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Exposure & Storm on the Island - Coggle Diagram
Exposure
&
Storm on the Island
Paragraph 1
Similarity
Nature is personified as the enemy
Storm on the Island
'exploding comfortably'
oxymoronic
this implies that
man has become used to the relentless destruction of nature
the islanders have become
used to violence
present participle
*'exploding'
entirely contrasts
adverb
*'comfortably'
military metaphor
relates back to the
rising tension in Northern Island
constant use of
military language
'spits like a tame cat turned savage'
seems
oxymoronic
implies
nature has betrayed them
juxtaposition
between
'tame'
and
'savage'
seems to suggest nature intends to cause harm
shows that
even if we think we can control nature
, it can
still become wild and attack
enjambment
replicates the
constant barrage off the storm
reflected in the arrangement of the poem into
one single stanza
to mirror the
overwhelming power
reader becomes
overwhelmed and breathless by the enjambment
, replicating the
panicked feeling of the islanders
Exposure
'merciless iced east winds that knive us...'
personification
of nature as the
antagonist
creates an
impression of intent
as if nature is
purposefully harming the soldiers
end-stopping ellipsis
shows the
relentlessness of this pain
as nature has the power to continually inflict harm
adjective
'merciless'
highlights the lack of compassion of the weather for the men
harsh
'd'
and
't'
sounds establish a
dark and bitter tone
as the wind inflicts its pain
the
cardinal
'east'
is used as this is
where the wind is most destructive
'less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow'
adjective
'black'
has
death-like connotations
this
minimises the significance of the actual fighting
by implying that
nature causes more death and destruction that humanity
this may imply that
nature is an evil force
pathetic fallacy
however, Owen refers to how the air
'shudders'
which implies that
nature is also a victim
perhaps of the
maliciousness of humans as they try to kill each other, destroying nature in the process
the colour
'black'
may here be
polysemous
as it could refer to nature being
corrupted by the ill intent of humans
both use
half-rhyme
in the poem
'cliffs'
&
'hits'
'silent'
&
'salient'
this is
unsettling
in SOTI this suggests there is
something unsettling about the community and their relationship with nature
in Exposure it makes the reader
feel unsatisfied and uncomfortable waiting for a rhyme
in the same way that the
soldiers are on edge anticipating a battle
Paragraph 2
Similarity
Themes of hopelessness
Storm on the Island
'Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear'
oxymoron
Heaney seems to
argue the conflict is over
'nothing'
after all,
Catholics and Protestants are both Christians
however
'huge'
suggests the
consequences are huge
3000 deaths
and numerous
houses destroyed
implies as
sense of hopelessness at the future
unless
we change
'We just sit tight'
assonance
of
'i'
sound
represents the selfishness of society
to
ignore the violence and allow suffering
adverb
'just'
implies a
sense of regret
collective pronoun
'we'
seems to
emphasise their unity and isolation from others
their
unity is not a strength
but rather them
accepting the violence
this implies
the violence will continue
as the islanders
are not strong enough to confront it
creates a
hopeless tone
Exposure
'We turn back to our dying'
collective pronoun
'we'
creates a sense of
collective suffering
which shows the
mass effects of hostility from both nature and humanity
implies they are
just part of something bigger
which may relate to how they are
at the mercy of those higher-up than them
who
control the war
verb phrase
'turn back'
is somewhat
polysemous
at it refers to the
soldier's hopelessness
as well as the
apathetic societies that refuse to help the soldiers
this
contrast patriotic imagery
that would have
convinced young boys to join the army with the promise of heroism
somewhat
ironic
as the
soldiers have been completely isolated
and
left to die
at the hands of either nature or each other
this seems to be a
criticism of war
as it highlights the
soldier's disillusionment
and the
lies of patriotism
'But nothing happens'
refrain
stands out as it
breaks the half-rhyme
cyclical structure
as it happens throughout the poem & in the
first and last stanzas
emphasise the
futility of war
and the
hopelessness of the soldiers that anything will change
Paragraph 3
Difference
Exploration of Existence
Storm on the Island
themes of cyclical existence and resilience
'tragic chorus'
mournful and reflective
tone
allusion to
classical Greek tragedy
their role was to
warn the audience
the
poem is prescient
as it
looks into the future
-
written two years before the Troubles started
seems to imply
conflict is endless
as there will
always be more conflict to warn against
cyclical nature of war
half rhyme
half rhyme between the
first and last couplet
-
'squat'
&
'slate'
/
'air'
&
'fear'
- creates a
cyclical structure
this connects the
preparation for the storm to start
with the
fear of the storm's power at the end
cyclical structure
of the poem shows the
resilience of the islanders
- storms will come again and again -
the cycle of preparation, storm and recovery is undless
due to the
fundamental insufficiency of human power
as
no matter what humans do
there is
always the possibility of nature destroying it
as it has
greater power
storm as a natural phenomenon
highlights the
continuity and rhythm of life
emphasises
humanity's place within the larger tapestry of the natural world
somewhat
celebrates the enduring vitality of life
Exposure
existential themes of death & disillusionment
'For love of God seems dying'
polysemous
they feel as if
they have been abandoned
and
God no longer cares for them
alternatively, they are
losing their faith
as
belief in God is no longer enough to keep them going
both of these interpretations present the soldier's
spiritual desolation
as they are faced with the
reality of war and human existence
this
existential angst
seems to come from the
monotony of their lives
and the
futility of seemingly everything