This poem is about a 'normal', 'average' man who came to the trenches only 3 hours before, and then is killed as he is doing his job of piling sandbags along the parapet.
Throughout this poem, Sassoon appeals to the emotions of the reader by trying to create an emotional attachment between the reader and the young man. He explains that
"He was a young man, with a meagre wife
And two small children in a Midland town;
He showed their photographs to all his mates,
And they considered him a decent chap
Who did his work and hadn't much to say,
And always laughed at other people's jokes
Because he hadn't any of his own."
Sassoon deliberately describes the man clearly and significant detail, which makes the reader realise that this man was just a normal man, probably not unlike the reader, and makes the reader see the pure tragedy when the man dies. "He was just a simple man, who never did anything to hurt anyone" is the......
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Approximate Word Count: 482
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |