Wilfred Owen's Exposure Analysis

Wilfred Owen's Exposure

• Wilfred Owen was born in 1893, joined the British Army in 1915, and died in battle on November 4th, 1918.
• Owen originally pursued a career in the church but abandoned it due to his perception of the church's indifference to the local community.
• Owen's poetry often focuses on the futility and meaningless nature of war.
• Owen uses repetition and three-part stanzas in the poem "Exposure" to highlight the intense wait during battle, the anticipation, and the anticlimactic letdown when nothing happens.
• The soldiers lived on adrenaline for extended periods, leading to shell shock (now known as PTSD).
• The opening lines of each stanza in "Exposure" are blunt and powerful, followed by highly emotive vocabulary, and then conclude with an anti-climax ("but nothing happens").
• The poem's "abbc" rhyme scheme reflects the cyclical and futile nature of the soldiers' situation.
• Owen uses pararhyme, where end-of-line words share the same consonant sounds but different vowels.
• The pararhyme in "Exposure" portrays the soldiers' constant state of nervous anticipation, emphasizing the lack of closure and satisfaction.
• Owen utilizes personification to emphasize the dangerous nature of weather compared to the less deadly bullets.
• The poem ends with the recurring phrase "but nothing happens," highlighting the cyclical nature of the soldiers' experience and the overall futility of war.
• The poem ends where it began, highlighting the relentless cycle of waiting and the lack of progress.

Comparisons to Other Poems

• "Bayonet Charge" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" also explore the futility of war.
• Poems like "Remains" and "War Photographer" depict the harsh realities of war.

Explore the themes and techniques in Wilfred Owen's poem 'Exposure'. This quiz covers Owen's life, his poetic style, and the significance of war in his work. Dive into how repetition and rhyme scheme enhance the emotional power of his anti-war message.