Exposure and Spring Offensive Essay Example

This is because in 'Exposure', half rhyme is used as it exemplifies a sense of uninterrupted movement which the soldiers never experience. Additionally, every stanza in 'Spring Offensive' presents different imagery, resulting in distinct feelings being evoked throughout the poem. The soldiers are introduced as beasts who are at ease after being relieved of their pack-loads. The poem also reveals that they have come to terms with their imminent death.

The line "knowing their feet had come to the end of the world" suggests a realization of impending doom. Nature provides solace to the soldiers by making them feel marvelled and comforted as they stand and watch the long grass swirled. This is further emphasized by summer acting like an injected drug and alleviating their bodily pains. The heroic feeling of war returns with nature blessing the soldiers' slow boots with gold but their reluctance is still evident. The simile "like sorrowing arms" unites nature with the natural suffering of their loved ones back home. The poem ends with the image of pounding sea.

The soldiers are depicted as charging into a barrage of bullets, thrown around by the tumultuous waves of an infernal hell. The might and potency of nature is interwoven with the diabolic strength of war. The last verse depicts nature reverting to a state of serenity, though the remembrance of warfare lingers on. Throughout the poem 'Exposure,' the imagery remains unchanging, with nature portrayed as the primary adversary of the soldiers. The wind is personified and described as "knifing" through the men.

Personifying silence as an unseen danger emphasizes its real potential. Additionally, the portrayal of men's misery in relation to nature, such as

the "mad gusts... like twitching agonies of men among its brambles," highlights that nature can inflict agony. This is a contrast to "Spring Offensive," which depicts nature as a source of healing.

The poem suggests a decline in the power of God, as war proves to be more destructive than His power to create. Though death is the primary theme of 'Exposure', it is portrayed as a result of nature rather than weapons - as depicted by the phrase "frost will fasten..".

Many hands were shrivelling...

Both the corpses and the living exhibit the signs of death. The soldiers, referred to as "ghosts", have been internally killed by the distress of war. As a result, they cease to be susceptible to emotions. Their dreams revolve around nature in its rejuvenated state, including "grassier ditches".

The romanticized perception of nature as "littered with blossoms" is nothing more than a hope, while the wording in 'Spring Offensive' aims to impact the reader's feelings. The utilization of harsh and continuous 'K' sounds in the poem creates auditory unease, as seen in "to face the stark, blank sky beyond the ridge". This mirrors the soldiers' distressing existence.

The use of the connective "so" in the poem implies a sense of harmlessness and ordinariness, but it actually introduces the devastating action of the soldiers' charge. The language employed in 'Exposure' is similar to 'Spring Offensive', with harsh consonant sounds and sibilance emphasizing the bitter and bleak conditions faced by the soldiers. Thus, Owen utilizes nature and seasons as tools to showcase the horrors of war, and how its negative effects can be felt regardless of whether one is currently engaged in battle or

not.