In Journey's End and "Exposure", the war is generally presented in a dark light as Owen and RC Sheriff, respectively, focus on the attitude of the soldiers. throughout their experience on the front line. While Owen draws more attention to the tension created by the harsh winter conditions in the trenches, Sherriff focuses on the internal events of the trenches and how soldiers are subjected to emotional stress following war. Nonetheless, both texts constantly reference the slow pace of the First World War and suggest that soldiers spent the majority of their time simply waiting for the enemy's next move. Additionally, Owen and Sherriff imply that the soldiers were almost living in a false reality - as they avoid mentioning the enemy or any serious events in the war and tend to have rather mundane conversations. Similarly, both authors allude to the psychological strain soldiers experience due to their continued exposure not only to weather conditions, but also to the various horrors they face on the battlefield. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The idea of ​​war as a tenuous state is reinforced throughout Owen's "Exposure" as at end of stanzas 1, 3, 4 and 7. the phrase “but nothing happens” is repeated. The fact that the sentence begins with "but" indicates that, despite the soldiers' level of preparation, they still have to wait painfully until the opposition decides to launch an attack. This implies that men become more and more anxious as time passes, because waiting simply allows them to overthink the situation, thereby increasing their panic. The repetition of the statement and the ab bar rhyme scheme produce a cyclical effect, thus allowing the reader to reflect on the boredom of war and the monotonous routine of the soldiers. Similarly, in Journey's End, Sherriff often uses stage directions of "there is silence" to convey the eerie atmosphere that results from the lack of action. Speaking of the German attack, Osbourne states that "it was planned for last month", which again shows the slow development of the war, as the soldiers had no choice but to entertain themselves by waiting for the next raid. In fact, one of the potential names for Journey's End was "Waiting", so it is obvious that Sherriff viewed the war as a kind of mindless waiting game causing great irritation, but mostly distress among the soldiers on the front line. Denial is another common theme. in "Exposure" and Journey's End, the authors suggest that soldiers block out the nightmarish nature of war by almost refusing to accept that it is real. For example, in "Exposure", Owen's use of rhetorical questions creates a feeling of disbelief and confusion as they ask each other "what are we doing here?" and 'are we dying?' This shows how the soldiers had become so overwhelmed by the whole process of war that they had all but forgotten their true purpose; thus triggering a feeling of denial. The soldiers question their existence in a dazed tone, as if they were half-conscious, which once again demonstrates their loss of commitment to the war. In the fifth stanza, Owen's alliteration in the words "dizzy", "deep", "ditches", "sleepy", "dozed" and "dying" produces a heavy, trance-like tone - creating the image of a lame, exhausted man. soldier who advances with difficulty...