Exposure by Wilfred Owen Poem Analysis

I think that the term "Exposure" is appropriate given by Wilfred Owen who wrote this poem.

The author reveals his thoughts on the lost soldiers, war, and even death. I feel that the writing style of this piece is dramatic and very realistic. The author’s tone is quite dark and it really made me feel as if I was in the situation with the author.

The title ‘Exposure’ is suggestive of many things. It could be referring to how the soldiers under constant pressure and iced weather cannot keep warm, but also how they are exposed to death and danger with no chance of escaping. Both ideas appeal to me as a reader and give me a better understanding of what this poem portrays. The title also suggests that the author is trying to get people's attention with this piece; he wants his audience to empathize. The author uses numerous poetic devices to get his point across. I think the repetition of words is what makes this poem so powerful. The author repeats the word "nothing" to get his point across that nothing is going to happen, a feeling a soldier would have while waiting for a big battle. The author uses many symbols in this piece such as snowflakes, bullets, and flowers. They symbolize nature and peace which are ideas that soldiers would appreciate while out in the war trying to help other countries. 

The imagery in Exposure creates strong sensations of helplessness, danger, and tedium. For example, the personification of the winds adds to the character of that element; snow is shown in a unique way - it is naturally white but is portrayed as black in the poem. Owen's effectively creates a mood of despair which are feelings that are present in the mind of the soldiers. The last two stanzas hint at death and become more bitter than any of the others, revealing another layer of meaning in this powerful wartime poem. The fact that the snowflakes are described as "picking at" the soldiers' faces is an example of how they are forced to wait for death. The author describes the situation in which the soldiers find themselves, so feeling powerless. At this point, to keep their mind off of things, they discuss "the weather" and all of its positive aspects. However, at the same time, the snowflakes pick away at them. This is extremely effective because it shows how little power that they have over themselves and what happens to them, especially since there is not really anything that they can do about it. The repetition of "nothing" really brings out its meaning. The soldiers are in a situation where the author describes it as, "Incessantly," and their answer to that is, "Nothing." This shows how helpless they feel when they are in the middle of a war zone. The last two lines really show how their mind is affected by boredom and helplessness. They feel so powerless that they cannot even get out of bed for fear of death. Furthermore, it shows how uncertain their fate is because they do not know if it will be their final night or not. Their plans were interrupted by the snowflakes which forced them back to sleep, back into the same situation that they knew was coming for them at some point. 

The author uses imagery of snowflakes falling on the soldiers to symbolize how they are falling helplessly in battle. For example, he says, "Snow falls; and wind's invisible assassins". He also brings out his tone by saying "Exposure reduces strong men to imbeciles; / The burial party pick up their tools." I think his tone is dark because he is trying to get people's attention by writing about something that they might not feel for. The theme of this poem is that life is precious and should never be taken for granted.

Although the soldiers are in a situation where they are forced to wait for other soldiers to die, their final thoughts are not about death. They talk about other things. Their last words are how "The burying party, picks and shovels in shaking grasp," pauses over half-known faces. This shows that they have lost hope of being able to help other countries while they fight against them. 

While the soldiers were battling, the author says that another country was assisting another country in the war. Even though this war ended for them, the soldiers were able to help through any way possible through their work up until the end of the poem. This poem is an extremely moving and powerful depiction of the horrors of war. It shows how vulnerable and helpless men can feel when they are put in a life threatening situation and how precious life is. 

In conclusion , the author’s tone is very dark and he repeats the word "nothing". The soldiers have been waiting for this battle for a long time and they feel as if their lives are being wasted. The soldiers are forced to wait in a deadly position, where they feel as if nothing will happen, but snowflakes will still fall on them. This poem is a powerful piece about nature and life. The author shows how nature can be beautiful even during war, but also how life should never be taken for granted.