Nature symbolises the antagonist throughout the poem to imply that nature is an even bigger threat than the actual enemy.
In âdawn massing in the east her melancholy armyâ, Owen juxtaposes the nurturing role traditionally associated with a female nature figure with the aggressive connotations of an army
Simultaneously, Owen minimises the significance of the actual fighting occurring. He makes a direct comparison by describing the actual battle as âless deadly than the air that shudders black with snowâ which, through the deathlike connotations of the colour black, ironically suggests that the soldiers have gone away to fight with nature instead of the opposition
The ongoing battle is further presented to be insignificant through Owenâs use of auditory imagery in âgunnery rumblesâ and âlike a dull rumour of some other warâ
reality of war
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