Exposure by Wilfred Owen – first verse Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knife 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. Based on opening of the poem – students to guess where/what is happening/who is narrating

1. How old do you think he is? 2. What is his job? 3. When do you think this photo was taken? Explain some of Wilfred Owen’s background

Power and Conflict– Exposure Objectives: How does Owen use poetic devices to reflect the powerlessness of the soldiers in the trenches?

Get students to choose words/adjectives to describe life in the trenches

Exposure What does this word mean to you? a. An act of subjecting or an instance of being subjected to an action or an influence. b. Appearance in public or in the mass media. c. Revelation, especially of crime or guilt. d. The act of presenting a body part, especially the genitals, to view. e. The condition of being exposed, especially to severe weather or other forces of nature On the battle field, in what ways could the word Exposure be used?

What can you say about these words? We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy. Practise analysing/exploding a quote with them

Exploding quotes a. Merciless iced east winds b. Mad gusts tugging on the wire c. Twitching agonies of men among its brambles d. Like a dull rumour of some other war e. Poignant misery of dawn f. Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army g. The air that shudders black with snow h. Pale flakes with fingering stealth Analyse the line focusing on imagery – pass the quotes around/put on the walls

Looking in detail – verse 1 Language feature Quote Effect on the reader 1. Use of the senses What can you see, feel and hear? What colours are used? “drooping flares” and “merciless iced east winds” e) The reader can almost feel the intensity of the wind, drawing them into the scene and inviting them to empathise with the soldiers. 2. Verbs Are there any new, unusual or interesting verbs? “...winds that knife us” 3. Adjectives or interesting adjectives? 4. References to death What language is used to convey the idea of death? Are there any images that stand out? The image of the wind as a murderous enemy. The silent, whispering sentries. . 5. Any other features Is there anything else that you find interesting or striking, e.g. use of rhyme or repetition? Do you notice any other themes e.g. nature, religion in the poem? “worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous” Give the students the sheet – they can fill in their own ideas. You can compare with the next slide

Language feature 1. Use of the senses: What can you see, feel and hear? What colours are used? 2. Verbs: Are there any new, unusual or interesting verbs? 3. Adjectives: Are there any new, unusual or interesting adjectives? 4. References to death: What language is used to convey the idea of death? Are there any images that stand out? 5. Any other features: Is there anything else that you find interesting or striking, e.g. use of rhyme or repetition? Do you notice any other themes e.g. nature, religion in the poem?

Looking in detail – verse 1 Language feature Quote Effect on the reader 1. Use of the senses What can you see, feel and hear? What colours are used? “drooping flares” and “merciless iced east winds” e) The reader can almost feel the intensity of the wind, drawing them into the scene and inviting them to empathise with the soldiers. 2. Verbs Are there any new, unusual or interesting verbs? “...winds that knife us” c) A vivid and brutal action / visual image that shocks the reader. 3. Adjectives or interesting adjectives? a) The wind is given human characteristics, emphasising the cruelty of nature and suffering of the soldiers. 4. References to death What language is used to convey the idea of death? Are there any images that stand out? The image of the wind as a murderous enemy. The silent, whispering sentries. b) The silence and stillness of the soldiers, presented against the treacherous weather conditions builds a sense of tension and foreboding. 5. Any other features Is there anything else that you find interesting or striking, e.g. use of rhyme or repetition? Do you notice any other themes e.g. nature, religion in the poem? “worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous” a) Repetition of the ‘s’ sound (‘sibilance’) creates a sense of being ‘hushed’.

Exposure Read the poem and highlight all references to the weather in one colour – what do you notice? In your second listening, highlight anything that highlights the idea that the men are powerless.

Use of weather in the poem Owen uses personification to make the weather seem like a real person who is attacking the men. For example, “the wind ‘knives’ us”. The weather appears spiteful and hostile towards the men. It is like the weather is their real enemy Owen’s use of weather Find quotes for the points. Find another four points about the weather and prove with quotes. Are the men more afraid of the weather than the opposing army? The bullets are described as “less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow”. Why is the snow described as black? Frost appears to be used as an image of death. It is used throughout the last verse. Does this signify death for all of the men?

Get students to work on MITSL on their own today.

Developing a response How does Owen use poetic devices to reflect the powerlessness of the soldiers in the trenches? Use examples from the poem to support your answer.

‘Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…’

Sample PEE How does Owen use poetic devices to reflect the powerlessness of the soldiers in the trenches? Owen shows how the men are defenceless against the weather conditions using lots of poetic devices. The poem begins ‘Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…’ This is a vivid image which shows how the men’s mental abilities have been compromised by the never ending wind. The wind is personified as ‘merciless’ meaning without pity, showing it to be cruel and winning the war against the men. The army imagery continues with verb ‘knive’ showing the wind feels like a stab wound to the men, penetrating through their skin and into their bones. The assonance and sibilance in these lines also emphasises the long drawn out nature of the wind and harsh sound of the biting wind.

Success Criteria Is there a clear topic sentence? Is there evidence of quotes? Is there discussion about language/structure? Is there a link back to the question? Mark your partner’s work using WWW and EBI – use the success criteria

Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Exposure’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’ Bayonet Charge Meaning (title) Imagery Tone Structure Language

Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Exposure’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’

30 min response Using your information from your table or venn diagram write a response to the question: Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Exposure’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’

Success criteria Is there: An introduction which includes both poems outlining their meaning and their titles? A section on imagery which compares both poems in relation to power using quotes? A section on tone which compares both poems in relation to power using quotes? A section on structure which compares both poems in relation to power using quotes? A section on language which compares both poems in relation to power using quotes?