Theme Of Siegfried Sassoon

It is known that the First World War was one of the most lethal conflicts in history. Attack a poem written by S. Sasson and Anthem for Doomed youth written by W. Owen are both poems that touch on the sensitive topic that is the War and its hidden veracities that manifests in various forms. Not only were both of the writers inspired by the same matter, but they were in fact, friends. This is very important because similarities are established within the two poems, as one inspired the other as a form of therapy from the consequences of the war on mental health. The writers through their talent uniquely incorporate their viewpoints and personal experiences that is ultimately projected onto their poems, whilst still maintaining a level of resemblance from one another.

Literature and poetry are a reflection of society. The words are reflected in numerous feelings that we can almost touch and can be deeply felt in its reach. Most poets expressed their perception and emotion through their writings. Unfortunately the art and poetry describes one of the worst things that human can do to one another. The legalized murder called "war." Hence, this type of self-reflection called "poetry" has help create new fundamental ideas and values towards our society. In this essay, I will discuss the issue of the "War Poetry" during the "Great War" along with comparing and contrasting two talented renowned poets; Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967).

World War I had a powerful and long lasting effect on people all over the world. A significant figure from the literature of World War I was Wilfred Owen who expressed his powerful thoughts on the war in his writing. Owen was particularly noteworthy because he had experience in the war as a soldier himself. He noted many hardships that included suffering from illnesses and the changing weather conditions. Throughout his firsthand accounts, the reader gets to see what actually happened during the war and gains a new perspective. Also the war greatly affected the mood that Owen wrote in and his tone would change along with the physical and mental difficulties he was faced with. In one of Wilfred Owen’s particular poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est”, he wrote with extensive imagery of the war which showed his view point and what occurred in reality. The stanzas have a darkening mood as they go on to make the war seem very real and alive. Owen used powerful diction to express his experiences as a soldier that stick with the reader when combined with his powerful imagery. Another important part of Wilfred Owen developing as a writer in this time period was due to his influence from outside sources. The most significant influence that Owen had came from Siegfried Sassoon. The two spent a great amount of time together in recovery from various conditions. Owen used many of Sassoon’s ideas and they had similar viewpoints of the war resulting in a fast

Public perceptions of World War I were formed by literature written during the war itself. British literature in particular offers a vast array of perspectives. The writings of Siegfried Sassoon and Vera Brittain demonstrate themes of grief and recall upon instances of mental fragility revealed by war. In “The Great War and Modern Memory, literary historian Paul Fussell identifies that this type of literature expresses an essential truth about not only the First World War, but all modern wars. Fussell strongly asserts that war is futile, wasteful, and most importantly, destructive. (Fussell 3-35). Modern literature about the First World War is also demonstrative of these themes.

In the opening paragraph a clear distinction of the methods that they use to cope through war is shown, supported by juxtaposition. “A hard vocabulary” they spoke with, contrasted with the “terrible softness,” allows the reader to articulate that the men are initially scared while objectifying and placing emphasis on their use of language. The diction is shifted as the narrator describes the words which the men say,

Many war pieces express a distinct sense of truth, hatred, and anger that can be found in the style, tone, and imagery they possess. Incredible images are created in ones mind as war writings are read and heard. Works written by such writers as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and Tim OBrien really reach out to the audience by way of the authors choice of words and images that they use in their writing. These talented writers create very touching and heart-felt images as they write about the true occurrences, problems, feelings and emotions that soldiers encountered throughout times of war. It is by way of these

In most war poetry, both physical and psychological perspectives are highlighted for the reader to see. The author Siegfried Sassoon wrote “They” as a conversation between the narrator and the Bishop, indicating the difference of perspectives. As wars keep being fought, the present-day message has become ‘what effect has war had on our soldiers.’ As this movement becomes increasingly bigger with more soldiers defending their countries and the possibility of another World War on the horizon, it is important to see the faults war has created versus the ideals of the majority over the years, yet this is being ignored by society as it is now a part of a game.

