Introduction: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
“Exposure” by Wilfred Owen first appeared in 1920 in the poetry collection “Poems” is renowned for its vivid depiction of the horrors of trench warfare during World War I. The poem is characterized by its stark imagery, haunting rhythm, and the exploration of themes such as despair, disillusionment, and the dehumanizing effects of war. Owen’s use of sensory details and repetition creates a powerful sense of hopelessness and isolation, highlighting the psychological toll of the conflict on soldiers.
Text: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us . . .
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent . . .
Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient . . .
Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous,
But nothing happens.
Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire,
Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles.
Northward, incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles,
Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war.
What are we doing here?
The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow . . .
We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.
Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army
Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey,
But nothing happens.
Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.
Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow,
With sidelong flowing flakes that flock, pause, and renew,
We watch them wandering up and down the wind’s nonchalance,
But nothing happens.
Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces—
We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed,
Deep into grassier ditches. So we drowse, sun-dozed,
Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses.
—Is it that we are dying?
Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed
With crusted dark-red jewels; crickets jingle there;
For hours the innocent mice rejoice: the house is theirs;
Shutters and doors, all closed: on us the doors are closed,—
We turn back to our dying.
Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn;
Nor ever suns smile true on child, or field, or fruit.
For God’s invincible spring our love is made afraid;
Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born,
For love of God seems dying.
Tonight, this frost will fasten on this mud and us,
Shrivelling many hands, and puckering foreheads crisp.
The burying-party, picks and shovels in shaking grasp,
Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,
But nothing happens.
Annotations: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
| Stanza | Annotation |
| Stanza 1 | The poem opens with a depiction of the harsh, freezing weather on the battlefield, symbolized by the “merciless iced east winds.” The repeated line “But nothing happens” emphasizes the monotonous suffering and the sense of waiting for something significant amidst the silence of war. The stanza captures the soldiers’ physical and psychological torment, where the cold wind is as much an enemy as the opposing forces. |
| Stanza 2 | This stanza reflects the soldiers’ constant vigilance and their exposure to the sounds of war, such as the “mad gusts” and “flickering gunnery.” The description of the “brambles” symbolizes the entanglement and agony of war, while the question “What are we doing here?” reveals the soldiers’ existential crisis, questioning the purpose of their suffering and the war itself. |
| Stanza 3 | The arrival of dawn is described as “melancholy,” with the grey, stormy clouds symbolizing the relentless nature of war. The repeated phrase “But nothing happens” underlines the futility and stagnation of their situation, where each day brings the same misery without any resolution or hope. The personification of dawn as an attacking army further emphasizes the soldiers’ sense of perpetual assault by both nature and war. |
| Stanza 4 | This stanza contrasts the “successive flights of bullets” with the more deadly cold and snow. The “sidelong flowing flakes” personify the snow as indifferent to the soldiers’ suffering, reinforcing the theme of nature as a relentless, indifferent force in the poem. The repetition of “But nothing happens” reinforces the theme of the soldiers’ endless waiting and the futility of their situation. |
| Stanza 5 | The snow is personified as it “fingering” and “feeling for our faces,” symbolizing the intrusive and inescapable cold. The stanza captures the soldiers’ disorientation and their retreat into memories and dreams as they are “snow-dazed.” The rhetorical question “Is it that we are dying?” reflects their growing despair and the blurring line between life and death. |
| Stanza 6 | This stanza imagines the soldiers’ ghosts returning home to find their houses empty, with “shutters and doors, all closed,” symbolizing the finality of death and the separation from their previous lives. The line “We turn back to our dying” suggests a resigned acceptance of their fate, further emphasizing the theme of hopelessness and the inevitability of death in war. |
| Stanza 7 | The stanza reflects the soldiers’ loss of faith and hope, as they believe that “God’s invincible spring” and the love associated with it are now distant or “dying.” The soldiers’ resignation is highlighted in the line “Therefore were born, For love of God seems dying,” indicating their belief that their suffering and death in war are futile and devoid of any divine purpose. |
