Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) is one of the most known poets of World War I, known for writing poems about the hardships of the war and the effects it can have on a soldier/ combatant, both physically and mentally. Owen mainly wrote poems from 1917 until his death in the line of duty in 1918. His poetry showed the negative aspects of the war during a time where the war was initially and naively glorified and celebrated by many. One such poem, “Disabled”, is from the point of view of a man who became a paraplegic after the war, forever stuck in a wheelchair and wondering about the life he could have had. Owen had a harsh outlook on the war, and it shows why when you look at what he witnessed throughout his service. Owen’s war experience was full of
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(Wilfred Owen) He wrote about this horrifying experience to his mother, “A big shell lit on the top of the bank, just 2 yards from my head. Before I awoke, I was blown in the air right away from the bank! I passed most of the following days in a railway Cutting, in a hole just big enough to lie in, and covered with corrugated iron.” (Wilfred Owen: Letters) All of these experiences traumatized Owen, who later was admitted to Craiglockhart War Hospital after he was diagnosed with “shell shock”. While at the hospital, he met poet Siegfried Sassoon, who encouraged him to write poetry about his experiences in the war. It was during his recovery from “shell shock” that he had written most of his poetry, which was largely anti-war and about the suffering of soldiers. One of his most notable poems, “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, is about the horrible and gruesome experience of British soldiers being attacked with chlorine gas, with one soldier unable to get his mask on in time. The soldier is described as, “the white eyes writhing in his face, / His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of
(Wilfred Owen) He wrote about this horrifying experience to his mother, “A big shell lit on the top of the bank, just 2 yards from my head. Before I awoke, I was blown in the air right away from the bank! I passed most of the following days in a railway Cutting, in a hole just big enough to lie in, and covered with corrugated iron.” (Wilfred Owen: Letters) All of these experiences traumatized Owen, who later was admitted to Craiglockhart War Hospital after he was diagnosed with “shell shock”. While at the hospital, he met poet Siegfried Sassoon, who encouraged him to write poetry about his experiences in the war. It was during his recovery from “shell shock” that he had written most of his poetry, which was largely anti-war and about the suffering of soldiers. One of his most notable poems, “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, is about the horrible and gruesome experience of British soldiers being attacked with chlorine gas, with one soldier unable to get his mask on in time. The soldier is described as, “the white eyes writhing in his face, / His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of