The Western Voyager

By: Bryan Ricardo Marini Quintana

Siegfried Sassoon’s “They” is a realistic poem that questions The Great War’s righteous cause, contemplating the scars veterans will bear for the rest of their lives. The poem begins with a soldier saying: “The Bishop tells us: ‘When the boys come back / They will not be the same; for they’ll have fought / In a just cause: they lead the last attack.” (Sassoon) Here, the Bishop gives a rousing speech to stir the men about why they should be proud of their service to defend the homeland. Then, he finishes with words of praise: “They have challenged Death and dared him face to face.” (Sassoon) However, this comment doesn’t express sorrow or pity for these lost souls who’ve been forced to march beyond the refuge of a barbed wire trench to face their doom on a barren wasteland. Instead, the Bishop absurdly hails these brutal acts of violence as glorious deeds of bravery and honor. All that matters to him is that these soldiers have gained heroic renown on the battlefield, disregarding the physical and psychological wounds they’ve obtained in No Man’s Land.

Afterward, the boys furiously reply: “We’re none of us the same!” … / ‘For George lost both his legs; and Bill’s stone blind; / Poor Jim’s shot through the lungs and like to die; / And Bert’s gone syphilitic…” (Sassoon) By giving a voice to these stories, the poet records the horrific experiences of soldiers who’ve endured unceasing winters in the muddy ditches of the western front. Primarily, Siegfried Sassoon expresses his frustrations in a somber poem that ponders these men’s grim future when they return home to the post-war world. While meadows will heal and towns rebuild, these soldiers will never be the same again, unable to mend their injuries. Next, the boys solemnly clamor: “…you’ll not find / A chap who’s served that hasn’t found some change.” (Sassoon) This is the outcry of haunted soldiers who’ve lost a part of themselves for the righteous cause of The Great War. Overall, Siegfried Sassoon reveals that these fearless knights are ordinary men whose lives have become maimed by the torment they’ve stomached on the western front, with their pleas being snubbed by the Bishop who answers: “… ‘The ways of God are strange!” (Sassoon)

Works Cited:

Sassoon, Siegfried. “They.” 1917. George Mason University, https://mason.gmu.edu/~rnanian/Sassoon-They.html

By: Bryan Ricardo Marini Quintana

Rupert Brooke’s “The Soldier” is an idealistic poem that serves as an ode to England, remembering why he’s fighting for his country in The Great War. This romantic tone of the sonnet unveils a soldier who misses home, reminiscing on the beauty of his nation by saying: “If I should die, think only this of me: / That there’s some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England…” (Brooke) Through this verse, Rupert Brooke finds meaning in serving on the front as a bastion of civilization that halts the barbarian aggressor ravaging Europe from reaching his country. When the poet confronts the certainty of death, he doesn’t cowl in fear of facing the shadow that claims the souls of men. Instead, Rupert Brooke is armed with valor to meet his fate, perceiving The Great War as a just cause worth sacrificing his life to defend England’s freedom and well-being.

Further on, the poet describes: “…There shall be / In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; / A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, / Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam…” (Brooke) With this verse, Rupert Brooke portrays his homeland as a civilizing force that nurtured him to become knowledgeable and wise. Thereafter, he evokes an ailing memory of the countryside by reciting: “A body of England’s, breathing English air, / Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.” (Brooke) Palpably, the soldier depicts a lovely landscape to retain the smell, touch, and sight of home. Hence, the sonnet is a celebration of England’s magnificence, which’s been left unscathed by the fumes of The Great War shrouding Europe, with Rupert Brooke recollecting the splendor of his homeland to find purpose in the conflict, longing to return when he confesses: “In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.” (Brooke)

Works Cited:

Brooke, Rupert. “The Soldier.” 1915. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/13076/the-soldier