Exposure quotes

Page 1

"merciless iced east winds"

personifies nature and depicts as enemy-like

inferiority to nature

"but nothing happens"

waiting around/boredom at war creates paranoia, tension

government's ignorance to conditions (decided by few, affects many)

war isn't all action... Owen's intention for the poem was to highlight the harsh truth of war

relentless, no progression despite deaths

"less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow"

personifying nature and depicts as enemy-like

worse than the human enemy

futility of war... "deadly" = death is inevitable and pointless to fight

"wind's nonchalance"

nature is destructive and does not care who it hurts

much like the government who don't seem to care who is hurt as long as they win

"we cringe in holes"

soldier's inferiority to all-powerful nature

animalistic = fearful, small, powerless

"ghosts drag home... sunk fires glozed with crusted dark-red jewels"

hallucinations and delusions following hypothermia

"ghosts" = half dead

"drag" - slow moving

sensual description

jewels give no comfort/warmth like fire - they're precious but cold

"shutters and doors, all closed: on us the doors are closed"

shut out in the cold

the terrible conditions are not shown to the public = insignificance and reason for Owen's writing... EXPOSE these conditions

"frost will fasten on the mud and us"

hopelessness (death is now inevitable)

will definitely destroy them

Page 2

regular line & verse length - monotony of war life and marching army

assonance (ooh) - "slowly our ghosts drag home" slows pace to be painful and slow