Alliteration Of The Military Majors By Thomas Sassoon

539 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Power in literature

Within the poem Sassoon expresses his great disgust towards the military majors discourteous efforts toward the world war. He mimics the majors, and what his life would be like if he were him. He creates a sardonic picture of how comfortable the majors' lives were and how they were responsible for killing young soldiers by sending them to the front, but they themselves were never in danger as they did not have to fight; he depicts the majors as not caring about the lives of single soldiers.

Throughout the poem he uses punctuation to effectively emphasise key points, his use of alliteration almost makes it seem as though he is spitting his words with frustration 'Guzzling and gulping'. But on top of this, the structure and layout can also …show more content…

This line could perhaps be Sassoon trying to suggest that the wrong people are making decisions that effect the war; it could be inferred, with prior knowledge to the ranks in war, that the 'majors' are only who they are because of their position in society. To further suggest this, Sassoon points out that the majors would guzzle and gulp 'in the best hotel', in addition, the fact that the majors are classed 'scarlet' and 'puffy' could suggest they have a lot of money to excessively drink and eat the finest foods. Overall, the poem conveys the majors as rich, high ranked people, who automatically were made majors because of this, which suggests they may not be the best people to put in charge of the war, as they don't have direct. This begins to explain and help the reader understand the pure anger and hatred that Sassoon holds against the majors. The word 'fierce' has been used in a sarcastic way, in that the major's idea of 'fierce' is barking orders at soldiers from the sidelines, and then going back to base at the end of it all, having watched thousands of soldiers

Show More
Related

  • Comradeship in James Hanley's The German Prisoner, Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to Arms, Not So Quiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Pat Baker's

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many soldiers and volunteers, life on the fronts during the war means danger, and there are few if any distractions from its horrors. Each comradeship serves as a divergence from the daily atrocities and makes life tolerable. Yet, the same bonds that most World War literature romantically portrays can be equally negative. James Hanley’s “The German Prisoner”, shows the horrifying results of such alliances, while “Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemmingway reveal that occasionally, some individuals like Lieutenant Henri seek solidarity outside the combat zone. Smithy of “Not So Quiet” and Paul Baumer in “All Quiet on the Western Front” demonstrate the importance and advantages of comradeship while giving credence to the romance of these connections. Pat Barker’s “Regeneration” depicts Siegfried Sassoon, as an officer who places comradeship and honor above his own personal anti war convictions. Regardless of the consequences, each demonstrates not only the different results of comradeship but also its power and level of importance to each character in the abovementioned writings.

    Read More

  • Bruce Dawe Essay

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    The powerful poem ‘Weapons Training’ showcases a sergeant, through malicious words, guiding his troops. However it is through ‘Homecoming’, where Dawe exposes the brutal hopelessness brought forth by the futility of war. Therefore it can be seen that war has an emotional toll on both families and the soldiers. Both poems have a recurring message that all war does is bring loss, death and mourning, showcasing Dawes strong opinions about a futile

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Komanuyakaa Facing It

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Gary Soto's Saturday At The Canal

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    From analyzing the text it’s obvious to the reader that the narrator is dissatisfied with where he’s at in life. The first stanza is an insight into the atmosphere of his high school, and the word choice and imagery play a role in depicting his disgruntled

    Read More

  • Ambiguity And Uncertainty In The Illiterate By William Meredith

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the character is illiterate, he has no ability to determine his true feelings for the loved one. Additionally, this use of repetitive words in the poem also shows the lack of diction by the character. When words are repeated, it typically tells someone that they are either confused or have a weak vocabulary. Since it is implied that the man had a small lexicon because of his illiteracy, the poem reveals his ideas in a simplistic and repetitive wording

    Read More

  • Sula Poem Analysis

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this passage Morrison gives the reader a sense of why Sula behaves in a way that is upsetting to others and why the women in Bottom treat her so unfairly.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Totally by Taylor Mali

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... is shown moreover through these pauses. We also see that he places question marks at the end of sentences, which is another way he is showing us the uncertainty in the voice of society. Through his punctuation and word placement, we clearly see the voice of society in his poem, but in a way that tells us not to conform to it.

