Poetry - Exposure by Wilfred Owen Flashcards
Give context for ‘Exposure’
- The poem was writing in 1917 whilst Owen was fighting in the trenches which creates an authentic 1st person narrative as it was writing by an actual solider in conflict
- In contemporary Britain, war was romanticised so much that it gained mythical status, which was reflected in most other war poetry at the time that focused on the honour of fighting
Describe the rhythm in ‘Exposure’
- The poem is made up of five-line stanzas. This mirrors the repetitive and never-ending nature of war and the ongoing boredom and misery of the soldiers
- The ABBC rhyme is repeated, reflecting the monotony of war. But the last line of each stanzas creates an unsettling feel, mirroring how to destabilised and on edge the soldiers feel waiting for the enemy to attack
Finish the quote: ‘Our brains ache…’ and describe it
- ” Our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”
- Personification of the weather to seem menacing, deadly and the real enemy to the soldiers
- The sibilance highlights the intensity of the pain and the brutality of the weather
Finish the quote: ‘ Less deadly than…’
- “Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow”
- Nature is presented as more damaging and deadly than the bullets
Finish the quote: ‘ Pale flakes with…’ and describe it
- “Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces”
- The consonance (repetition of consonant sounds) reflects the ferocity of the weather
Finish the quote: ‘Dawn amassing in the…’ and describe it
- “Dawn amassing in the East her melancholy army Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey.”
- Contradiction: Dawn is usually associated with ideas of light and hope, is here hostile and brings even more suffering
- Colour imagery: “grey” conveys ideas of despair and boredom”
- Military vocabulary: “ranks” is a military and is repeated, reminding the reader that the weather is the soldiers’ enemy
How is repetition used in ‘Exposure’?
- Repetition of “but nothing happens” throughout the poem gives the readers a sense of the boredom caused by waiting
- Hints at the pointlessness of war
How are rhetorical questions used in ‘Exposure’?
- Suggests the pointlessness of war
- Make the reader question why we allow soldiers to be exposed to such suffering
- “What are we doing here?”
- “Is it that we are dying?!
Finish the quote: ‘Slowly, our ghosts…’ and describe it
- “Slowly, our ghosts drag home”
- This metaphor suggests that war has sucked all the life out of the soldiers
- Reminds readers that they are on the brink of death
Finish the quote: ‘All their eyes..’ and describe it
- “All their eyes are ice”
- This metaphor describes the extreme effects of the weather
- It implies the soldiers have lost their humanity and are close to breaking point
What can you compare ‘Exposure’ with to the theme of power of nature vs power of man?
- Storm on the Island
- The Prelude
- Tissue
What can you compare ‘Exposure’ with the theme of effects/reality of conflict?
- War Photographer
- Poppies
- Kamikaze
- Bayonet Charge
- Remains
Give similarities between ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Exposure’
- Nature is presented to be an inescapable force
- The overwhelming influence of nature makes the speaker realise their own insignificance
Give differences ‘Exposure’ and ‘The Prelude’
- Prelude gives nature power su to its great expanse, but in Exposure, nature’s power comes from it’s sheer aggression
Give similarities between ‘Exposure’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’
- Both depict soldiers who have reached the battlefield and realised that it is largely different of what they have been
- The psychological element of fighting is also addressed
