Exposure

Question 1

What literary device is employed in the phrase ‘merciless iced east winds that knife us’?

Answer 1

Personification

This phrase personifies the winds, attributing them with a merciless and violent nature.

Question 2

What does the phrase ‘Dawn masking … her melancholy army’ suggest?

Answer 2

Nature’s duality

The phrase conveys how dawn can symbolize both hope and sadness, as it hides the grim realities of war.

Question 3

In the line ‘Pale Flakes with fingering stealth come feeling our faces’, what does ‘pale flakes’ refer to?

Answer 3

Snow

The ‘pale flakes’ are likely snowflakes, portraying a cold and desolate environment.

Question 4

What imagery is created by ‘Shutters and doors ail closed: on us the doors are closed’?

Answer 4

Isolation

This imagery evokes a sense of confinement and separation from the outside world.

Question 5

What does ‘All their eyes are ice / but nothing happens’ imply about the soldiers?

Answer 5

Emotional numbness

The phrase suggests that the soldiers have become emotionally detached or frozen in their experiences.

Question 6

Fill in the blank: ‘Our brains ache, in the _______ iced east winds that knife us.’

Answer 6

merciless

Question 7

True or False: The poem ‘Exposure’ portrays nature as a comforting force.

Answer 7

False

Nature is depicted as harsh and unforgiving, contributing to the soldiers’ suffering.