Aftermath Poem Analysis

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Aftermath by Siegfried Sassoon

                                              

Poems written by Siegfried Sassoon express the World War I experiences and the horrible memories attached with it. All his poems contain a deep meaning and an important message. His poetry has a passionate expression of outrage at the horrors of war and feels pity for the young soldiers who sacrificed their life. His diverse use of imagery and techniques is what makes him an exceptional war poet. His poetry evokes the reader about the hardships during the war. Sassoon’s conveys his messages very proficiently. The poem, “Aftermath,” is a perfect example of his work and conveys a very important message. In the first stanza he talks about the war, in the second stanza, he describes all the events and shows frustration in the third stanza.

        The first stanza talks briefly about the life after the war and the memories attached with it. Sassoon asks the reader a question, “HAVE you forgotten yet?...” (1) He wants people to remember the past events and uses ellipsis to create a pause in the poem and make the reader think. “HAVE,” is capitalized because the poet wants the reader to pay extreme attention for past events and his words. He asks a question to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Sassoon compares our daily lives to “traffic checked while at the crossings of city-ways:” to portray people moving on and not remembering the past. Moreover, there is a “Haunted gap,” (4) in the minds of the soldiers. This refers to dreadful memories in the war and the poet also creates a disturbing image. The waste of time for war is also emphasized by Sassoon, “Taking your peaceful share of Time.” (6) Being in war was very depressing for the soldiers and their families. They had to be away from home for a long time and death awaited them in war. The poet asks the reader to “Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget” (9) and remember those who have lost their lives and emphasizes further that war is a shame and a bloody game. It’s ironic as he compares war to a bloody game because it is supposed to be enjoyable. Lastly, the first stanza refers to civilian life and one shouldn’t forget about the past events that happened during war.

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        Sassoon talks about the events that took place during the war and the obstacles the soldiers had to go through everyday. The repetition of “You,” (10) is used to grasp the reader’s attention into the poem. Then he begins to mention about the war and the daily activities. He uses “And” (11) to creatively show the daily activities that never stopped and continued on. “The nights you watched and wired and dug and piled sandbags on parapets?” (11) This shows that their work was tedious, in the mud and never stopped. In addition, the vivid and disgust imagery helps show ...

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**** 4 STARS A very well written and detailed analysis of the poem. Writer clearly understands and knows poem well and makes some thoughtful and perceptive comments which are well supported by appropriate comments. Deeper analysis of language needed in places, and occasional lapses in expression, but this is a thoughtful and well structured essay.