Exposure Flashcards
Context
Wilfred Owen wrote this poem during WW1. It depicts the horrific conditions of war and Owen wanted to show the reality of war in contrast to the propaganda that was being fed to the British nation at home.
Plot
The poem is about the experience of men living in the trenches. They are waiting for German enemies to attack yet nothing is happening. The true conflict lies between the soldiers and the poor weather conditions. They long to return home but will most likely face a long and painful death in No Mans Land.
Form
Repetition
Refrain -“But nothing happens”
Caesura
Ellipsis
Structure
Eight stanzas
Rhyming- Half and para rhyme, making the reader force the sound
Tone
Pride
Patriotic
Respect
Theme
Power of humans
Power of nature
War
Death
Religion
Education
Key Quote-“Our brains ache in the merciless iced winds that knife us”
Personification is used in this quote to show how harsh the wind is towards those in the trenches. Shows both a mental and physical pain it their heads as their mental and physical health deteriorates in the trenches. Also the use of language shows that the soldiers are truly alone in this hostile environment; even nature is against them. Refers to the soldiers in WW! that suffered immensely from diseases due to the horrible weather conditions.
Key Quote-“The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow…”
Caesura used for tension and Oxymoron used to covey the low morale the soldiers have. Dawn is traditionally supposed to represent a bright symbol of hope however “misery” suggests a dull and grey scene. Also the awful continuation of war seems to be a depressing cycle-“we only know war lasts, rains soak and clouds sag stormy”, an inevitable fact of life that the soldiers deem accurate. Refers to the Winter of 1917 when the weather was responsible for many losses due to weather
Key Quote-“With sidelong flowing flakes that flock, pause and renew”
The alliteration is used to cast a sinister image of these snowflakes as killers, disturbing the otherwise nonviolent image. Owens gives the impression that the soldiers have been lost in a drifting, desolate land where everything its striving and aiming to attack them and see them hurt. Also this air and snow is described as being less deadly than the bullets which depicts nature as the attacking force itself.
Key Quote-“What are we doing here”
Owen shows the confusion of the soldiers as It is no secret that the war was not supposed to last as long as it did. Many soldiers were not fighting for king or country but because they were there. They were all waiting for something to happen yet nothing was happening. Uncertainty shows the reader that the realistic nature of war isn’t worth it
Can compare to…
Remains-Reality of war
The prelude-The power of nature
Kamikaze-Ideas about conflict