| Stanza 8 | The final stanza depicts the soldiers’ inevitable death, as the frost “shrivels” and “puckers” their bodies. The “burying-party” pauses over the “half-known faces,” symbolizing the dehumanizing nature of war, where identities are lost. The final line “All their eyes are ice, But nothing happens” brings the poem full circle, emphasizing the unchanging, indifferent nature of both the war and the soldiers’ suffering, ultimately ending in death without any significant change or resolution. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
| Literary Device | Definition | Example from the Poem | Explanation |
| Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. | “Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient” | The repetition of the “l” sound creates a sense of languor and despair. |
| Anaphora | The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. | “But nothing happens.” (repeated throughout the poem) | This repetition emphasizes the monotony and futility of the soldiers’ situation. |
| Antithesis | The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas or images. | “The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow… But nothing happens.” | The contrast between the hopeful dawn and the unchanging tragedy of war highlights the soldiers’ despair. |
| Consonance | The repetition of consonant sounds within words, especially at the end of words. | “The burying-party, picks and shovels in shaking grasp” | The repetition of the “s” sound creates a sense of hissing and tension. |
| Enjambment | The continuation of a sentence or phrase across multiple lines of poetry. | “Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient” | This device creates a sense of urgency and breathlessness, reflecting the chaotic nature of war. |
| Imagery | The use of vivid language to create mental images. | “Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces” | The image of the snowflakes “feeling” for the soldiers’ faces evokes a sense of vulnerability and cold. |
| Irony | A contrast between what is expected or intended and what actually happens. | “We watch them wandering up and down the wind’s nonchalance” | The irony lies in the fact that the snowflakes, seemingly indifferent, are ultimately deadly. |
| Metaphor | A comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” | “Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us” | The east winds are compared to knives, emphasizing their pain and cruelty. |
| Metonymy | The use of the name of one thing to represent something related to it. | “The house is theirs” | The house represents the safety and comfort that the soldiers have lost. |
| Oxymoron | A combination of contradictory terms. | “The poignant misery of dawn” | The juxtaposition of “poignant” and “misery” creates a paradox that reflects the soldiers’ complex emotions. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to non-human things. | “The dawn massing in the east her melancholy army” | Dawn is portrayed as an army, suggesting its relentless and oppressive nature. |
| Repetition | The repeated use of words or phrases. | “But nothing happens.” (repeated throughout the poem) | Repetition emphasizes the monotony and futility of the soldiers’ situation. |
| Simile | A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.” | “Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles” | The gusts of wind are compared to the agonies of men, suggesting the suffering and chaos of war. |
| Symbolism | The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. | Snow symbolizes death and despair. | |
| Synecdoche | The use of a part to represent the whole, or vice versa. | “Hands” represent the soldiers themselves. | |
| Tone | The author’s attitude toward the subject matter. | The tone is one of despair, hopelessness, and disillusionment. | |
| Verisimilitude | The appearance of being real or true. | The vivid imagery and sensory details create a sense of realism. | |
| Voice | The distinctive style or personality of the speaker. | The voice is that of a soldier, conveying the firsthand experience of war. | |
| Word Choice | The careful selection of words to achieve a particular effect. | Owen uses words that evoke strong emotions and imagery, such as “merciless,” “poignant,” and “melancholy.” | |
| Allusion | A reference to a famous person, place, thing, or event. | The poem alludes to the biblical story of the Fall of Man, suggesting that the war has corrupted humanity. |
Themes: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
- The Futility of War: One of the central themes in “Exposure” is the futility and senselessness of war. Owen repeatedly emphasizes the pointlessness of the soldiers’ suffering through the refrain “But nothing happens,” which appears at the end of several stanzas. This line reflects the endless waiting and the lack of progress or resolution, suggesting that the soldiers endure extreme hardship without achieving any meaningful outcome. The question “What are we doing here?” (Stanza 2) further underscores the soldiers’ disillusionment and the sense that their sacrifices are in vain.
- The Power of Nature: Nature is depicted as a formidable and indifferent force, often more deadly than the enemy. The “merciless iced east winds” (Stanza 1) and the “sidelong flowing flakes” of snow (Stanza 4) represent nature’s relentless assault on the soldiers, who are exposed to the elements without adequate protection. The personification of dawn as “her melancholy army” (Stanza 3) and the snowflakes “fingering stealth” at the soldiers’ faces (Stanza 5) illustrate how nature is portrayed as an active, almost malevolent force that contributes to the soldiers’ suffering.
