Wilfred Owen exposes the reality of conflict as a war against nature. He describes the wind as “merciless iced east winds that knive us”. The adjective “merciless” suggests that nature is cruel and unsympathetic. It is stubborn and relentless towards humans and is inescapable. This portrays an imbalance of power, showing nature possesses more power than humans. In addition, the verb “knife” connotes death, stabbing and aggressiveness. It reveals nature is unforgiving and cruel. Also shows it is not prejudiced as it is constantly opposing all human power. Alternatively, it could also suggest nature’s betrayal as it is unexpected to be at war with nature. This reveals the naivety of those fighting the war as it was romanticised. Owen however intends to reveal the pain and struggles of war that people refuse to acknowledge. This creates a tone of fear as we are concerned about the welfare of the soldiers having two enemies on the battlefield and never seeming to get rest.Another way Owen exposes the reality of conflict is the anaphora “but nothing happens”. This symbolises the futility of war as Owen was trying to criticise the consequences of war. The anxious silence of war and nature kills them slowly instead of the enemy. In addition, the ellipses used mirrors the silence and suggests uncertainty about war. It is agonising and a form of physical and mental struggle in the war. It is also a cyclical structure in the poem implying that war is inescapable (and nature is inescapable). They are entrapped until death and this cycle will repeat with innocent lives. Alternatively, it could symbolise they are mentally dead as “nothing happens”. In death, they are in a sense “dead men walking”, devoid of empathy and thought of emotion because of the horrors of wars. They are trapped with their own thoughts of war and are forced to relive it even in mental death. Owen intends to demonstrate the consequences of war despite it being futile, for example men with PTSD after the war were devastated. The message presented is nature is inescapable and war is ugly.
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