Comparative Analysis of Poetry: ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen Versus ‘Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ by Tony Harrison

Both poems ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ by Tony Harrison show suffering in gruesome and vivid ways. Owen’s poem portrays the suffering of an individual solider who has fought in the war and is now suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); on the other hand, Harrison tells us about the whole population of civilians and how they are suffering during the war. Both poets use a wide range of devices to portray the suffering of the innocent at war.

In the poem ‘Disabled’, Owen shows us how one individual solider returns from war with half of his limbs missing and he was treated as if he has some “queer disease”; no one understands or appreciates the enormous sacrifice the solider has made for his country: “Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer goals”, this metaphor represents that footballers get much more praise for winning a match, than someone who has just fought for their country. The solider didn’t return as a ‘hero’ as he wanted but he became isolated from the rest of the world; “why didn’t they come?”. The solider has lost his youth and his life; “Now he is old”, he won’t live the same life as he knew; “Now he will never feel how small girl’s waist are”. The continuous references to “dark” and “bed” could serve as metaphors for death, being that his life has no meaning the only option is to die – the solider is waiting for death as his life is now over and can’t do anything about it. Therefore the suffering of the solider is intensified by high incapability to wheel himself in doors; he is sat in the darkness outside waiting for the nurses to take him to bed, his suffering is captured by the metaphor “shivered in his ghastly suit of grey”, ‘ghastly’ could be a reference for a ghost as he is reduced to nothing as he is invisible to the others, the word ‘suit’ is fairly ironic as the solider will never be able to wear a suit or need to wear one; ‘grey’ connotes images of death and suffering – he is invisible to others around him; he is part of the shadows.

In Disabled, Wilfred Owen shows the tragic things that have affected a man which was a solider in the war. Owen clearly shows the becoming of a solider doesn’t give you a sign of neither dignity or fame or increase in popularity. The figurative language ‘waiting for the dark’ states that the man is so depressed and full of agony that he is simply waiting for his death. It paints a picture to the reader that the man doesn’t look forward for anything but just longs for his days to end, “women’s eyes passed from him to the strong men that were whole”, the effect of this helps us to see that he doesn’t have anyone to come home to, nothing to look forward to at the end of the day, no one there for him except the nurses but thats it, no-one to love or care for him.

By the quote, “smiling they wrote his lie”; Wilfred is highlighting the fact that becoming a solider is impulsive, enough so to lie about your age to impress girls. He knew that joining the war would be dangerous, shocking, but he soon realised that it was nothing but a wasteful experience which doesn’t help you in anything else than getting badly injured.

Wilfred Owen shows that certainly, his life has ended – in a mental way; also this man is now suffering with pain, misery, and a sense of torture. In addition, this phrase also underlines that Wilfred Owen was trying to reveal to the audience that war was nothing but negative, and you gain nothing in a heroic sense. Further on, there are a few more examples in which Wilfred Owen shows the audience his opinion about war.

For instance, the metaphor, ‘threw away his knees’ suggest that Wilfred Owen is saying that the man’s knees are no longer available for use, not working, just “metaphorically” dead. Also by writing this figurative language, Wilfred Owen is trying to persuade the audience, how once again, linking to the previous quote going to war doesn’t do anything, then forces you to give your life and waste it. Moreover, by specifying ‘threw away’ his knees he is saying that it’s truly no doubt that the man lost the sense in his knees an now suffering deep pain.

In addition, the quote ‘now he will never feel again’ he has lost his senses of everything, everything that he used to have is gone, now he is permanently disabled and numb, void of emotion. Another example that helps Owen draw out what Wilfred Owen is trying to point out – the horrific things of war, is the quote ‘now he is old’ (and this quote was written after the sentence) ‘ he was younger than his youth last year’ so by adding the quote ‘now he is old’ makes us the reader wonder, did war really ruin him that much? Did he really get so old in a year? Additionally, there is another couple of quotes and phrases which Wilfred Owen wrote that were meant to highlight his purpose towards the audience, such as ‘half his life time lapsed in a hot race’ this metaphor is underling that the man wasted half his life in war. Although technically half his lifetime hasn’t failed in a hot race, this is how Wilfred Owen makes the reader envision, what Wilfred wants to come off.

Besides this another metaphorical sentence/phrase added is ‘and leap of purple spurted from his thigh’ Wilfred Owen is drawing out the fact that sudden blood, dripped out of his thigh, however by adding the metaphorical words ‘leap and spurted’ he is trying to create a brief image on the amount of blood, and the speed of the blood coming out his thigh. Lastly, Wilfred Owen is trying to show how bad the war is, and how much the man agrees that it was totally a waste, is the quote ‘he wonders why’.

This deeper meaning quote “now, he’ll spend a few sick years in institutes”, Wilfred Owen shows the reader that the man is full of regret, bitterness, and anguish of going the war, that there was no heroism, or glory to be had. Wilfred shows the outcome of war, through a man which is disabled from war. He explains all the emotions of a solider in war just through the quote ‘he wonders why’ Wilfred Owen also wrote this to point out, there is nothing in the ‘man’s mind’ that helps show the positives of war. They were all negative. Nothing good for him at all.

In the poem ‘Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ by Tony Harrison, it is full of juxtapositions of light and dark, war and peace, hatred and love, and ultimately of death and love. During the night its not for war but for peace and relaxation – “the young go walking at a strollers pace” this suggests that relaxation is needed after a day of “dodging snipers”. Although the night is used for relaxation the “clouds have cleared away” leaving the “star-filled sky” which allows a clear bombing to take place and replace the destruction of the sniper from the air.

