Quotes - Exposure

• "Our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knive us" - Owen personifies the wind to show that it is unbearable, it helps to portray nature as their main enemy despite them being in the war with another country.

  The plural pronouns "us" and "our" throughout the poem helps to emphasise the extent of the war and how it was a shared experience.

  Sibilance helps to also mimic the sound of the wind whistling, along with the adjective "merciless" which helps to reinforce the iidea that nature is trying to hurt them. Helping to portray the nature as the main antagonist of the poem.
• "We keep awake because the night is silent..." - Can be seen as ironic as the silence should bring the soldiers a sense of peace or relief, instead it intensifies the soldier's fear

  Owen constantly uses ellipsis at the end of lines to help create tension reflecting the similar ever-growing tension for soldier in the trenches

  Owen also uses juxtaposition between night-time when people would be asleep, and the idea that the soldiers stay "awake" shows how they are constantly alert and in fear of their lives.
• "Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous," - Enjambment, mirroring the relentless nature of the war and shows how the harsh psychological effects seem to be never ending

  Sibilance is used, to give it a quieter tone that could reflect the mysterious silence the soldier's experience at night.
• "But nothing happens" - The conjunction "but" is used to contrast between the extreme conditions and fear of death and the reality is that there seems to be no progress at all. Reinforcing Owen's message about the futility of war, making the reader question the reasoning behind it.

  The line is constantly repeated throughout giving the idea of how Owen finds it to be completely useless and a waste of people, it can also reflect how war in general is relentless and repetitive.

  The shorter line length is noticeable making the true reality of the war much more easy to see
• "We hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire," - Personifies the wind, reinforcing the violent and unpredictable nature of the weather conditions where the soldiers are.

  The wind "tugging on the wire" creates vivid imagery, making the reader to clearly imagine the gusts of wind interacting with the barbed wire.
• "Like twitching agonies of men amongst its brambles" - Smilie here helps to create clear imagery of soldiers getting cruelly being caught in the barbed wire

  The wire is referred to as "brambles", suggesting that the wire is hurting the men in a similar way to nature. It also has connotations of something that is wild, uncontrollable and painful, which could reflect the war. The soldiers feel trapped, as though they can’t escape.
• "Agonies of men amongst its brambles" - Consonance of the letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ in the phrase ‘men amongst’ creates a rhythmic effect, drawing attention to this line to further emphasise Owen’s message about the futility of war and making it more memorable.
• "Like a dull rumour of some other war." - Compares the war to a "dull rumour" suggests that the war seems so far away that it feels like a completely different one to the soldiers. This shows the extent and futility of war. The adjective ‘dull’ implies that the idea of war has become far less impactful for the soldiers due to their constant exposure

  The caesura in this line creates a pause for the reader, reflecting how far away the ‘other war’ seems to the soldiers. Helping to reinforce the magnitude of war.
• "What are we doing here" - Rhetorical question questioning not just the reader on the purpose of war but also it could question the people in charge. Reflecting what the soldiers are feeling as nothing is really happening around them showing the futility, losing their sense of faith and morale. The noticeably shorter line length makes it more memorable. Also as it is at the end of the stanza - a strong impression of the soldiers’ struggles and relentless suffering is shown.

  The line is direct, helping to give a realistic representation of the war instead of romanticising it.
• "We only know war lasts, rain soaks and clouds sag stormy." - Sibilance creating a harsh, unpleasant sound. Mirroring the harsh conditions of war and relentless weather

  List can help to mirror the never-ending nature of the war and how the soldiers can never have a break from the war, physically or mentally. It is also written in the present tense which adds a sense that the suffering is ongoing and that there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for the soldiers
• "Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army", "The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow" - Recurring motif of 'dawn' is used to change the common idea of hope generally associated, and replaced with the idea that the soldiers do not want to endure another day of conflict, pain and suffering

  "Massing" implies and organised gathering. Suggesting that the arrival of daylight, meaning the continuation of war, is inevitable.
• "Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence" - Sibilance mimicking the flight of the bullet, it is an abrupt beginning to the line, mirroring the shock and fear of the unexpected that the soldiers feel.

  The metaphor of the "bullets streak" creates vivid imagery for the reader of the uncanny silence being physically disrupted, showing how abruptly the attacks in the war happen. The silence is not just broken but violently torn apart - enhancing the sense of conflict in the war.
• "Less deadly than the air" "Shudders black with snow" - The simile encourages the reader to compare the air to something dangerous. Conveying the idea that even the air, a necessity for life, is not safe for the soldiers. Owen using this to reinforce the idea that nature is what is really attacking them and how nothing is safe for them.

  Colour imagery suggests that the environment is dark and hostile, the juxtaposition between the black air and the white snow, reflects how everything around the soldiers is bleak and miserable - even the snow which is clean, is affected.
• "Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces: - Personication of 'fingering stealth', implying that they are stealthily touching the soldiers faces. Reflecting how the environment seems subtle at first, but over time its threat becomes unbearable.

  Alliteration creates a soft, whisper-like sound to enhance the creeping nature of the cold.

  The word 'stealth' has connotations of secrecy and deceit, implying that the soldiers constantly feel tricked and have to deal with unexpected threats, frequently.
• "We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams" - Communicates the soldiers feelings of fear and discomfort effectively, emphasising how they have become vulnerable and helpless due to the war.
• "Is it that we are dying" - Rhetorical question made to make the reader to reflect on the soldiers' situation.
• "Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed." -

  Metaphor calling the soldiers 'ghosts', suggesting they have lost all hope and are shells of their former selves due to trauma from the war.

  The verb ‘drag’ suggests that the soldiers are exhausted and that they struggle to move at a regular pace, emphasising the harsh realities of war and how miserable the soldiers are.The verb ‘glozed’ can reflect how the soldiers feel as if nothing is being done to help them and they are feeling forgotten about. This communicates Owen’s message about the realities of war.
• "Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice" - All of the soldiers' eyes have lost their warmth and life, and the ice represents the cold and harsh realities of conflict.

  'half-known faces' shows the anonymous nature of the soldiers suggesting that the war was highly impersonal, it can also show that the damage done to the people is beyond recognition