Exposure Flashcards
1
Q
Context (2)
A
- Wilfred Owen was a solider and officer in World War 1
- Owen’s poems were often angry that the soldiers were in muddy dangerous conditions while the generals behind the lines were in comfort
2
Q
Themes (3)
A
- Poem is based on war
- Poem is about the weather and conditions of living in the trenches
- Poem focuses on the conflict between man and nature
3
Q
Structure (4)
A
- Poem uses large amounts of ellipses, caesuras and repetition to create an on-going sense of waiting and boredom
- Eight stanzas with a consistent use of half line to end - reinforcing the sense of nothing happening
- Use of para-rhyme - creates the sense of unsettledness in the poem the soldiers are feeling
- Huge amounts of Onomatopoeia and alliteration emphasises the atmosphere and sounds of the weather
4
Q
Key quotes (5)
A
- “The merciless iced east winds that knive us”
- “But nothing happens”
- “Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey”
- “For the love of God seems dying”
- “All their eyes are ice”
5
Q
Analyse “The merciless iced east winds that knive us”
A
Personification of the weather described as ‘merciless’ and attacking them ‘knife us’ this is unexpected as we expect the fight to be between soldiers
6
Q
Analyse “But nothing happens”
A
Repeated through out the poem - emphasises the idea of a never ending process and soldiers are helpless
7
Q
Analyse “Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey” (2)
A
- Personification of the rain ‘attacks once more’
* The use of a metaphor seems as if it is an enemy
8
Q
Analyse “For the love of God seems dying” (2)
A
- Use of religious imagery
* shows the emotional state of soldiers as they believe there situation is so bad God won’t come and help them
9
Q
Analyse “All their eyes are ice” (tone quote) (2)
A
- Metaphor - “ice” as in cold and dead but also dead and empty without soul
- Very blunt tone
