Exposure Flashcards
Who wrote exposure and when was it written
Wilfred Owen , 1917
Summary of exposure
Nature is personified as the enemy rather than the actual opposition and it shows the trauma and possibly later psychological effects of war
Key themes of exposure
-the futility of war
-suffering
-power of nature
-reality of conflict
Context of exposure
-Poem was written whilst Owen was fighting in trenches which creates authentic first person narrative, during world war 1
-War was romanticised to the point it had gained mythical status, all poems at the time focused on the honour of fighting so he exposed the horrific reality of war, this contradicted the scenes portrayed in the British press
- after war there was a spiritual crisis experienced by many soldiers as they tried to reconcile their face in god after the atrocities of war
Form and structure of exposure
-Owen frequently breaks the rhythm with extra syllables mimicking the disorientation of the soldiers and lack of stability, as a result the poem feels fragmented and unsettling much like the mental state of the soldiers
-cyclical structure which portrays the fact that nothing has happened in that time, there is an unending cycle of suffering,
-The poem is written in eight stanzas, each containing five lines. This fixed structure reflects the repetitive, monotony, unchanging nature of war, where soldiers endure the same suffering day after day. The rigid form of the poem symbolizes the soldiers’ entrapment—both physically in the trenches and emotionally in their fear and despair.
Key quotes of exposure
‘Merciless iced east winds that knife is ‘
‘We cringe in holes’
‘We turn back to our dying’
‘But nothing happens ‘
Analyse quote ‘we turn back to out dying’
-This idea of turning back to something that is unavoidable and inescapable evokes a sense of inevitability. The soldiers cannot escape their circumstances, and despite their best efforts, they are drawn back to the very source of their suffering: death. This reinforces the sense of hopelessness in the poem, as it becomes clear that the soldiers are trapped in a cycle of waiting for death, unable to move forward or escape the harsh realities of war.
-could be thought their faith is dying as it is difficult to reconcile the theory of a benevolent god with the reality of conflict, after WW1 Christianity falls apart
Analyse quote ‘merciless east winds knive us ‘
-The word “merciless” personifies the wind, suggesting that nature itself is cruel and indifferent to the soldiers’ plight. By describing the wind as merciless, Owen implies that it does not discriminate; it does not care about the soldiers’ struggles or their fate. The wind, an inescapable natural force, is depicted as an adversary that actively harms the men, rather than simply existing as an environmental factor. This choice of word conveys the hopelessness and powerlessness the soldiers feel, as they are unable to fight back against the wind.
-The cold becomes another weapon in the soldiers’ suffering, one that is as damaging as any bullet or bayonet. Owen’s decision to describe the winds as “iced” emphasizes not just the physical discomfort of cold, but the paralyzing, numbing effect that it has on the soldiers. The cold is not just uncomfortable but debilitating; it numbs the body, making it more difficult to think or move.
-Owen’s choice of imagery here highlights the dehumanizing effect of war. The soldiers are reduced to passive victims of a brutal and indifferent environment. Their suffering is not only inflicted by the enemy but also by the inhospitable landscape. The wind, like the cold, is an external force that the soldiers cannot control or fight against. They are left to endure it as one more dehumanizing trial they must face. It adds to the sense of futility and the psychological weariness experienced by the soldiers, as they are forced to exist in a world that offers no hope or comfort, where even the natural world seems to conspire against them.
Analyse quote ‘but nothing happens ‘
-Repeated at the end of almost every stanza, it creates a rhythmic monotony, mimicking the dull, endless nature of the soldiers’ ordeal. The repetition also emphasizes the lack of progress or resolution, both in the external situation (the war) and in the soldiers’ internal emotional states. This lack of forward movement in the narrative mirrors the soldiers’ physical and mental paralysis, as they are trapped in an environment where nothing changes, and their suffering continues without end.
-symbolizes the futility and pointlessness of the soldiers’ situation. The men are caught in a world where events seem to have no meaning, and their suffering is not alleviated by any sense of purpose. This reflects a deeper existential crisis. In the context of World War I, Owen is capturing the soldiers’ realization that they are trapped in a war without sense or justice, where the glory and honor that might have motivated them initially are absent
Analyse quote ‘we cringe in holes ‘
-It is a reaction that betrays their weakness, a stark contrast to the idealized notions of soldiers as brave, noble figures. In Owen’s portrayal, the soldiers are not empowered warriors; instead, they are frightened and vulnerable, driven to cower in the trenches, desperate for any form of protection.
-By describing the soldiers as “cringing,” Owen exposes how war reduces them to vulnerable animals or prey seeking refuge from something far beyond their control. War, in Owen’s eyes, is not about honor or glory; it is about survival, and even that is not guaranteed.
-remind the readers that the soldiers are just ordinary men and we are made to think how we would behave in the same circumstances would we be noble or terrified
