17.1.4

Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

Test yourself

Key Quotations in Exposure

Here are key quotations to remember for your exam:

Illustrative background for “…But nothing happens”Illustrative background for “…But nothing happens” ?? "content

“…But nothing happens”

  • Repetition of “but nothing happens” throughout the poem gives the readers a sense of the boredom caused by waiting.
  • It also hints at the pointlessness of war.
Illustrative background for “Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”Illustrative background for “Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us” ?? "content

“Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”

  • Personification and sibilance.
  • The weather is personified to make it sound menacing and deadly. This also characterises the weather as the real enemy of the soldiers.
  • The sibilance here highlights the intensity of the pain and the brutality of the weather.
Illustrative background for “Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army..."Illustrative background for “Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army..." ?? "content

“Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army..."

  • “Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army / Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey.”
  • Personification.
    • Dawn, usually associated with ideas of light and hope is here hostile and brings even more suffering.
  • Colour imagery.
  • The colour imagery “grey” conveys ideas of despair and boredom.
  • Military vocabulary.
  • “Ranks” is a military term and is repeated, reminding the reader that the weather is the soldiers’ enemy.
Illustrative background for “Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow”Illustrative background for “Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow” ?? "content

“Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow”

  • Nature is presented as more damaging and deadly than the bullets.
  • The contrasting images of “black” and “snow” are unsettling. They highlight the horror of being exposed to the elements.
  • They also highlight how close to death the soldiers are.
Illustrative background for “Slowly, our ghosts drag home”Illustrative background for “Slowly, our ghosts drag home” ?? "content

“Slowly, our ghosts drag home”

  • Metaphor.
  • This metaphor suggests that war has sucked all the life out of the soldiers and further reminds readers that they are on the brink of death.
Illustrative background for “All their eyes are ice”Illustrative background for “All their eyes are ice” ?? "content

“All their eyes are ice”

  • Metaphor.
  • This metaphor describes the extreme effects of the weather that have overcome the soldiers.
  • It also implies that the soldiers have lost their humanity and could suggest they are close to breaking point.

Jump to other topics

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

17Recap: Main Quotes

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