GCSE English Literature AQA Poetry Anthology - Power
and Conflict - Exposure (Wilfred Owen)
Content, Meaning and Purpose:
● Speaker describes war as a battle against the weather and conditions
● Imagery of cold and warm reflect the delusional mind of a man dying from
hypothermia.
● Owen wanted to draw attention to the suffering monotony and futility of war.
Context:
● Written in 1917 before Owen went on to win the Military cross for bravery and
was then killed in battle in 1918: The poem has authenticity as its written by an
actual soldier.
● Of his work,Owen said: ‘My theme is war and the pity of war’
● Despite highlighting the tragedy of war and mistakes of the senior commander,
he had a deep sense of duty: ‘ not loath, we lie out here’ shows that he was not
bitter about his suffering.
Language:
● ‘But nothing happens’ - shows that they've been waiting, builds tension and
repetition throughout the play, shows boredom at the end, something does
happen, people die but they’re used to it. Owen's belief on war is futile and
reference to commanders who failed to change the conduct and let men die
ironically in reality they are slowly.
● ‘Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles’ = simile, imagery of men
struggling with ‘brambles’ gives readers ideas on conditions and how bad the war
was, cannot escape and by attempting they will get trapped ‘wire’ is an artificial
creation as an symbol of war.
● ‘Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence’ - Sibilance makes us
think of something is going to happen, reflects the sounds of bullets going past
and continuous, refers to the weather to emphasise the weather it it being
dangerous and always fighting the weather.
Form and structure:
● Contrast of cold > warm > cold imagery conveys suffering> delusions> death of
the hypothermic soldier.
and Conflict - Exposure (Wilfred Owen)
Content, Meaning and Purpose:
● Speaker describes war as a battle against the weather and conditions
● Imagery of cold and warm reflect the delusional mind of a man dying from
hypothermia.
● Owen wanted to draw attention to the suffering monotony and futility of war.
Context:
● Written in 1917 before Owen went on to win the Military cross for bravery and
was then killed in battle in 1918: The poem has authenticity as its written by an
actual soldier.
● Of his work,Owen said: ‘My theme is war and the pity of war’
● Despite highlighting the tragedy of war and mistakes of the senior commander,
he had a deep sense of duty: ‘ not loath, we lie out here’ shows that he was not
bitter about his suffering.
Language:
● ‘But nothing happens’ - shows that they've been waiting, builds tension and
repetition throughout the play, shows boredom at the end, something does
happen, people die but they’re used to it. Owen's belief on war is futile and
reference to commanders who failed to change the conduct and let men die
ironically in reality they are slowly.
● ‘Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles’ = simile, imagery of men
struggling with ‘brambles’ gives readers ideas on conditions and how bad the war
was, cannot escape and by attempting they will get trapped ‘wire’ is an artificial
creation as an symbol of war.
● ‘Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence’ - Sibilance makes us
think of something is going to happen, reflects the sounds of bullets going past
and continuous, refers to the weather to emphasise the weather it it being
dangerous and always fighting the weather.
Form and structure:
● Contrast of cold > warm > cold imagery conveys suffering> delusions> death of
the hypothermic soldier.
