Page 1: Structure and Initial Stanzas

The opening page introduces the poem's core elements through careful analysis of its first several stanzas. The structure employs first-person narrative to create unity and immersion in the soldiers' experience.

Quote: "Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us..."

Highlight: The ABBAC rhyme scheme mirrors the repetitive nature of trench warfare, with the final C line creating an anti-climactic effect.

Example: Personification appears in lines like "Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army," showing how natural forces become militarized.

Vocabulary: Sibilance - the repetition of 's' sounds, used to create tension and imitate wind sounds.

The page demonstrates how Wilfred Owen uses weather as a primary antagonist, with bullets described as "Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow."