KEY- Exposure

Question 1

LANGUAGE

Answer 1

•Personification, “Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army”, dawn personified as military leader organising an army of cold weather. Nature itself is adversary to soldiers. •“Dawn” is used opposite to how it usually positively would be, each new day is continued suffering, worsens, cyclical situation.
•Imagery, “kind fires”, contrasts cold imagery, extreme sacrifice, enduring suffering so loved ones can enjoy security of home.

Question 2

STRUCTURE

Answer 2

•Each stanza begins with blunt powerful sentence “brains ache”, followed by highly emotive language, but then ends with anticlimax.
•Empathise with soldiers, climax is built then descends, emotional strain, exhaustion of soldiers.

Question 3

FORM

Answer 3

•Half rhyme, danger and tension builds but then eventually just descends, not coning.
•Reflects soldiers exhausting anticipation of threats, constant alert, wonder and possibility is excruciating.

Question 4

CONTEXT

Answer 4

•Wilfred Owen was in first world war, as a soldier, writing from experience.
•Firsthand personal monotony of waiting, horrific trench warfare conditions.
•Dangers of hypothermia and frostbite to soldiers, coldest winters of 1917 and 18, relentlessness of nature can be worse than human warfare.
•Challenges romanticised portrayals of war, contrast of propaganda and life on frontlines.