Owen’s “Mental Cases”

1. Owen’s “MentalCases” Michelle Dow Marcia Kishida IB English SL (days 2/4) Ms. Zeiler

2. Wilfred Owen • British soldier in WWI • suffered from “shell shock” (post traumatic stress disorder) • Craiglockhart War Hospital • Wrote poetry as a way to heal

4. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata of 1801 Solemn, slow pace, creates image of someone wondering around and lost his mind Gradually build up the painful atmosphere happier melodies, but only for short period - contrast feeling that emphasize sadness. Audience  sad, painful Taken by Official War Photographer at an Australian Advanced Dressing Station near Ypres in 1917 “thousand-yard” stare which Owen describes in imagery Disturbing tone, atmosphere Song and Picture

5. Definitions • (l. 2) Purgatorial: removing or purging sin • (l.13) Sloughs: muddy, swampy area • (l.18) Rucked: to make a fold in; crease • (l. 26) Knouts: used for flogging • (l. 26) Scourging: whip or lash, esp. for the infliction of punishment

6. Title: Mental Cases • Medical cases in which the damage is in the mind • Madness

7. Focus Statement Owen conveys the theme of the mental toll on soldiers from the horrors of war, lasts forever leading to a state of madness, and also the guilt of those who look on by using: • figurative language, including implied metaphors and similes which also creates imagery • a guilty tone created by diction, sound devices, and voice • Syntax, such as grammatical errors, questions and hyphens to emphasize key lines.

8. Figurative Language: • Implied Metaphors • Similes • Imagery

9. Implied Metaphors • (l. 2) “Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows,” • (l.6) “…Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets?” • (l.13-14) “Wading sloughs of flesh…Treading blood from lungs…”

10. Similes • (l.4) “Baring teeth that leer like skulls’ tongues wicked?” • (l. 22) “Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh”

11. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tonguesfromjaws that slob their relish, Baring teeththat leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from theirhairand through theirhandpalms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memoryfingersin theirhairof murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of fleshthese helpless wander, Treadingblood from lungsthat had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballsshrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their headswear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their handsare plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. scattered throughout poem, like dismembered limbs gory/graphic => realities the soldiers faced disturbing atmosphere repetition of blood => feeling of being surrounded by blood BodyImagery

12. Light/Dark Imagery • (l. 1) “Why sit they here in twilight” • (l. 2) “… purgatorial shadows,” • (l. 21-22) “Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound…”

13. Tone Diction Sound devices Voice

14. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorialshadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealtthem war and madness. Punishment/penance, show suffering of soldiers and guilt of onlookers Oxymorons, unnatural state of soldiers Diction

15. Who are these?Whysit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth thatleer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These aremenwhoseminds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that hadloved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Backinto their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. AlliterationLink contrasting words togethersmooth => sorrowful tone, not angry

16. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. Assonance smooth => sorrowful tone, not angry

17. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thickfor these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. Consonanceharsher, for more traumatic subjectsDisonance

18. Voice • (l. 27-28) “Snatching after us who smote them, brother, pawing us who dealt them war and madness” • Clear distinction btw. reader & speaker vs. soldiers (us vs. them) • not accusatory, not YOU who has smote them • still uses “these” not “those” to bring soldiers closer

19. Syntax Grammatical Errors Hyphens Questions

20. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? - These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. creates feeling something is wrong makes reader stop and think emphasize lines Grammatical Errors

21. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? — These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. Brings audience in, makes them think when questions are directly posed Questions

22. Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight? Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows, Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish, Baring teeth that leer like skulls' tongues wicked? Stroke on stroke of pain, — but what slow panic, Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets? Ever from their hair and through their hand palms Misery swelters. Surely we have perished Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish? —These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed. Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander, Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter. Always they must see these things and hear them, Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles, Carnage incomparable and human squander Rucked too thick for these men's extrication. Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented Back into their brains, because on their sense Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black; Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh — Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous, Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses. — Thus their hands are plucking at each other; Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging; Snatching after us who smote them, brother, Pawing us who dealt them war and madness. breaks pace => brings attention to following sentence answers questions posed Hyphens

23. Linking to Other Poems • Dissimilar to “Dulce et Decorum Est” • (l. 25-26) “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children…the old Lie…” • No bitter, sarcastic tone • Similar to “Strange Meeting” • (l. 39) “Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.” • Continual mental suffering