    Read More

  • Comparing Irony of War in Dulce et Decorum, Regeneration, and Quiet on the Western Front

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s, demonstrated through the author's talent, are denouncing the authority figures who were supposed to guide his generation into adulthood but instead turned the youth against each other in the pursuit of superficial ideals. The soldiers were simply the victims of a meaningless war.

    Read More

  • In Another Country of Hemingway

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...is story, Hemingway brings the readers back the war and see what it caused to human as well as shows that how the war can change a man's life forever. We think that just people who have been exposed to the war can deeply understand the unfortunates, tolls, and devastates of the war. He also shared and deeply sympathized sorrows of who took part in the war; the soldiers because they were not only put aside the combat, the war also keeps them away from community; people hated them as known they are officers and often shouted " down with officers" as they passing. We have found any blue and mournful tone in this story but we feel something bitter, a bitter sarcasm. As the war passing, the soldiers would not themselves any more, they became another ones; hunting hawks, emotionless. They lost everything that a normal man can have in the life. the war rob all they have.

    Read More

  • Compare Dulce Et Decorum Est And Suicide In The Trenches

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both poems used different techniques to stimulate the readers’ evaluation and realisation of the adverse outcomes of war, especially its effects on the soldiers. Sassoon’s poem title gave the reader an immediate conclusion about the contents of the poem of the hardship that the soldier faced, which brought upon his suicide. Whereas Owen’s gave the opposite impression at first, as the Latin saying translates into “it is fitting and honourable to die for your country.”

    Read More

  • Hero in Shakespeare’s Henry V and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    Siegfried Sassoon on the other hand in his poem ‘hero’ seeks to reveal the facade and sad irony of the traditional image of the ‘war-hero’. Sassoon joined the army himself motivated by patriotism, but after his first-hand experiences he expressed his views on the ‘gritty realism’ of war through his writing. One of his most applauded pieces of work is his poem ‘the hero’ in which he touches upon a matter close to his heart; the wide gap between the public perception of the soldier fighting for his country and the stark reality of life in the trenches.

    Read More

  • Compare and contrast the poems Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    He uses powerful imagery and onomatopoeia to achieve the desired effects that make the poem more realistic. All this combined together produces effective thought provoking ideas and with each read, I gradually get an improved understanding and appreciation of the poem.

    Read More

  • Use of Dramatic Contrast in Yeats' Poetry

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly he uses a sharp contrast in his tone. This is particularly evident in his poem 'September 1913'. He starts by attacking the greedy uncultured people of Ireland, especially the shopkeepers who “add the halfpence to the pence”. He uses adjectives such as “greasy” and “shivering” to help portray his feelings of disgust and vexation. This gives the stanza a reproachful tone. At the end of the stanza he introduces the refrain:

    Read More

  • Man With Night Sweats

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not only do the words express the speaker's feelings. The structure of the poem has a memorable effect as well. The sentences in the first half of the poem are shorter with a two-line, a four-line, and a six-line sentence. Even in the six-line sentence there are pauses to keep order. However, there are only two sentences in the second half, with one being eight lines. This sentence also has very little structure and runs on. There is no caesura present in the second half, even though there is plenty of it in the

    Read More

  • The Poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coloridge

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through alliteration and imagery, Coleridge turns the words of the poem into a system of symbols that become unfixed to the reader. Coleridge uses alliteration throughout the poem, in which the reader “hovers” between imagination and reality. As the reader moves through the poem, they feel as if they are traveling along a river, “five miles meandering with a mazy motion” (25). The words become a symbol of a slow moving river and as the reader travels along the river, they are also traveling through each stanza. This creates a scene that the viewer can turn words into symbols while in reality they are just reading text. Coleridge is also able to illustrate a suspension of the mind through imagery; done so by producing images that are unfixed to the r...

    Read More

More about Alliteration Of The Military Majors By Thomas Sassoon

Open Document