Upon writing to his military officials that “[he] believe[s] that this war, upon which [he] entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest,” Sassoon was sent to a hospital with the all-encompassing diagnosis of “shell-shock” in order to silence anti-war sentiments. This action taken by the government further prevented legitimate and honest communication of warfront horror between soldiers and civilians. Sassoon continued expressing his disgust for those remaining at home, more passionate than ever, with his disgust for those never required to see the gore of the front lines, yet continued to support government drafting. In his sonnet, “The Glory of Women”, Sassoon venomously berates war-supporting women by referring to material interest in war. As mental illness was not a major social concern until the late 1970s, soldiers who returned emotionally troubled did not receive the same honor and recognition as those who had been “wounded in a mentionable place.” Women, ignorant of the true malignancy in men like Sassoon, condemned those who ran as “hell’s last horror breaks them,”. Desertion, still considered one of the greatest dishonors in war, identified the

The specific works I am intending to analyze is Siegfried Sassoon’s WWI poetry “They”, “The Rear-Guard’, “The General”, and “Glory of Women”. The argument I will make about these works is Sassoon’s public protest to show the realities of war and explain his tactics on doing so. Sassoon “attack[ed] the old men of the army, Church, and the government” because he believed they were responsible for the miseries and murders of the young soldiers during WWI. I intent to make the argument both cultural and historical. Example ideas or paragraphs for this paper include the poems “They” and “The Rear-Guard” play a role in the protest by illustrating the damaging aftermath of injury or death. These poems also portrays what it was like during the war

Sassoon and Owen as poets and Barker as a novelist, explore through their works of literature the changing and challenging notions of masculinity experienced as a result of The Great War. Furthermore, all three writers suggest that the often overlooked reality of the conflict was the creation of a subversion of the stereotypical ‘heroic soldier’. Replacing this image through their work, with that of the truth, we see an exploration of the emasculated and dehumanised shell that many men truly became as a result of what they experienced in service. This extends throughout their texts, to

Predominantly among the war poets, Sassoon reveals his compassion for individual soldiers as a motivating force in his work. Sassoon's poetry is easy to read, he is very sincere, he hits you with his irony; however, he did not have the originality in technique that Wilfred Owen had.

He claims the war brings people closer to the human nature than anything else as each individual has to live according to his own instincts. In “Counter-Attack” Sassoon describes the misery of the

Unlike many World War 1 poetry that portray war as a patriotic and honourable sacrifice, in “Suicide in the trenches”, Sassoon represented war in this poem as to be a barbaric and horrific ordeal, that can drive even the most sain and optimistic person to end up dead by their own hands. The line in the second stanza, the third line “With crumps and lice and lack of rum” describes the lack of basic resources and also how unhygienic the trenches were.

The poet Siegfried Sassoon saw that war was destructive and it should not happen because it was a waste of human life, Sassoon described the horror of war unsparingly, also, his poems were often based on actual incidents. Wilfred Owen focused his poetry on the particulars of war and the men involved: dirt, muddle, boredom etc, Owen often wrote about the horror of war and the dignity of men. He deeply felt a sense of the appalling wastefulness of war, casualties and the human spirit. The similarities between these two poets are they both tried to record realistic horrors of the war; to have it stopped. They were both angry at the war’s brutality, they were also showed very compassionate studies of the circumstances of fighting men.

War, a slaughter of men that has gone on for hundreds & thousands of years. One of the most gruesome wars was WW1 which lasted for 4 years, 28 Jul. 1914 – 11 Nov. 1918. In this devastating war, the total number of casualties includes about 11 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians. Many of those soldiers were young men. The poem “Suicide in the trenches” written by Siegfried Sassoon tells what the harsh trenches had being like and how many soldiers became depressed. Sassoon was an officer who earned a military cross after carrying a wounded solider through enemy’s crossfire. He fought in many battles till 1917 where he would then have to leave the war due to Shellshock. Sassoon criticized the political leaders who sent young men off to die in huge battles that seemed pointless and while Sassoon was in Hospital he opposed the war by writing many poems including “Does it Matter”, “The Hero’ and arguably the most tragic poem, “Suicide in the Trenches”.