Characters of War

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Recommended: Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon as War poets

Characters of War

At the news of World War I breaking out, Siegfried Sassoon quickly enrolled in regimental training. Yet most people don't recognize him for his war achievements. Today he is recognized as one of the most famous war poets of the era. World War I was a war of attrition and cost thousands of humans their loved ones, limbs, or lives. Siegfried writes two poems pertaining to these matters; "The One-Legged Man" and "The Hero", both of which show a part of war civilians can relate to, show the morale amongst the soldiers, and carry a common theme of selfishness and one's dignity or lack there of.

Everyone can relate to selfish and unselfish motives and the joys they can bring, even if one is unselfish the majority of the time. In the poem "The One-Legged Man", it states "how right it seemed that he should reach the span of comfortable years allowed to man!" Everyone can relate to wanting to live a long and happy life, therefore seemingly giving some justification to the reality of the poem in everyday readers' minds. People can also relate to the happiness the one-legged man feels at seeing his land and how much more it seemed after being so close to death and seemingly feeling as though you have nothing. While other people may fall into this situation more innocently then the one legged man, they none the less can relate. I believe readers can also relate to the unselfish officer who lied to leave Jack's Mother, with something to be proud of. He obviously felt bad for the woman and the shame her son could bring upon her. Even though seemingly, she was not the only parent with a son who had attempted to be sent home.

The morale of soldiers in World War I was very low for several reasons, such as the tedious trench war fare, aiding in the constant loss of life with little gain, spreading feelings of futility. Any soldier must feel like if they don't find a way to get home they too, will end up dying on the battlefield. And every soldier knows that a way to be sent home from war is to be injured. "Jack tried this in "The Hero", "how he'd tried, To get sent home, and how, at last he died, blown to small bits." Knowing that they may die anyway, theses selfish soldiers refuse to prolong what they feel would be the inevitable and give them selves a fifty-fifty shot at going home.

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