Owen's Use of Imagery Essay Example

Introduction

Wilfred Owen was an author during the First World War where his poems were based on the role of soldiers in the First World War. This paper will detail the use of imagery in the three poems he did. The poems that will be discussed include "Dulce et Decorum EST" "Disabled", and "Asleep".

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"Dulce et Decorum EST"

The author wrote this poem after his experiences fighting in trenches in the northern part of France during the First World War. The author has used imagery widely in this poem. The first line that the author talks about "old beggars under sacks" portrays the image of the soldiers who were involved in the First World War. In the second stanza "An ecstasy of fumbling" and also when he chooses to use the word "gas" he tries to bring up a personal and symbolic picture of a man being consumed by a gas like a man drowning in water. In the third stanza, the author's choice of word "guttering" is to describe the tears rolling out of the face of the ill-fated man after he inhaled the toxic gas. The main themes being portrayed in the poem are war, politics, and patriotism. In the opening stanza, the author's choice of words like sacks, beggars, cursed haunting among others illustrates the language of poverty and denial. The poem relays the atmosphere of war.

"Disabled"

The author did this poem while in the hospital sustaining injuries from the involvement in the First World War. The author also uses imagery in this poem and mainly illustrates tow type of imagery one in the women and the other one of sport. In the choice of the word "mothered" illustrates the pain which results from physical isolation which sets out the theme of this poem and on the imagery of sport the author mentions that the man was physically fit and later chose to use the word "blood smear down his legs" meaning the person was a footballer. The author later elucidates more on the man's sporting career, especially in the fourth stanza. The themes portrayed in the poem include disability, bravery, and war (Laird, 25).

"Asleep"

This poem depicts the picture of soldiers who were dying gradually and quietly. The choice of words "under his helmet, up against his pack work and waking" to illustrate the anguishes they underwent during the long period of war. The author also explains how the soldiers died while in their sleep where he personalized "him" in the subject. The choice of words "clouds", "rains" "sleets of leads" which meant the gunshots reveals the picture of the pain and anguish the soldiers experienced during the war. Finally when the author used "his thin and sodden head confuses the low mould "it was meant to show how the cadaver from the soldiers shrink over the period of time and the dirt from the bodies cannot be differentiated from the mud in the head (Kell, 27)

Works Cited

Laird, Kerry. "Commentary on the Poem" Disabled"." Disability Studies Quarterly 25.1 (2005).

Kell, Richard. "An Analysis of Wilfred Owen's Poem'Asleep'." The Critical Survey (1966): 27-29.