Exposure. Flashcards
How many stanzas are in Exposure?
8
What does repeating the phrase ‘But nothing happens’ emphasise?
The agony of waiting and that war is not all about action
What are the three main themes in Exposure?
War, Weather and Despair.
What are the different interpretations of the line ‘Our brains ache’?
The soldiers are in physical pain.
The soldiers are developing psychological problems.
What are the different interpretations of the line ‘We cringe in holes’?
The poet makes us think the soldiers are like frightened animals.
The poet reminds the reader that the soldiers are just ordinary men.
What does the use of sibilance do in the fourth stanza? (give examples)
Reminds us of the whizzing sound of the bullets.
The sibilance gradually fades away, like the hail of bullets would do.
‘Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.’
What poetic technique can you identify: ‘flickering gunnery rumbles’
onomatopoeia.
What is the structure of this poem?
Blank verse.
‘Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow’ uses the technique…
Personification
What is the purpose of the repetition of the ABBAC rhyme scheme?
To reflect how nothing changes.
What poems could you compare the theme of power of nature vs power of man in Exposure with?
Storm on the Island
The Prelude
Tissue
What poems could you compare the effects/reality of conflict in Exposure with?
War Photographer
Poppies
Kamikaze
Bayonet Charge
Remains
What does the line “but nothing happens” hint at?
The pointlessness of war.
