Mental Cases
“Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander,
Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter.”
Second stanza line 4 and 5
The speaker in the poem is the poet. The mental cases poem depicts the trauma as the subject and physical symptoms of psychological torture. The poem tries to tell the reader, the psychological trauma, and shocking moments that the soldiers who participated in the third war underwent. There is an emotional and mental breakdown for those who got the chance to go back to their families where the war resulted in psychological wounds. Wilfred Owen, as a soldier-poet, expresses her emotional aspects of the war encounters through a language limited by insensitive ideologies. The poet knows the veterans and seems to be their friend
The poet uses biblical allusion, where there are words from the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. He, for instance, talks of breakdown and perpetual hell. Such indicates a lot of suffering. Words choosing are frightening and decisively disgusting. He does not spare the reader the kind of physical signs the shell-shocked men portray (Owen, 1965). There is the creation of a vision of the condition of men akin to the medieval portrayals of hell in doom images. Such is evident when he talks of the men’s tormenting. Through the mentioning of purgatory, one understands the kind of suffering experienced for sins not committed. Alliteration is also present in the poem to make the emphasis of the scourging.” Lungs that had loved laughter” L14 (Owen, 1965).There is a pitying tone in the poem where the poet pities the men since they can do nothing about their situation. Such continues to show the intensity of war. Through the depiction of terrifying situations and helpless men, we are left to feel pity for them.