...Owen continues with the lines, “But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; / Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots / Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind” (6-8). The word “shod” (6) means “wearing footgear.” During WWI, the soles of combat boots were reinforced with hobnails to increase their traction on soft ground. When the battlefield was muddy, soldiers’ boots would literally get stuck in the mud causing boots to slide off their feet. The soldiers’ boots were also poorly fitted causing painful blisters. The word “lame” (6) means “marked by stiffness and soreness.” The lameness experienced by the soldiers bears some semblance of how animals walk when they are injured. Thus, harsh conditions of war pervade soldiers with animal instincts....
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