The two poems ‘For the Fallen’ and ‘Suicide in the Trenches’ both commemorate the dead. Throughout each poems they talk about the dead soldiers, however they do it very different ways.
‘For the Fallen’ is written by Robert Laurence Binyon. In his poem he speaks very highly of those soldiers that thought for us during the war. He also talks for everyone not just himself. ‘Suicide in the Trenches’ is written by Siegfried Sassoon and in his poem he shows anger. He clearly has a hatred to those who are not in war or maybe it is war all together.
‘For the Fallen’ commemorates the dead through four stanzas. Binyon refers to the soldiers as ‘steady and aglow’. I believe that Binyon was implying that they had pride and were prepared to face war. That they were proud to fight in a war to protect their country. Binyon also says they were ‘staunch to the end against odd uncounted’. I can infer from that, that Binyon was trying to say that they would not step down and let the enemy through. That they were bold and no matter what they would defend their country. Binyon also says that England would mourn for the dead soldiers. That clearly shows that they are loved and respected. By saying ‘England’ he means the people of England and that means we will miss those soldiers. So clearly Binyon believes that these soldiers are spectacular people. That they are all Saints. They all died for us and without them we will not be here. Binyon is right. But it seems like that he’s saying these men volunteered. That these men were courageous, honorable and fearless. Fearless as in they went into war not frightened but determined to defeat the enemy. This is what Binyon believes and the poem seems like he’s telling a story rather than being reflective.
In ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, Siegfried Sassoon doesn’t speak highly of the soldiers. He doesn’t speak bad of them either. In his poem he shows slight hatred. Siegfried Sassoon starts of by talking about a ‘simple soldier boy’. Sassoon says the boy ‘grinned at life in empty joy’, ‘slept soundly through the lonesome dark’ and ‘whistled early with the lark’. This give you an image of a little boy who is happy at everything no matter what his surrounding is. So he is perky. To be grinning in empty joy is smiling when things are bad. When there is nothing jolly happening yet he’s smiling. If he could sleep peacefully in ‘lonesome dark’ must show nothing is troubling him. He has no fears. Also whistling with a lark shows he quite peaceful and cheery. So this boy is doing all this whilst he is fighting in a war is very strange. He had no fears no worries. Sassoon continues on to shock us by saying the perky boy shot himself. The carefree boy had committed suicide. In those lines maybe Sassoon was trying to imply something. I believe he was. I believe that Sassoon was trying to say that no matter what kind of person you are, war can change you. Whether you are strong, fearless, not troubled or even cowardly war will get to you. He was trying to show a massive negative about war. Maybe because of this Sassoon might hated war.
Siegfried Sassoon also talks about a crowd. A ‘smug-faced’ crowd that ‘cheer when soldier lads march by’. Sassoon calls the crowd smug-faced. He is calling them sly. Maybe Sassoon dislikes the crowd. Probably because they cheer the soldiers on as they march to war. Sassoon might feel anger over this cheer. He may think that this crowd are cheering these men to their deaths. Sassoon says ‘sneak home and pray you’ll never know the hell where youth and laughter go’. Siegfried Sassoon refers to the crowd there. By saying ‘hell’ he means war or even death. So if he’s telling them to pray that they don’t experience war or death, he is saying how cruel and terrible it is. Therefore he shows anger at the crowd because they got away with war, but these soldier lads haven’t. That they are walking to the hell where youth and laughter go. Just like the simple soldier boy from earlier. Sassoon says ‘you smug faced crowds’ We are the you and the crowd. We hear about these men dying in war, but we don’t realise the pain agony and fears they do. We will never know the hell where youth and laughter go.
So these poets do commemorate the dead soldiers, who died for us. But they commemorate them in different ways. Binyon says they are fearless however Sassoon says they are just men walking to their deaths. They might have different viewpoints and so will others but we still commemorate them. ‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them’.
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