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.
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.
And when the war is done and youth stone dead, I’d toddle safely home and die — in bed.
When I read the poem I felt like the speaker was acting like Yossarian. I think this man is a soldier who does not want to be in the war at all. Starting from the very first word he says "if" and then continues on to give examples of what he would be doing if he were fierce or bald or short of breath. In line 2 when he says"I'd live with scarlet Majors at the Base" I took that as he wants to be safe. To me the base is like the basic camp. It's like base in a game of freeze tag. If you are on the base nobody can touch you or tag you, In other words, when you are at the base you are safe and that is what he wants to be. He is saying that the Majors are safe and he wants to be like them. Then the next few lines are more examples of what he would be doing and what he wants to be doing however, only if he were fierce, bald and short of breath. I think he wants to grow old and die on his death bed rather than get shot on the field while fighting in a war he does not care about which is kind of like Yossarian.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your explanation of the use of poetic devices in the poem and how it in turn related back to meaning. The example that you used to showcase irony was strong and helped emphasize the point that the poet was trying to get across—the cynical attitude towards military majors. Not only did you properly explore your first piece of quotation from the poem, but you even included another relevant example to support your assertions. The fact that military majors rush young men to their deaths callously, yet are still oftentimes deemed as valiant heroes by our society is a point that the poet critiques. Sassoon demonstrates how they are not valiant at all, but are instead careless individuals. During a brutal fight, they can hide safely behind the lines and return home when the war is all said and done. Yet, the young men who actually put their lives on the line are left “stone dead” and are only shortly remembered. In addition, as I was reading your explanation I also thought that you did a great job showcasing the effect of the author's literary techniques on his readers. As you said, the use of irony captivates their attention and helps play a role in the development of satire in the poem.
ReplyDeleteI really do agree with Jacquie about the poem reminding her of Yossarian. When I was reading the poem, I was thinking about Catch - 22, not only because we were reviewing at the time, but also because the tone of the person in the poem kind of reminded me of the tone of Yossarian throughout all of Catch - 22. The speaker in the poem made it seem like he wanted to be one of the higher ranking soldiers because of the fact that they really don't do anything. All they did was watch the younger soldiers perish while they sat back safe and comfortable. Yossarian was basically the same way because he wanted nothing to do with war and it seemed like he would rather be one of the Majors since they also did nothing but implement more missions. I also like how you used a different poetic device other than imagery. Irony does seem to fit because, like you said, the speaker is always contradicting things. He seems the short, puffy faces of the higher ranking majors guzzling and gulping down food when instead he should be seeing them fight in the war alongside the younger soldiers. Anyway though, I did like your analysis and I really hope to see more post similar to this from you!
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