4.1.1
Summary
Summary and Context of Exposure
Summary and Context of Exposure
The poem is written from the point of view of a WW1 soldier describing living through the misery, boredom and icy weather conditions during a night in the trenches. The weather is presented as the real enemy of the soldiers.
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Title
Title
- The title could refer to the weather that the soldiers are ‘expos[ed]’.
- However, Owen is also “expos[ing]” the harsh, undignified aspects of conflict that are never portrayed in propaganda or poems glorifying war.
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Poet
Poet
- Wilfred Owen is one of the most well-known WW1 poets who was famously anti-war.
- He fought in the war and this poem is a realistic, unheroic portrayal of fighting.
- Owen went to war on two occasions and was killed on the second.
Key Ideas in Exposure
Key Ideas in Exposure
Owen portrays a soldier freezing in the trenches as he waits for an attack. Through this, he reveals the brutality of war that is less well-publicised. The poem explores the agony of waiting and the pain and suffering inflicted on soldiers by the elements.
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Misery in war
Misery in war
- As with other poems by Owen, the poem focuses on aspects of war that are not glamorous.
- Unlike the propaganda materials that focused on the glory, that war would bring to the soldiers and the heroes they would become, this poem reveals the horrific day-to-day misery experienced by those who went to war.
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Loss of humanity
Loss of humanity
- There is a sense that the men lose their humanity and dignity. This is suggested through phrases such as “Slowly, our ghosts drag home” and “we cringe in holes”.
- This depiction is the antithesis (opposite) to images of heroism soldiers would have seen before the war.
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Pointlessness of war
Pointlessness of war
- The pointlessness of war is emphasised throughout. The speaker in the poem seems to have lost sight of what he is fighting for.
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Weather and boredom
Weather and boredom
- The weather and boredom are presented as the real enemy of the soldiers.
- The soldiers are anxious and afraid and each new day brings no hope but more misery and despair.
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Lasting effects of war
Lasting effects of war
- The speaker hints at the fact that war changes the soldiers irreversibly as they no longer fit in when they return home.
- The negative consequences of war are lasting.
1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
2London - William Blake (1757-1827)
3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
3.1Storm on the Island Analysis
4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)
5.1War Photographer Analysis
6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
7.1Extract from The Prelude Analysis
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)
14.1Checking Out Me History Analysis
15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)
16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
Jump to other topics
1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
2London - William Blake (1757-1827)
3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
3.1Storm on the Island Analysis
4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)
5.1War Photographer Analysis
6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
7.1Extract from The Prelude Analysis
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)
14.1Checking Out Me History Analysis
15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)
16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
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