Exposure

Question 1

Who is the writer of Exposure?

Answer 1

Wilfred Owen

Question 2

How does “Exposure” challenge traditional ideas of war?

Answer 2

Instead of glorifying war, the poem challenges the idea of heroism by portraying war as futile and filled with endless waiting and suffering, rather than action and valor.

Question 3

What is the significance of “For love of God seems dying”?

Answer 3

That even in the soldier’s greatest time of need, all-loving God has abandoned them, demonstrating the depth of their despair.

Question 4

How does the line “Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army” portray nature?

Answer 4

This line personifies Dawn as an army, further reinforcing the idea that nature is as much a threat to the soldiers as the opposing forces. Further anchors the theme of the power of nature.

Question 5

What methods does Owen use to emphasize the soldiers’ suffering?

Answer 5

Owen uses personification (e.g., “merciless iced east winds”), alliteration, and repetition to emphasize the soldiers’ suffering and the relentlessness of their environment.