Exposure analysis

Question 1

“Our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knife us…”

Answer 1

• ‘Ache’ is a physical / sensual word which implies that the mental suffering is more prominent than the physical suffering, as the mental disintegration continues to stress their lack of understanding the purpose of war
• Harsh consonants creates a cutting tone to mimic the sound of biting wind further indicating the harshness of weather
• Ellipses foreshadows the doom

Question 2

“Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence. Less deadly than air.”

Answer 2

• Sibilance imitates the hiss of the bullets but also the bitter weather, directed to those responsible for war
• Comparison of weather being worse than being shot highlights the devastating suffering in the trenches, as many suffered from hypothermia and trench foot

Question 3

“The burying party, picks and shovels in their shaking grasp, pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice”

Answer 3

• Long drawn out sentences slows the pace down highlighting the futility of war
• ‘Half known’ soldiers have no legacy, highlights the pointlessness of their death and how they aren’t seen as noble
• Tactile imagery of ‘ice’ suggests how we can feel the physical sensations the soldiers endure, eyes can also been seen as the window to the soul which could suggest the bitter feelings of resent directed to those responsible for war