Disabled (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A)

Revision Note

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

‘Disabled’ Analysis

Students studying the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Language A qualification will study all of the English language poetry and prose texts in Part 2 of the Anthology for Paper 2 or for the coursework option (Paper 3). Students taking the full examination route will be asked to analyse one of the poems or prose texts, which will be included on the question paper. You will have one question to answer about one of these texts in the exam, and you will be asked to analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects.

The following guide to ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen contains:

‘Disabled’ overview
‘Disabled’ summary
Themes, ideas and perspectives in ‘Disabled’
How does Owen present his ideas and perspectives?

‘Disabled’ overview

‘Disabled’ by British poet Wilfred Owen explores the trauma and alienation experienced by a soldier who has suffered life-transforming injuries in World War I. It contrasts the young soldier’s pre-war and post-war life and his subsequent loss of identity and purpose. Owen himself spent time in several military hospitals and wrote ‘Disabled’ while at Craiglockhart Hospital in Edinburgh after sustaining injuries on the battlefield, and the poem reveals Owen’s compassionate identification with soldiers in combat and in hospital.

‘Disabled’ summary

A soldier sits in his wheelchair waiting for night to fall. He is cold and alone, and he can hear the voices of children playing in the park outside. The poem then moves to memories of the past, as the soldier remembers happier times in which he danced with girls before he lost his legs. The speaker reflects that the soldier will never again dance with girls. The reflection continues as the speaker compares the youth of the soldier’s face with his now older countenance which has lost its life and vitality.

The speaker reflects that it was easy for the soldier to enlist after a football match when he’d been drinking. The conscription officers readily lied about his age in order to sign him up, and the soldier at that point thought that war was all glory and honour. The speaker considers that the cheers he received when coming home were not as enthusiastic as the cheers when a footballer scores a goal. The poem finishes by returning to the soldier in the hospital, bitter and alone, waiting for someone to come to put him to bed.

Themes, ideas and perspectives in ‘Disabled’

Paper 2, Question 1 will ask you how the writer has presented a certain theme, idea or perspective in the text, with a focus on analysing the language and structure the writer has used in order to convey this theme, idea or perspective. You are expected to support your answer with close reference to the text, including brief quotations.

What are the key themes in ‘Disabled?

Theme	Analysis
Appearance of war versus the reality of war	The poem considers how the idea of war and fighting in World War I was romanticised by society: It suggests that the young soldiers who signed up were sold a lie He thought war would be “jewelled hilts/For daggers in plaid socks” and create a feeling of pride in belonging to this privileged group who get to serve These preconceptions are contrasted with the reality of his life in the trenches and his subsequent alienation and isolation from society as an injured veteran
	The tragedy of war remains a daily reality for the soldier, even while the rest of society moves on: His physical and psychological injuries prevent him from being able to re-enter society and the world he loved before enlisting
	Owen implies that the real tragedy of war is the way it leaves soldiers feeling forgotten and alienated by society: He suggests the state abandons those who manage to make it home alive This criticism is levelled at a society that fails to deal with the consequences of the lie it sells

How does Owen present his ideas and perspectives?

Wilfred Owen uses a variety of language and structural techniques to present his ideas and perspectives.

Technique	Analysis
Title	The title categorises the subject of the poem based on a set of cultural assumptions about disabled people: It is a label — and the soldier is unnamed — and so the title is dehumanising
Form	The seven stanzas in the poem vary in length and the poem does not adhere to a traditional form: Owen may have done this to emphasise the lack of control the soldier now has over his life The shifting structure further reflects the soldier’s state of mind, as his thoughts shift from past to present
Cyclical structure	The poem starts and ends with the soldier alone in hospital: This emphasises the continuous nature of his isolation and alienation from society
Rhyme and rhythm	Rhyme is employed in the poem, but without a sense of consistency or fluidity: This unpredictability may reflect the soldier’s difficulty in coming to terms with his new reality He feels marginalised by, and alienated from, society The use of iambic pentameter creates the sense of monotony the soldier now feels as he “waits for dark”
Juxtaposition	The poet juxtaposes the soldier’s life before and after his injuries: Owen does this through the use of the soldier’s memories He also uses contrasting imagery of darkness and loss of colour (signifying the soldier’s loss of vitality and reason for being) with the light imagery used in his memories of his life before the war
Caesura	The deliberate breaks in the middle of lines are reflective of the soldier’s disjointed state of mind and train of thought: The use of caesura reflects how the man’s life has also been brought to a sudden stop
Repetition	Owen employs repetition in the form of anaphora in the closing lines of “Why don’t they come?”: As he waits for an answer that might never arrive, the reader is reminded of the soldier’s lack of hope which now dominates his life
Metaphor	At the start of the poem, the soldier is “waiting for dark”, and at the end he implores for his nurses to “put him into bed”: The “dark” can be seen to metaphorically symbolise death, which the soldier is waiting for Darkness and night symbolise oblivion and an absence of emotional and physical pain, evoking pity from the reader The loss of his youth and vitality to the war is metaphorically conveyed by how he “poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry”