Language

• What literary device is used in the phrase ‘like old beggars’?

  Simile
• How does the adjective ‘old’ in the simile contrast with the soldiers?

  It contrasts with their actual age
• What is the effect of the alliteration in ‘Men marched asleep’?

  It reflects the slumbering exhaustion
• What do the exclamatory minor sentences ‘Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!’ convey?

  They reflect panic and speed of reaction
• What does the metaphor ‘Under a green sea’ describe?

  How gas covers everything
• What is the effect of the repetition of ‘If’ in the poem?

  It forces the reader to think
• How does enjambment in ‘lost their boots/But limped on’ emphasize the soldiers' experience?

  It highlights their ongoing bravery and struggles
• What does the punctuation in ‘– An ecstasy of fumbling’ signify?

  It reflects the disturbance of the gas attack
• What literary device is exemplified by the word ‘trudging’?

  Onomatopoeia
• What does the asyndetic list ‘guttering, choking, drowning’ emphasize?

  It emphasizes desperation and agony