"Exposure" is a poem by Wilfred Owen that describes the horrors of war and the devastating effects it has on soldiers. The poem is written in first person, with the speaker being a soldier on the front lines of battle.
The poem begins with the speaker describing the harsh winter weather that they are enduring on the front lines. The soldiers are "half-dead" and "frozen to the bone," and they huddle together for warmth as they try to survive the cold. The speaker describes the "deadly chill" of the wind, which seems to symbolize the hopelessness and despair that the soldiers are feeling.
As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the terror and violence of war. They describe the "blood-shod" feet of the soldiers, suggesting that they are constantly walking through the bloodshed of their fallen comrades. The speaker also mentions the "haggard shadows" of the soldiers, which suggests that they are worn down and exhausted from the constant fighting and exposure to danger.
Despite the terrible conditions that the soldiers are facing, the speaker finds moments of hope and beauty in the midst of the chaos. They describe the "red red wound" of the sun setting, which provides a moment of beauty in an otherwise grim and desolate landscape. The speaker also reflects on the "wilderness of shells," which suggests that even in the midst of war, there is a sense of wildness and freedom that can be found in the natural world.
Overall, "Exposure" is a powerful and poignant poem that captures the devastating effects of war on the human psyche. Through vivid imagery and poignant language, Owen is able to convey the horror and desperation of soldiers on the front lines, as well as the moments of hope and beauty that can be found even in the darkest of circumstances.
Exposure by Wilfred Owen
An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. Owen uses a chronological structure in this poem to reflect one whole day of life in the trenches. But my kit never arrived and I had no cover and the battalion had only one blanket per man. Is it that we are dying? They talk about other things. It is no secret that this war was not meant to last as long as it did and that by the time it was in its second year, many soldiers were fighting not for king or for country, but because they were there. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. The only truths that they accept are the absolute realities that they face like the rain that drenches them to their bones, the stormy skies with its dark clouds that reflects their lowered spirits and incessant war that is going on around them.
To-night, this frost will fasten on this mud and us, Shrivelling many hands, and puckering foreheads crisp. All their waiting is of no use as nothing happens yet again. The soldiers are in a situation where the author describes it as, "Incessantly," and their answer to that is, "Nothing. In this essay, I will talk about some poetic techniques and language that Owen used to describe life in the Front Line and the effects that they have on the readers. All that they are doing seems to make no sense to them as they question their presence at the battleground. We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.
These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. . The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow. There is no way out of this life but through death. Written by TimothySexton Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us… Speaker The opening line of the puts the reader right into the setting of with imagery that brings to vivid life the conditions of extreme weather. The soldiers have been waiting for this battle for a long time and they feel as if their lives are being wasted.
They are slowly freezing to death. So we drowse, sun-dozed, 24 Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses. . An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. However, at the same time, the snowflakes pick away at them. Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces— We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed, Deep into grassier ditches.
They are listening to the gusts of wind and agonies of each other, hearing the gunshots in the distance as if from some other war and slowly questioning their presence there. It is profoundly ironic that in the midst of war on the front lines, there are moments when the greatest enemy is that nothing happens. There is so much in the first stanza that is building, the Stanza Two Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire, Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles. One of the leading poets during the time of World War I, Owen was himself a soldier and most of his works thus deal with the theme of war and its effects. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
They come across them in this field, and wait for something to happen — but nothing does. This shows that the wind just weakened and killed anyone on its way, no matter who it is. Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey, But nothing happens. This poem is an extremely moving and powerful depiction of the horrors of war. It would start off boiling hot; by the time it got to us in the front line, there was ice on the top it was so cold. Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent.
Exposure (Wilfred Owen poem) Study Guide: Analysis
The title also suggests that the author is trying to get people's attention with this piece; he wants his audience to empathize. What are we doing here? For them, the war is happening even second in their life. Out for a lonely autumn walk, the speaker—a voice for Heaney himself—wonders if he's made a mistake in leaving his troubled homeland and wrestles with big questions about why he writes at all. Secondly, it might suggest that the wind is cold-hearted, and does not consider once when it harms and kills them. The opening They exist in their own world, and yet, as we can see from the stanza, they seem to scarcely exist at all. The soldiers come to the realization that the warmth of their house can no longer shield them, those happy times are long gone. This shows that they have lost hope of being able to help other countries while they fight against them.
Having completely resigned to their fate, they harbour no ill-feelings and resentment towards god. Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient. Other soldiers will come to bury their lifeless, shriveled bodies, will also have to face its wrath as they pick the dead bodies of their fellow men with hands trembling from the cold, stopping for a moment to look at the fallen men with whom they had shared camaraderie and known, albeit briefly. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. This is effective as an anti-war poem as it makes the readers reconsider whether life in the trenches is as easy as the propaganda poems said, or there is something besides the enemy which the soldiers have to tackle.
