Suicide in the Trenches
by Siegfried Sassoon
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
ANALYSIS
Alliteration
- I knew a simple soldier boy
- Slept soundly through the lonesome dark
- He put a bullet through his brain
Assonance
- With crumps and lice and lack of rum
- No one spoke of him again
- Who cheer when soldier lads march by
Theme
- The tragedy of war
Mood
- Sad
- Cynical
Symbolism
- Whistled early with the lark – symbolises the boy’s innocence and carefree nature before joining the war
Imagery
- Auditory and Tactile imagery – With crumps and lice and lack of rum
INTERPRETATION
The poem is about the reality of war and
it criticises the public for its ignorance of
what soldiers really go through in the battlefield
INSPIRATION
This poem was written as a response to world war 1,
which the poet actively served in and opposed.
POET BIODATA
Name: Siegfried Loraine Sassoon
Born: 8 September 1886 in Kent, England
Died: 1 September 1967 in Wiltshire, England
Pen name: Saul Kain, Pinchbeck Lyre
Life events:
- Second son born to a Jewish father and Anglo-Catholic mother who both came from notable families
- He joined the first world war out of patriotism but was soon horrified by the realities of war
- He wrote a lot about the gritty details of war to convey the ugly truth to the masses that was fed patriotic propaganda
- After joining the war, he befriended another British Poet and his writing style changed completely
- Despite his war efforts, he violently opposed the war as he lost his good friend, David Cuthbert Thomas
- He died from stomach cancer one week before his 81st birthday 😞