English Poetry Flashcards
Intro
Both remains and exposure show the psychological damage the war gives any soldier however Armitage focuses on the effects afterwards unlike Owen showing the active IM’s pact of being in the war right there and there
Paragraph 1: remains
Armitage shows a soldier who has returned from war and is struggling to cope with what had happened. He remembers the violent things he had to do to a “looter ” who was “possibly armed” and he is now struggling with the side effects that come with doing such a cruel action. The fact that he remembers this experience so vividly suggests that he feels a tremendous amount of quilt and regret, as this memory is haunting him. The repetition of the word ‘possibly’ emphasises the doubt as certainty has been taken away.Armitage could have done this to suggest that these experiences have become some sort of blood stained memory just like the effects of ptsd something many soldiers would have struggled with effect being involved with such tragic events. This would make a reader feel sympathetic for the soldier as not only did they have to experience the war, they would have also had to deal with the effects afterwards
Paragraph 2: exposure
Owen also talks about the psychological effects of the war as the soldiers “brains ache” as they are filled with “poignant misery”. This suggests the the soldiers are going through constant mental torture,draining them mentally. This is quite similar to Armitage, however Owen could have done this to show that soldiers had lost all hope and possibly starting to turn against the idyllic views that people normally had on the war. The word “poignant” such further suggest that the pain is strong and never ending just like the mental conflict mentioned in remains. Owen may have done this to show that there is more to war then just fighting the opposite side and to shed light on what it’s truly like. The could shock a reader as they might of never thought about how truly damaging the war can be
Paragraph 3: exposure difference
Although exposure is very similar to remains, Owen decided to also focus on the physical battle that the soldiers had to face as they are “mercilessly” attacked by “winds” that “knife them”. This suggests that the soldiers have more than one enemy and they are struggling to hang on. the word “merciless” further suggests the weather as a personal attack as its violent and brutal, this could possibly relate to the constant fight for survival that they had to endure in the war. This is quite a different approach to Armitage Who only briefly touched on the physical impacts the soldier had to go through. Owen and may have done this to remind the reader that soldiers had many enemies not only the ones they are fighting this this would make a reader question the true extent of what the soldiers had to go through as there are so many factors that could’ve influenced their trauma.
Paragraph 4: remains
Armitage gives the reader a detailed insight into the true extent of the mental conflict that The soldiers are left with after the war whereas Owen focuses on the instant impact that these traumatic events leave the soldiers with both poets take a very good approach to the topics and talk about in a very detailed way I am leaving the reader questioning what they originally thought about the war however it is obvious that Armitage shows the mental conflict better as he takes it into a more personal approach unlike Owen who talks about a more wide range of experience which many soldiers faced. Is structurally Owen presented exposure very well as it was pace harshly like they would feel in the war