- Despair and Hopelessness: Throughout the poem, Owen conveys a deep sense of despair and hopelessness among the soldiers. This is evident in their resigned acceptance of their fate, as seen in lines like “Is it that we are dying?” (Stanza 5) and “We turn back to our dying” (Stanza 6). The soldiers’ belief that “For love of God seems dying” (Stanza 7) indicates a loss of faith, not just in religion but in any meaningful purpose behind their suffering. The repetition of “But nothing happens” reinforces the idea that their situation is static and unchanging, leading to a profound sense of hopelessness.
- The Dehumanization of Soldiers: Owen explores the dehumanizing effects of war on soldiers, reducing them to mere shadows of their former selves. The imagery of “ghosts” dragging home (Stanza 6) and the “half-known faces” observed by the burying party (Stanza 8) highlights how war strips soldiers of their identities and reduces them to anonymous, forgotten figures. The line “All their eyes are ice” (Stanza 8) symbolizes the emotional numbness and detachment that results from prolonged exposure to the horrors of war, further emphasizing the theme of dehumanization.
Literary Theories and “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
| Literary Theory | Explanation | Application to “Exposure” |
| Marxist Theory | Marxist literary theory examines literature through the lens of class struggle, economic power, and the social conditions that shape human experiences. It often focuses on the exploitation and alienation of the working class. | In “Exposure,” the soldiers can be viewed as representatives of the working class, exploited and alienated by those in power. Their suffering and dehumanization reflect the broader socio-economic inequalities and the futility of their sacrifices, serving the interests of the ruling class rather than their own. The poem’s depiction of war as senseless and driven by political and economic motives aligns with Marxist critiques of capitalist society. |
| Psychological Theory | Psychological literary theory, particularly drawing from Freudian concepts, explores the inner workings of characters’ minds, including unconscious desires, fears, and the effects of trauma. | “Exposure” delves into the psychological impact of war on soldiers, highlighting their mental exhaustion, despair, and trauma. The repeated line “But nothing happens” reflects a kind of psychological numbness and the soldiers’ inability to process the continuous stress and horror. The poem also explores the soldiers’ subconscious fears, such as the fear of death, as seen in the question “Is it that we are dying?” which reveals their deep-seated anxieties. |
| Naturalism | Naturalism is a literary movement that emphasizes the influence of environment, heredity, and social conditions on human beings, often portraying individuals as victims of forces beyond their control. | In “Exposure,” the soldiers are depicted as helpless victims of nature’s brutal forces, such as the “merciless iced east winds” and “black with snow.” The poem portrays nature as an indifferent and overpowering force, contributing to the soldiers’ suffering and ultimate demise. The bleak, deterministic view that “But nothing happens” suggests that the soldiers’ fate is sealed by forces beyond their control, aligning with the principles of Naturalism. |
Critical Questions about “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
- How does Owen’s use of sensory imagery contribute to the poem’s overall effect?
- Wilfred Owen’s masterful use of sensory imagery is a key element in the poem’s haunting power. Through vivid descriptions of the cold, the mud, the wind, and the bleak landscape, Owen immerses the reader in the harsh realities of trench warfare. The sensory details not only create a palpable atmosphere but also evoke a strong emotional response, conveying the soldiers’ physical and psychological suffering. For example, the image of “the merciless iced east winds that knive us” immediately sets the tone for the poem, emphasizing the brutal conditions faced by the soldiers.
- What is the significance of the repeated phrase “But nothing happens”?
- The refrain “But nothing happens” throughout the poem serves as a stark contrast between the soldiers’ anticipation of action and the relentless monotony of their existence. It highlights the futility of their situation, as they wait in vain for the war to end or for something meaningful to occur. This repetition reinforces the sense of hopelessness and despair that pervades the poem, emphasizing the psychological toll of prolonged exposure to the horrors of war.
- How does Owen explore the themes of despair and disillusionment in “Exposure”?
- Owen’s portrayal of despair and disillusionment is central to the poem’s impact. The soldiers’ sense of hopelessness is conveyed through their physical suffering, the bleakness of their surroundings, and the constant threat of death. The repetition of “But nothing happens” emphasizes their disillusionment with the war, as they realize that their sacrifices are in vain. The poem also explores the loss of faith in humanity and the divine, as the soldiers question the meaning of their existence and the purpose of their suffering.
- What is the significance of the final lines of the poem?
