Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's ‘Disabled’
I can analyse how Owen presents ideas of war and isolation in ‘Disabled’.
Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's ‘Disabled’
I can analyse how Owen presents ideas of war and isolation in ‘Disabled’.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- We might see the language of “ghastly” and “grey” as suggesting that the soldier is now devoid of life.
- We could see Owen’s choice to end with questions as signifying Owen’s questioning of war in general.
- Owen arguably juxtaposes the soldier’s pre-war vitality and the post-war isolation and emptiness.
- Potentially, we might see the caesuras within the poem as emphasising how the soldier is now cut off.
- We might see the flippant language as suggesting that the war was all for nothing.
Keywords
Juxtaposition - the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect
Vitality - the state of being strong and active; energy
Ghastly - resembling a ghost, especially in being very pale
Flippant - not showing a serious or respectful attitude
Caesura - a pause that occurs within a line of poetry, usually marked by some form of punctuation
Common misconception
The way a poet uses punctuation in a poem is not useful to analyse.
Creating pauses within poetic lines using punctuation, such as caesuras, can create ideas of separation or disjointedness.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's ‘Disabled’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's ‘Disabled’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Poetry anthology (Assessment from summer 2027) unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the Eduqas 2025 Anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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