Exposure Flashcards
Where is it set?
In the fortified trenches in WW1
When was it written?
1918
Who wrote Exposure?
Wilfred Owen
What is the poets main enemy throughout the poem?
The weather - with icy winds and snow attacking them from every angle
What do the soldiers think of in the poem?
They think of home, and how they believe they’re sacrificing themselves so their families remain safe at home
What form is the poem set?
Set ABBAC rhyme scheme, though some lines end in half-rhymes and para-rhymes
What tense is the poem written in?
Present, which adds to the immediacy
How does the tense structure move?
From present to future
What is the action throughout the poem like?
Cyclical - it ends the same as it starts
What is the quote starting with, “Merci…”?
“Merciless iced east winds that knive us”
What is the quote starting with, “But…”?
“But nothing happens”
What is the quote starting with, “Dull ru…”?
“Dull rumour of some other war”
What is the quote starting with, “Dawn mass…”?
“Dawn massing in the east”
What is the quote starting with, “Air that…”?
“Air that shudders black with snow”
What is the quote starting with, “Sudden…”?
“Sudden successive flights of bullets”
What is the quote starting with, “Slowly our…”?
“Slowly our ghosts drag home”
What is the quote starting with, “For love”?
“For love of God seems dying”
What is the quote starting with, “Half kno…”?
“Half known faces. All their eyes are ice”
What 4 poems can you compare Exposure to?
Bayonet Charge
Storm on the Island
Light Brigade
London
How does Owen create a sense of confusion amongst the soldiers?
By using non sequitur (reply that doesn’t follow logically from the previous statement)
Give 2 examples of a non sequitur in Exposure
The soldiers cannot sleep as it’s too quiet
The air is black with snow
How do the men feel in the poem?
Hopeless, like God has forsaken them
What are personified in Exposure?
Nature and the enemy
