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Analysis Of Suicide In The Trenches

Decent Essays

The subject matter of suicide in the trenches is about the mental illness and severe depression of a young soldier in the trenches during world war 1. The soldier’s depression is displayed clearly even before his suicide is described. This poem was written by Siegfried Sassoon to display the horrid conditions and mental state of young soldiers in the trenches during the war. It is intended to criticise the boredom, loneliness, health conditions and patriotism that many soldiers faced in the trenches. The poem describes the grief and depression that the soldiers felt during these times and opposes the war propaganda planned by the government. It is meant to convey the message that war was not a fun experience or adventure and that the conditions will drive many soldiers into depression or even suicide in extreme cases. The poem of suicide in the trenches has a structure and form of three, four line stanzas. It is a short poem, which creates a certain effect on the reader. The individual lines are also very short. The poem’s length can be interpreted as a metaphor of the boy’s life. The poem is short like the young boy’s life, as he killed himself at a young age. This particular type of short structure is used to portray the short tragedy of the suicidal boy’s life. The length of his life is used to portray the tragedy and horridness of the first world war and war in general. The tone of this poem starts of very melancholic and ends very angrily through using specific

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