Wilfred Owen Mental Cases and Disabled

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Wilfred Owen Essay. Question: Compare ways in which Owen powerfully portrays the physical and mental consequences of war in both poems. The poem’s ‘Mental Cases’ and ‘Disabled’, both consider and explore the debilitating effects in which war can have on soldiers. Owen reveals the reality of war rather than the appearance created by war propaganda; he portrays the horrific experiences of the battlefield. By exposing his ideas through linguistic sound devices and techniques, in which are vital, he demonstrates his perspective on war, additionally he uses this to create an understanding of what the impact has had on the individual soldier and their lives. ‘Disabled’ projects the thoughts and feelings of a young man who became deprived of his limbs through war and his suffering from his severe disfigurement. ‘Mental Cases’ on the other hand captures the mental effects on the soldiers as a result of war. Owens aim is to not on flabbergast but additionally illustrate stark detail of the repulsive physical symptoms of mental torture. One way in which Owen portrays the physical and mental consequences of war is via his emotive use of similes. In stanza one of ‘Mental Cases’ Owen questions about why these victims of war bare ‘teeth that leer like skulls’ teeth wicked?’. The simile is effective due to powerfully portraying the victims appearance as faces in which are distorted with pain and bewilderment. However, although the men may appear ‘wicked’, the reality is that are the absolute opposite as they are the victims of a wicked war, thus making the reader feel deep sympathy. This simile is reinforced in the next stanza, why do they look as they do? ‘Their head wear this hilarious, hideous, /Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses.’ The alliteration strengthens the image of the victims’ unfortunate, ugly and silly appearance. In ‘Disabled’ Owen also makes use of a
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