Exposure Analysis
Wilfred Owen's "Exposure" is a powerful poem depicting the suffering of soldiers in harsh winter conditions during World War I. It explores themes of war's futility, nature's indifference, and human vulnerability.
Context: Wilfred Owen 1893−1918 was a British poet and soldier who wrote about the horrors of World War I.
The poem opens with a vivid description of the soldiers' physical and mental anguish in the freezing trenches.
Quote: "Our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knive us..."
Owen uses extensive sensory imagery and sound devices to convey the soldiers' experiences. Sibilance creates a hissing effect representing the wind and the soldiers' nervousness.
Example: "Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence"
The repetition of "But nothing happens" throughout the poem emphasizes the soldiers' frustration and the war's seeming pointlessness.
Structure: The use of ellipses at the end of some lines suggests unfinished thoughts or trailing off, mirroring the soldiers' exhaustion.
Owen employs personification to bring the harsh environment to life:
Quote: "Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army / Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey"
The poem concludes with a poignant question, highlighting the soldiers' dire situation:
Quote: "Is it that we are dying?"
This final line underscores the poem's themes of mortality, suffering, and the blurred line between life and death in war.
