
play” with the man in the wheelchair?
2. Stanza 2: What did the soldier used to do in the
town?
3. Stanza 3: What happened to the soldier in battle?
4. Stanza 4: When did the soldier like a “blood
smear” down his leg and why?
5. Stanza 5 and 6: Why is the man ignored now?
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN YOUR BOOKS:
NOW SUMMARISE THE POEM IN ONE SENTENCE!
9. *TRUE OR FALSE?
FIND A QUOTE TO SUPPORT YOUR DECISION …
STATEMENT T or
F?
QUOTE TO SUPPORT
Owen has no real sympathy for
the disabled soldier.
Owen lived in a time when
people believed disabled
people should be locked away.
Owen has written the poem in
regular verses in order to show
how regular the man’s life is.
Owen has written the poem in
irregular verses in order to
show how irregular and
fragmented the man’s life is.
10. 1. Explain in your own words what the poem Disabled is about.
Make sure that you offer a bit of information about the
background of this poem. The aim here is to write in clear
sentences and use connectives to develop your paragraph.
2. HOW is the man‟s isolation conveyed in the first stanza?
Respond by writing TWO PEAL paragraphs.
3. What is the effect of the alliteration used in „ghastly suit of
grey‟? Respond by using ONE PEAL paragraph. Remember that
alliteration creates a certain sound and emotion in the poem.
4. The second stanza focuses on happier memories. How are
feelings of warmth and happiness conveyed in this stanza?
5. List all of the reasons the man conscripted to the army in
stanza four.
*QUESTIONS TO HELP WITH ANALYSIS …
11. 1. Why were the soldiers „smiling‟ as he joined the army?
What was the „lie‟?
2. Examine lines 33-36. How would you describe the man‟s
image of war as he joins up?
3. How is the man greeted by the public upon his return home
from war in stanza five?
4. Explain in your own words what we learn from the imagery in
the final stanza.
5. Who are „they‟ in the final two lines and how do you think the
poet feels about these people? Explain why.
6. How has the poem been organised? Describe the poem‟s
rhyme scheme and explain why this has been used.
*AND SOME MORE
ANALYSIS QUESTIONS …
13. *PRACTICE ESSAY QUESTIONS
OTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER …
- How does the poet create a sense of atmosphere in this poem?
- How does the poet present the changes that the soldier underwent?
- How does the poet bring out the naivety and innocence young soldiers?
- How does the poet create a sense of horror in this poem?
How does the writer try to bring out the thoughts and feelings of
the disabled soldier in Disabled? You should write about:
- the comparison between the soldier’s past and present situation
- his experiences with women
- his reasons for becoming a soldier
- any other interesting use of language.
14. AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE POEM:
http://www.wilfredowen.org.uk/poetry/disabled
CLOSE ANALYSIS OF THE POEM:
http://sites.psu.edu/lkparrott/2013/04/24/poem-analysis-of-disabled-by-
wilfred-owen/
ANNOTATION PROMPTS FOR THE POEM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxBJlF6OMI
ANOTHER DETAILED VIDEO ANNOTATION OF THE TEXT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOzF5gHze34
STANZA BY STANZA SUMMARY
http://www.igcse-english.com/section-b/disabled/
A THOROUGH VIDEO EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgnwsc6RmsE
