Critical Essay Question: Why is Exposure an Effective War Poem?
Introduction
In the introduction you have to include title, text, author and task.
Title (Exposure)
Text Poem
Author Wilfred Owen
Task: How you are going to answer the question
Plan
Section 1:
Introduction
Explain why Owen was different from other poets
Explain why the meaning of the title is ambiguous.
Introduce the idea of why this poem has a contemporary relevance.
e.g. Criticism of war in Afghanistan
Say how you will answer the question.
Sections 2-4 Main body Develop your plan
Discuss any three of the following (a section for each):
 Detailed description
 A memorable image or images
 An unusual viewpoint (weather being the greatest enemy, reality of war,
personalised experience)
 The tone (eg irony, black humour, how the tone is created, para rhyme
 Contrast (juxtaposition)
Section 5
Conclusion refer back to the question and summarise your answer as to why this is a
successful war poem
Some points to remember:
Contextualise your references to the poems so that the reader knows what you are
talking about.
Quote specific lines, words and phrases (put any quotations in inverted commas
and, if they are more than one line long, lay them out in their lines as they are
printed).
Develop your own responses to the words and ideas of the poems (ie explain
what something makes you feel, see, think about…and why)– remember the essay
is about YOUR thoughts and how they have meshed with the poem.
Keep to the point of the essay (so make your introduction clear), and to the point
of each section (so make sure you have a clear topic sentence for each).
Refer to the techniques (you don’t need to define them) you have found in your
analysis (the various types of sound effects, imagery, structural and tonal devices).
These small techniques highlight, emphasise, bring out, underline, stress, draw
attention to….the key ideas you are dealing with.