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Base Details

• Siegfried Sassoon.

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Question2005 Question 14
Choose a poem in which humour ( e.g satire, wit
or irony) plays a significant part. Show how the
poet makes the poem humorous and discuss how
important humour is to the underlying message of
the poem.
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Show how the poet makes the poem humorous Well,
how does Sassoon do this? He creates a
stereotype of the major, a ridiculous caricature
at whom we laugh and for whom we have no respect.
Sassoon has created a character who shows us the
very worst excesses of those in command.
Everything he writes is exaggerated but that is
not the point the point is that the caricature
he has created makes it very clear that we should
condemn the majors for their treatment of the men
under their command. Which brings us to
discuss how important humour is to the underlying
message of the poem.
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What is the underlying message of the poem? That
the majors in command in the First World War were
unfit to lead and betrayed the men in their
command. Sassoon is bitter and angry about what
he regarded an unnecessary and unforgivable waste
of human life. He is condemning those he holds
responsible. In this essay, it is your job to
explain how Sassoon used his caricature of the
majors to make his very serious point.
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Structure

• Introduction
• Name of poet
• Name of poem
• Brief overview Sassoon adopting the persona of
  the major. Explain it is a satire. Explain
  poets purpose .
• If you show you understand the above points, you
  will be answering the question.

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Title and Form

• Write a topic sentence saying that the form of
  the poem is important in in creating the satire
  and, in turn, conveys the poets message that the
  majors should eb condemned.
• Mention ambiguity of title.
• The form of the poem.
• For each of these examples you must explain how
  they answer the question. How is humour created
  and how does this does this make you think about
  the poets serious message.

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Callous disregard

• If I were fierce, and bald, and short of
  breath,I'd live with scarlet Majors at the
  Base,And speed glum heroes up the line to
  death.

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Self indulgence

• You'd see me with my puffy petulant
  face,Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,

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Hypocrisy and self deception

• Reading the Roll of Honour. "Poor young
  chap,"I'd say "I used to know his father
  wellYes, we've lost heavily in this last
  scrap."

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Self satisfaction

• And when the war is done and youth stone
  dead,I'd toddle safely home and die - in bed.

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Conclusion