-
Essay / Wilfred - 1193
How does Owen bring to life the experience of the soldiers on the front line in the poem “Exposure” and “Spring Offensive”? In the poem "Exposure" and "Spring Offensive", Owen conveys the agonizing experience that deceived soldiers endured on the front line. Owen himself was a soldier during the war and he faced the persuasive advertising of misleading propaganda posters which encouraged him and various people to enlist in the British army. Owen challenges society's expectations of war by revealing the corrupt process of going to war and its horrific consequences in various poems such as "Dulce Et Decorum Est" and "Disabled." It brings to life the experience of soldiers on the front line by transporting readers into the reality of war. The word “exposure” has a dual meaning: exposure of soldiers to extreme weather conditions and exposure to danger from opposition. Additionally, the poem "Spring Offensive" is based on Owens' experience during the April 1917 battle. In modern society, we view spring as a time of recreation, although in the poem " Exposure”, the soldiers feel the excruciating pain due to the weather conditions. The whole world perceives spring as a season of restoration and beginnings. However, during World War I, the general often launched his heavy artillery in the spring. Therefore, in the poem “Exposure”, winter was cold and it was much more difficult to combat. In the poem “Spring Offensive,” it began to get warmer and the soldiers came out of the trenches and the vicious fighting and death began. At the beginning of the poem “Exposition”, the line “Our brain ache” illustrates that Owen is inspired by another poet called Odde Nightingale of the phrase “My heart ache”. The tens...... middle of paper...... that the survivors will never be able to regain their full mortality after what they approved and did. Owen also used other poems like “Disabled” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” to truly clarify the unforgiving experience of war. The lines "as under a green sea, I saw him drown" and "he throws himself on me, dripping, choking, drowning" from the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" denote that time affects the lungs of the soldier and there is nothing he or anyone can do while he is suffocating. Additionally, Owen uses the repetition of the word "drowning" to emphasize the soldier's desperation and to create a distinctive sound of helplessness using onomatopoeia. Throughout the poems, the main theme was despair and the reality of war. Owen brings to life the intense horror and experience the soldiers had to endure because of the dishonest government..