Exposure Flashcards
Themes
Reality of war
suffering
Home Front
“Our brain’s ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”
wind is personified as an assassin. Possessive pronoun “our” stresses the commonality of the experiences of suffering
“But nothing happens”
Repeated refrain highlights the unbearable reality of waiting for the unknown.
“Mad gusts tugging on the wire like twitching agonise of men among its brambles”
In this powerful simile, the wind is personified as a wounded and dying man. This stresses the grim reality of war.
“Less deathly then the air that shudders black with snow”
Suggests that the weather is actively seeking to harm the men, almost as if the weather is the enemy
“Snow-dazed” “Sun-dosed”
Compound adjective suggests that all dreams that life on the Front would be a huge adventure for the soldiers are forgotten.
“Slowly, are ghosts drag home”
Metaphor suggest that the soldiers are only half a alive. Adverb “Slowly” suggests the men are exhausted.
“For God’s invincible spring spring out love is made afraid”
the inverted syntax suggests irreversible damage caused by the suffering. Also a sense of loosing faith in God.
“All their eyes are ice”
Highly ambitious as it could suggest that the men have died from their suffering, or perhaps Owen could be hinting at the death of hope and humanity.
Structure
irregular meter and para-rhyme reflects the monotonous but terrifyingly dangerous lives of the soldiers.
