Both Wilfred Owen and Seamus Heaney present the power of nature in their poems “Exposure” and “Storm on the Island”, respectively, as overwhelming and uncontrollable. Between the two, they both emphasize nature as an unparalleled power, however, Owen’s poem is a visual representation of life in the trenches of WW1, contrasting from existing government propaganda glamorising the adventures of war and emphasizing the futility of the situation by depicting the fate of soldiers suffering from hypothermia. On the other hand, Heaney’s poem is an illustration of uniform identity in the adversity of “fear”, characterised with the destruction a powerful storm causes to an island.
“Exposure” makes use of first person plural pronouns- “us” “our” “we”- …show more content…
The use of blank verse throughout majority of the poem draws similarities with Exposure and implies that the weather and nature is unpredictable and difficult to stop. This, coupled with the iambic pentameter, seems to mimic the movement of the storm and the consistent experience of the island and people as they attempt to withstand the power of nature. However, as the poem progresses, the strategically placed caesura serves as a reminder that nature’s cycle is repetitive and renews and humanity’s eventual destruction at the hands of nature is inevitable. However, the communal sense in “Storm on the Island” is seen in the cyclical structure of the poem, with the preparation beginning the poem, and the half rhyme of “squat” and “slate” at the start linking with the half rhyme of “air” and “fear” at the end of the poem. The irony is that nature and the storm can’t really be predicted. However, nature is more powerful in its effect on the soldiers in “Exposure” than on the community in “Storm on the Island”, and this reflects how people’s experience and preparation, as reflected by the line “We are prepared”, can make them more powerful against
“Exposure” makes use of first person plural pronouns- “us” “our” “we”- …show more content…
The use of blank verse throughout majority of the poem draws similarities with Exposure and implies that the weather and nature is unpredictable and difficult to stop. This, coupled with the iambic pentameter, seems to mimic the movement of the storm and the consistent experience of the island and people as they attempt to withstand the power of nature. However, as the poem progresses, the strategically placed caesura serves as a reminder that nature’s cycle is repetitive and renews and humanity’s eventual destruction at the hands of nature is inevitable. However, the communal sense in “Storm on the Island” is seen in the cyclical structure of the poem, with the preparation beginning the poem, and the half rhyme of “squat” and “slate” at the start linking with the half rhyme of “air” and “fear” at the end of the poem. The irony is that nature and the storm can’t really be predicted. However, nature is more powerful in its effect on the soldiers in “Exposure” than on the community in “Storm on the Island”, and this reflects how people’s experience and preparation, as reflected by the line “We are prepared”, can make them more powerful against