Harrison symbolises the “dark boy-shape” and “dark girl-shape”, this is symbolic as the dark symbolises the lack of hope and a future, death, and avoiding the distinction of religion, “as Muslim, Serb or Croat”. The lack of names allows Harrison to retain the idea of anonymity and shrouds the individuals in safety. Harrison’s reference to the “candlelit café” seems to suggest a romantic setting but the irony is to protect the towns people from the air raiders ( night bombers), preventing them from seeing the lights of the town and shooting down on them, the night provides veil and an opportunity for the towns people to enjoy a few hours of peace and some normality. The towns people are given a “curfew”, usually a curfew is related to your youth or teens, from your parents; but this is suggested to everyone, to ensure their safety from the night time bombers.

However, at the beginning of the poem, Harrison talks about the hardship suffered by the town – “queuing with empty canisters” using prams as shopping trolleys for “meagre grams” of the rationed bread. The use of prams is ironic, used for survival, instead of joy and celebrating a new life, but the rationed bread is as precious as a baby would be and essential to their survival. Their daily rationing is littered with danger each day, ” they had to dodge snippers, “dodging snipers”; was a tough way of living, Harrison also states that “Serb mortars massacred the bread shop queue”, they could therefore chose to either stay in and go hungry and avoid being shot or massacred, or face the daily danger which surrounds them “ blood dunked crusts of shredded bread lay on the pavement”. Harrison, also describes how the towns folk are forced to carry up “eleven flights of stairs” with water. Life in Sarajevo is far from simple or normal.

Despite the bleakness and despair of life in Sarajevo, Harrison shows that love is still sought and men still taking the protective role of his companion, , “to take her by the and leave her away”, sharing of one coffee”, “holds her hand behind AID flour Sacks” and “check in her eyes”. that romance has not left the streets of the town, that there is always a glimmer of some hope, the young are hopeful and relations in the dark can be found “they don’t collide except as flirtatious ploys when a girls dark shape is fancied by a boy”, Harrison even describes that in those dark doomed days, tenderness exists but to emphasis the bleak days of war describes that romance in a military fashion “ the tender radar of the tone of voice”

Harrison, writes his poem in the first person suggesting that he is an observer to the events of the town of Sarajevo, his juxtapositions illustrates the contrast of death and hope, his use of imagery shows the horrific suffering of the war “ “their feet in holes made by the mortar that caused the massacre”, the hope that still exists despite the death and suffering “ to take her by the hand”, his flowery and military poetic language when referring to the constellation of Pleiades, “fragments of the splintered” like mortar holes, and his reference to “death-deep, death-dark wells” suggest the depth of death.

To conclude, then poem is undoubtedly realign the ‘two nations’ effect and forewarns future soldiers of the futility of war and the everlasting effects that it will have. The persona criticises society for pressuring him to go while rejecting him later when he comes back ‘disabled’. This is conveyed through Owens poignant use of structure, characterisation, setting, contacts, and diction. The poem succeeds in conveying in writing about the ‘Bright Lights of Sarajevo’, poet Tony Harrison ironically references dark environment of city under siege. Still, he suggests, there may be more than a glimmer of hope for Sarajevo, as its young people find romantic connections that may be more than pleasure distractions from the hardships of war. These messages to the reader in such a way that they feel obliged to respond and accept it as truthful. In opinion, ‘Disabled’ can be regarded as the epitome of anti-war poetry.

Commentary

Tony Harrison, the author of Bight lights of Sarajevo gives the reader an inside view of what life was like in a war torn city. The clashes between different communities residing in that city. The hardships suffered, the “rationing”, “curfews”, “ Aid sacks”, “ blood soaked and mortar filled holes”.

Harrison’s poem uses powerful imagery throughout to show the despair and dangers of the city, but at the same time is able to shed a glimmer of hope, that despite the bleakness and destruction of war, love and hope survives.

Harrison’s imagery is clearly seen when describing the lack of food in the city “precious meagre grams”, confirming that the bread is rationed and highlighting that the precious cargo by is carried in prams, creating an image in the readers mind that such is the lack of food that it is as important and to be protected as if it was a baby.

Harrison also explains to the reader the severity of the situation in the town, the risks faced by people in obtaining basic food stuffs, standing in the breadlines, t“dodging snipers” and the choices to be made by the people, do they stay indoors where is it safe and starve or do they risk of injury or death,“ blood dunked crusts of shredded bread lay on the pavement” as they queue for meagre rations.

Harrison describes the people as “dark shapes”, which creates an image to the reader, of the dark and bleak days which stretch before them in war, but equally contrasts those dark shapes with the bright skies, suggesting that there is hope. Reference to the “dark shapes” also represents the different fractions/ sects, “as Muslim, Serb or Croat”

Similarly, Harrison also introduces hope with the romantic suggestion of a boy meeting a girl, taking her by the hand, taking romantic strolls through the streets, “strollers stride” , sharing ( romantic ) one cup of coffee ( the rationing of food), creating a further imagery of hope despite the despair of war.

Harrison’s lack of full stops, suggests that there is no end to the suffering and that there is no end to war. Equally, he also uses rhyming and juxtapositions to magnify his intentions of creating that blackness of war and the romantic suggestions of forbidden love, therefore comparing the bleakness of war against hope, and reassures the reader that despite war there is always some hope, even if it is just in the bright skies.