Likewise, the gas surrounded them and killed them slowly • Diction: o In the first stanza, the words are dragged and slow like "they marched asleep" (verse 5) or "deaf to the boos" (line 7) showing the tiredness of the youth o In the second stanza, the pace accelerates with words like "fumble" (line 9) and "drowning" (line 14) and shows the urgency of escaping the attack of the gas. o In the third stanza, words like “plunge” show the desperation of the dying boy. This strong word shows how much this boy is suffering. o In the fourth stanza, Owen addresses the reader for the first time and uses nightmarish imagery to show how this memory is still fresh in his mind. He uses sarcasm and irony in lines 25 to 28 to ensure his message about how war is glorified. He knows he is morally correct and wants the reader to know it too. ohow “children” (line 26) and “desperate” (line 26) are used to highlight how naive these kids are and how horrible the war is. • Hyperbole: o In the first stanza, when Owen shows how the soldiers slowly lose consciousness, becoming blind and deaf, he emphasizes the extent of the effect of war on these