Exposure Flashcards
Context
Written in 1917 before Owen went on to win the Military Cross for bravery, and was then killed in battle in 1918: the poem has authenticity as it is written by an actual soldier
Of his work, Owen said: “My theme is war and the pity of war”
Despite highlighting the tradegy of war and mistakes of senior commanders, he had a deep sense of duty: “not loath, we lie out here” shows that he was not bitter about his suffering
Form and Structure
Contrast of Cold > Warm > Cold imagery coveys Suffering > Delusions > Death of the hypothermic soldier
Repetition of “but nothing happens” creates circular structure implying never ending suffering
Rhyme scheme ABBA and hexameter gives the poem structure and emphasises the monotony
Pararyhmes (half ryhmes) (“nervous / knife us”) only barely hold the poem together, like the men
Language
“Our brains ache” physical (cold) suffering and mental (PTSD or shell shock) suffering
Semantic field of weather: weather is the enemy “the merciless iced east winds that knive us…” / personification (cruel and murderous wind); sibilance (cutting/slicing sound of wind); ellipsis (never ending)
Repetition of pronouns “we” and “our” conveys togetherness and collective suffering of soldiers
“mad gusts tugging on the wire” personification
Content, Meaning and Purpose
Speaker describes war as a battle against the weather and conditions
Imagery of cold and warm reflect the delusional mind of a man dying from hypothermia
Owen wanted to draw attention to the suffering, monotony and futility of war
