"Base Details"

Siegfried Sassoon's Base Details is a classic poem about wartime. Through his use of irony, Sassoon conveys his speaker's cynical attitude towards army majors.

Throughout the poem, the speaker's discussion of both the soldiers and the war itself reveal his cynicism. The major who is speaking in the poem carries himself with a harsh, unforgiving tone that plainly states his true feelings about the war his soldiers will fight in. As Sassoon was a soldier himself in World War I, the poem likely reflects his own feelings about the military and war.

Irony is seen throughout the poem; the speaker of the poem repeatedly contrasts what is expected against what he sees:

[I will] speed glum heroes up the line of death.

Alright, so this quotation is a lot to take in. First,  describing himself (an army major) as someone who will "speed glum heroes up the line to death"  definitely catches the reader off guard (3). Since the speaker is a military official, it is unexpected that he would be so open about pushing young men to their inevitable deaths. This use of irony catches the reader off guard with its harsh, brash tone. The speaker sheds all emotional attachment from the men who are about to die. He is cynical and unapologetic about the reality of the men approaching the end of their lives.

The irony present throughout Sassoon's poem helps the reader understand the speaker's cynicism. Sassoon's use of irony contrasts typically proud, patriotic images of soldiers marching into battle with the major's bluntness about not caring.To the speaker, these soldiers would be mere objects he would use to advance his cause. He would not bothered by the likelihood of them dying on the battlefield. To him, all that would matter is the outcome; the 'major' he would be would not be phased by what it will take to succeed in the war.

This poem helps the reader understand what Sassoon believes about war; Sassoon feels that the majors are lazy and use men as objects. They are not brave nor valiant, they only use young men to advance their causes.

And when the war is done and youth stone dead,

I’d toddle safely home and die — in bed.

This quotation is another example of Sassoon's great use of  irony to convey his speaker's cynicism. Since the soldiers died in war, the reader wold expect the major to die alongside them. However, the major the speaker describes is able to die peacefully in his own home. After the young soldiers have died in battle ("youth stone"), the major leaves the casualties behind. This major can return home safely while the young men he sent into war have died. The speaker feels that soldiers have relinquished their lives for their country by dying on the battlefield while the major was allowed to sit back comfortably. Clearly, the speaker feels that the majors do not care about the young men giving up their lives for the military's cause. Due to the cyncism he convey's through his speaker's cyncical description of a major, the reader understands Sassoon's greater view of the military.