- The final lines of the poem, “Tonight, this frost will fasten on this mud and us, / Shrivelling many hands, and puckering foreheads crisp,” offer a chilling prediction of the soldiers’ fate. The image of the frost “fastening” on the mud and the soldiers suggests a sense of inevitability, as if their deaths are predetermined. The poem ends on a note of despair, emphasizing the futility of their sacrifice and the enduring horrors of war.
Literary Works Similar to “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
- “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen: Both poems explore the horrors of war and the psychological impact on soldiers.
- “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot: Both poems depict a world characterized by fragmentation, disillusionment, and a loss of meaning.
- “War Poems” by Isaac Rosenberg: Both poets use vivid imagery and language to convey the brutality and senselessness of war.
- “Winter Solstice” by Siegfried Sassoon: Both poems explore themes of despair, isolation, and the longing for peace.
- “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats: Both poems express a sense of impending doom and the breakdown of traditional values.
Suggested Readings: “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
Books:
- Owen, Wilfred. Poems. New York: New Directions, 1963.
- Larkin, Philip. Selected Poems. London: Faber & Faber, 1968.
- Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975.
Websites:
- Poetry Foundation. “Exposure.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57261/exposure-56d23a961ef5a
- The Poetry Archive. “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen. https://archive.org/details/poemsowenwil00owenrich
- British Council. “Wilfred Owen: The Poetry of War.” https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-resources/teaching-secondary/uk-history-and-literature/first-world-war/wilfred-owen
Representative Quotations of “Exposure” by Wilfred Owen
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…” | The opening line describes the soldiers’ physical suffering due to the harsh weather, setting the tone for the poem’s exploration of both physical and mental torment. | Naturalism – Highlights how the soldiers are victims of nature’s relentless, indifferent forces, beyond their control. |
| “But nothing happens.” | Repeated throughout the poem, this line underscores the monotony and futility of the soldiers’ experiences, where their suffering seems endless and purposeless. | Marxist Theory – Reflects the futility of the soldiers’ sacrifices, serving a war driven by the interests of the ruling class, leading to their alienation and exploitation. |
| “What are we doing here?” | This rhetorical question expresses the soldiers’ existential crisis, questioning the purpose of their suffering and the point of the war. | Psychological Theory – Reveals the soldiers’ internal conflict and growing disillusionment, a manifestation of their psychological trauma and despair. |
| “The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow…” | Dawn is personified as a force bringing misery rather than hope, symbolizing the soldiers’ dread of another day of suffering. | Naturalism – Demonstrates the deterministic view that the soldiers are powerless against the relentless forces of nature and war, which continue to inflict misery upon them. |
| “Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow…” | This line compares the bullets to the freezing air, suggesting that the weather is more deadly than the enemy’s firepower. | Naturalism – Emphasizes the indifferent cruelty of nature, which poses a greater threat to the soldiers than the human enemy, reinforcing their helplessness. |
| “Is it that we are dying?” | The soldiers question whether their prolonged suffering and exposure to the elements are leading them to an inevitable death. | Psychological Theory – Reflects the deep-seated fear and resignation to death that the soldiers experience, indicative of their mental and emotional breakdown. |
| “Slowly our ghosts drag home…” | This metaphor describes the soldiers as ghosts, suggesting that they are already dead in spirit, disconnected from their former lives. | Psychological Theory – Symbolizes the dehumanization and psychological disintegration of the soldiers, who have become mere shadows of their former selves. |
| “For love of God seems dying.” | The soldiers’ faith is waning, as they feel abandoned by God in their suffering, leading to a crisis of belief. | Marxist Theory – Can be interpreted as a critique of how war corrupts and diminishes spiritual values, reducing religious faith to a casualty of the socio-political conflict. |
| “All their eyes are ice.” | This line describes the emotional numbness and detachment of the soldiers, who have become desensitized to their own suffering and that of others. | Psychological Theory – Represents the psychological impact of prolonged trauma, where the soldiers’ emotional responses are frozen, symbolizing their mental and emotional deadening. |
| “The burying-party, picks and shovels in shaking grasp…” | The final stanza describes the soldiers’ inevitable death and burial, with the burial party emotionally detached and frozen by the cold. | Naturalism – Conveys the deterministic view that the soldiers’ fate is sealed by the unrelenting forces of nature and war, leading to their inevitable and indifferent burial. |