Describe symbolism in Regeneration by Pat Barker

In Part II, Chapter 11, Owen has written a rather long poem about Hercules and Antaeus. He wrote the poem because it is symbolic of Dr. Brock's view of the patients at Craiglockhart. Antaeus is too strong for Hercules to defeat, as long as he has contact with Mother Earth. Hercules raises him off of the ground, and Antaeus loses his strength. Brock feels that the men are like Antaeus, in that the war has uprooted them from Earth. In order to heal, the men must regain their connection to Mother Earth and to society.