Exposure

Question 1

“Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…”

Answer 1

• Peronifcation of the weather - described as “merciless” and attacking them (“knife out”) - unexpected as the soilders should be fighting the enemy not the weather

Question 2

“But nothing happens”

Answer 2

Ephasises the agony of waiting and that war is not all just about the actionx

Question 3

“forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed”

Answer 3

• “stare” signisfies soilders vacant and disoreirneted gaze
• “forgetten” emotional numbness

Question 4

“we turn back to our dying”

Answer 4

• “turn” shows acceptance of death
• “our dying” personilised the experimce
• whole line encapsulates theme of hopelessness

Question 5

“sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence”

Answer 5

• Harsh assonance and consonance of s and t sounds link weather with gunfire and therefore conflict and pain

Question 6

What is the context of Exposure?

Answer 6

• Wilfred owen was a soilder and officer and saw all the horros of the frontline
• War was often critised, huge loss for a small gain
• Owen was angry at this system and showed the true conditons of war

Question 7

What are the themes of Exposure?

Answer 7

• The poem itself is about the weather and conditiosn of living in the treches rathe rthan fighting
• Conflict between man and nature
• man has created weapons to destroy nature yet nature can still do more harm

Question 8

What is the structure of Exposure?

Answer 8

• the large amounts of caesura, ellipises and repetition create an ongoing sense of boredom
• use of para-rhyme gives the unsettling effect of the weather