Exposure Flashcards
Who is the poet?
Wilfred Owen
Key facts about Owen
-died on 4th November, just before the Armistice
-influential and revolutionary war poet
-exposed the reality of war opposed the glorified propaganda
-had the opportunity to leave the western front when he was admitted to Craig Lockhart hospital for shell shock, but returned because he wouldn’t leave those ‘boys’ to fight alone without string leadership
-short career in church but felt it failed to help
Why is it important that Owen was an actual soldier on the Western Front?
Authenticity + voracity
Who inspired Owen?
John Keats and Siegfried Sassoon
What is the significance of John Keats?
-The opening of the poem “our brains ache” mirrors the opening of Keats ‘An ode to a Nightingale’ . Which begins “My hearts aches”
- As a romantic, Keats heart aches for the joy and beauty of nature which he shares with songbirds
-romantics use nature to explore human emotion
- by using nature, is Owen exploring the inherent capacity for evil
-if truth is beauty, is the purpose of poetry to write what is experienced no matter how bad it is?
What is the poets purpose?
-to expose the ‘old lie’ and reveal the truth of war
-To explore the psychological torment of war
-To show that more died of the bad weather and disease. The brutal natural world without mercy
How does Owen use the motif of time to reflect boredom?
Use of ellipsis and caesuras to slow the pace
Creates a static tone
The seasons change
“Snow dazed”
“Sun-dozed”
“blossoms”
“Blackbird fusses”
Blend of night and
day “dawn massing “ showing that they are forever in a state of constant anticipation, never resting
implication that the soldiers are forgotten as time passes back home
“On us the doors are closed”
“But nothing happens”
“Our name aches in the merciless east winds that knife us”
“Like twisting agonies”
“Wearied we keep awake”
“Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous”
“Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence”
“Slowly our ghosts draw us home; glimpsing sunk fires”
“Dull rumour of some other war”
