Exposure-Wilfred Owen Flashcards
“Our brains ache,in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”
Method:personification
Analysis:the plural pronoun “our” establishes the collective suffering of the soldiers,uniting them in their shared agony
Personification:”merciless iced east winds” highlights nature as an enemy more deadly than the opposing soldiers,with “east winds” representing both the cold weather and the harsh,unrelenting conditions of the battlefield
Owen contrasts the soldiers internal pain (“brains ache” with the external attack of the wind,showing how nature ,rather than the enemy is the true antagonist
“But nothing happens”
Analysis:this refrain is repeated throughout the poem,reflecting the stagnation and futility of the soldiers.The simplicity of the sentence creates
a sense of anti-climax
The repetition of it throughout the poem conveys the psychological trauma they have to endure as they all have to be on the edge of their seats in order something happnes
“Forgotten dreams,and stare,snow-dazed”
Analysis:the phrase “forgotten dreams” reflects the loss of hope and the psychological impact
Their “dreams” of home and a better future have been “forgotten” amidst the endless war
“Snow dazed” suggests both physical numbness and mental disorientation and the trauma of war
