Suicide In The Trenches Essay
Good morning guests, families, friends and fans of Siegfried Sassoon. Welcome to the 2017 Word Poets Festival held in the beautiful city of Sydney. We are here today to celebrate 100 years since Sassoon has released some of his most famous poems which at the time were highly controversial representations of the horror of war.
“Suicide In The Trenches” is one of Sassoon’s most well know poems. Sassoon composed this poem to reflect on his own service and to show the effects of World War 1 on himself and on the other soldiers in the trenches. Sassoon felt hatred for the political leaders and for the people back home who felt safe and comfortable in their own country, their own home, whilst young boys were sent off to fight in huge battles that …show more content…
seemed ineffective and pointless. The first stanza is very much like the start to a children’s story because it is very cheerful, pleasant, and appealing.
A example of this is the use of the word ‘boy’ instead of using another world like ‘soldier’. This makes the character seem very young and particularly vulnerable. Using the word ‘simple’ demonstrates to us that they boy is quiet innocent, naïve and not really sophisticated or well educated. The quote “Slept soundly through the lonesome dark” illustrates that the young boy wasn’t troubled by nightmares of any kind. Having the setting in winter symbolises the coldness and harshness of war. “crumps of lice and lack of rum” adds to the depression of the war by the lack of supplies and food given to the soldiers in the trenches. The effect of war has made a joyful boy into a suicidal and depressed soldier. His suicide symbolises the effect of war on the soldiers in the trenches and it also symbolises the tough decisions that innocent boys and soldiers have to make. Through the use of the quote “no one spoke of him again” he shows that since so many soldiers died, there was no need to speak of individuals deaths. Soldiers that bravely lost their lives in trenches were never spoken about again. The use of the term “kindling eye” refers to the eyes of the people within the crowd compared with the starting of a fire in the
trenches when it is cold and quiet. The soldiers are like a flame, a flame that ignites a bushfire of patriotism within the crowds of people who think that they know how traumatic war is and how it can damage young men physically and mentally. “The hell where youth and laughter go” illustrates to us Sassoon’s feelings about the war. Sassoon’s view of war as hell contrasts with the publics view of war being a brave and courageous journey. Sassoon wanted the public to know that they were sending boys off to a place where, if they return home they will never be the same.
“Suicide In The Trenches” is one of Sassoon’s most well know poems. Sassoon composed this poem to reflect on his own service and to show the effects of World War 1 on himself and on the other soldiers in the trenches. Sassoon felt hatred for the political leaders and for the people back home who felt safe and comfortable in their own country, their own home, whilst young boys were sent off to fight in huge battles that …show more content…
seemed ineffective and pointless. The first stanza is very much like the start to a children’s story because it is very cheerful, pleasant, and appealing.
A example of this is the use of the word ‘boy’ instead of using another world like ‘soldier’. This makes the character seem very young and particularly vulnerable. Using the word ‘simple’ demonstrates to us that they boy is quiet innocent, naïve and not really sophisticated or well educated. The quote “Slept soundly through the lonesome dark” illustrates that the young boy wasn’t troubled by nightmares of any kind. Having the setting in winter symbolises the coldness and harshness of war. “crumps of lice and lack of rum” adds to the depression of the war by the lack of supplies and food given to the soldiers in the trenches. The effect of war has made a joyful boy into a suicidal and depressed soldier. His suicide symbolises the effect of war on the soldiers in the trenches and it also symbolises the tough decisions that innocent boys and soldiers have to make. Through the use of the quote “no one spoke of him again” he shows that since so many soldiers died, there was no need to speak of individuals deaths. Soldiers that bravely lost their lives in trenches were never spoken about again. The use of the term “kindling eye” refers to the eyes of the people within the crowd compared with the starting of a fire in the
trenches when it is cold and quiet. The soldiers are like a flame, a flame that ignites a bushfire of patriotism within the crowds of people who think that they know how traumatic war is and how it can damage young men physically and mentally. “The hell where youth and laughter go” illustrates to us Sassoon’s feelings about the war. Sassoon’s view of war as hell contrasts with the publics view of war being a brave and courageous journey. Sassoon wanted the public to know that they were sending boys off to a place where, if they return home they will never be the same.