Exposure Flashcards
What does the quote “Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us …” show
The soldiers endure both physical and mental strain, symbolised by the chilling winds, reflecting the harsh reality of war.
What does the quote “Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous,” show
This line indicates the conflicting emotions the soldiers experience, who are constantly on edge and watchful as the use of sibilance suggests.
What does the quote “Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire,” show
Nature, represented by the wind, appears hostile, echoing the soldiers’ struggle against external forces beyond the enemy.
What does the quote “The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow…” show
The cyclical misery of war is portrayed through the daily rising of the sun, highlighting the endless suffering and futility of conflict.
What does the quote “Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence. Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow,” show
Even amidst gunfire, nature’s elements, like snow, pose greater danger, reflecting the soldiers’ vulnerability to the environment.
What does the quote Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces-“ show
The snow symbolises an ominous threat, intensifying the soldiers’ fear and sense of impending doom, paralleling their inner struggle.
What does the quote “Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed With crusted dark-red jewels; …” show
The soldiers, described as metaphorical “ghosts” to convey their exhaustion, find solace only in fleeting memories, highlighting their detachment from reality.
What does the quote “Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn;” show
The soldiers lose faith in a hopeful future, resigned to their fate, as the warmth of life seems distant and unattainable amidst the cruelty of war.
What does the quote “Tonight, His frost will fasten on this mud and us,” show
The poem’s despair culminates as nature’s frost seals the soldiers’ fate, symbolising their entrapment and the inevitability of death.
What does the quote “The burying-party, picks and shovels in their shaking grasp, Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,” show
Even in death, the soldiers face cold indifference, with metaphorically frozen eyes reflecting the numbing effect of war’s horrors, reinforcing its futility.
What does the quote “But nothing happens.” Show
The refrain underscores the poem’s central theme of futility, echoing the soldiers’ resigned acceptance of their grim reality and the unchanging nature of war
What is the form of the poem
-Written in present tense
-the collective voices show how the experience was shared by soldiers across the war
-each stanza has a regular rhyme scheme reflecting the monotonous nature of the men’s experience
-the rhymes are jagged like the reality of the men’s experience
-each stanza ends with a half line which mirrors the lack of hope for the men
What is the structure of the poem
The last stanza ends with the same words as the first one, reflecting the monotony of life in the trenches
What is the bleak language of the poem
The poem includes lots of bleak language to remind the reader of the men’s pain and lack of hope
What is the personification of the poem
Nature is repeatedly personified making it seem the real enemy in the war
